In the Spotlight

This week's Sky Watch is an unusual look across the Tame Valley in Mossley.

Although the sky was thickly clouded and the evening was drawing in, somewhere out of sight over the hill behind me the sun must have been poking through a hole in the clouds. The result was an eerie-looking scene in which just the Micklehurst area of the town was in this spooky spotlight of strong sunshine.

There has been absolutely no touching-up of this photo. Apart from trimming the edges off a bit and re-sizing it, this was just as it came from the camera! Although the photo captues the moment partly, it can't covey the weirdness of seeing such an unusual lighting condition.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Station House

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"S" is for "Station House" and today we see the former station building of Micklehurst railway station in Mossley, around four miles from the centre of Ashton.

The nearest railway line is half a mile away, on the other side of the valley, but there is a clue to the past in the name of the road - Station Road. This was the site of Micklehurst Station, one of four stations on the "Micklehurst Loop line", which ran more or less parallel to the earlier railway between Stalybridge and Diggle. The extra lines were needed to cope with the increasing volume of rail traffic.

The line opened in 1885. The station closed in 1907 but the line continued to be used for goods traffic until it was shut in 1966 (apart from the section between Stalybridge and Hartshead Power Station at Millbrook).

Today the former track behind the building has become a footpath, cycleway and bridleway running through Greenfield to Uppermill.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

See Google Street View of this location.

"Station House" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "S" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Sky Watch: Blue, Green and Pink

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For today's Sky Watch, we take another visit to the cherry blossom trees in Mossley, just over the hill from Ashton, which were seen here on Monday.

The view from Hanover Street looks across the tops of the trees, across the Tame valley towards Micklehurst and the Pennine moors beyond. Above the moors is the gentle pastel blurring of clouds with blue sky.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Sky Watch: Cloud-Shrouded Hills

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A clear bright afternoon in Mossley, just over the hill from Ashton.

Not a cloud in the sky... but that's because the cloud is wrapping itself around the hills instead!

The Pennine hills quite often make a good backdrop for photos taken in Mossley. This photo was taken from outside Mossley Hall, the old Town Hall, looking down across Manchester Road towards Micklehurst. Behind the houses of Manchester Road, the new roof of Longlands Mill, home of Emmaus Mossley, looks prominent in the fading evening light.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies. You are most welcome!

Mossley on Monday: Squire's Mill

Tucked away behind Ivy Bank Cottages off Micklehurst Road in Mossley is the remaining part of Squires Mill. Its location is due to the mill originally being water powered and so built alongside the fast-flowing Micklehurst Brook.

It was built around 1816 as a woollen mill, although it was later used for cotton spinning. Like most of Mossley's mills, it was built of stone rather than brick. It was called Squire's Mill because the first occupant was Squire Andrew, who was not a squire, but a member of a prominent local family with a penchant for unusual names.

The neighbouring mill, a short distance upstream, was called Doctor's Mill, after Doctor Andrew, who was likewise not a doctor!

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Mossley on Monday: All Saints Church

This is the rather sad sight of All Saints Church in Micklehurst, Mossley.

This church, which dates from 1893, was built to serve the Micklehurst area of Mossley. The parish was originally in the county of Cheshire.

Sadly the building suffers extensively from rot and is now derelict. It is boarded up and awaiting official redundancy. The parishioners now worship in the All Saints Institute in nearby Micklehurst Road. It is hoped that a new church and hall can be built on the site of the old church.

See Google Aerial View of this location.