Hamilton Street

The City Daily Photo theme for the beginning of December is "My Street". The photo shows Hamilton Street in Ashton's West End.

This is not the street where I live (stalkers, please take note) but I have chosen it for today's theme as it is so typical of the streets in Ashton under Lyne.

Like most of the housing built in the town 100 to 150 years ago, the street is made up of neat terraces of red brick houses. Even so, the houses are not all the same - those on the left have small front gardens. Those on the right have decorative stonework over the windows and doors.

The many rows of similar houses throughout Ashton were built to accommodate the workers of the cotton manufacturing mills that had sprung up around the town. The houses of Hamilton Street would have been built for the workers of Ryecroft Mill, seen in the background.

These days the cotton spinning machines have gone and the mill produces Weetabix rather than cloth.

See Google Street View of this location.

"Hamilton Street" is a contribution to the City Daily Photo theme day "My Street". Click here to see other streets from around the world.

Red Railings

November's Theme Day is on the subject of "Fences". I imagine that railings count as fences? I do hope so, as I want to share this rather neat square of red railings around the War Memorial in Globe Square, in Ashton's neighbouring town of Dukinfield.

The railings, like the flower planters and the street lights, are painted in the distinctive browny-red with which all Dukinfield's street furniture is painted.

In a few days time the memorial will be adorned with wreaths of poppies to commemorate the men and women of Dukinfield who have fallen in the service of their country.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Red Railings" is my contribution to this month's City Daily Photo Theme Day of "Fences". Please check out the other blogs taking part. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Portland Basin

Portland Basin is my favourite part of town! It is at the junction of two of the canals that radiate from Ashton.

The basin itself is the wide part of the Ashton Canal in front of the Portland Basin Museum, which started life as the Ashton Canal Warehouse.

An arm of the canal leads off under the magnificent stone footbridge, across an aqueduct over the River Tame, leading to the Peak Forest Canal.

The photo shows how this is a favourite location for fishing, boating, walking or just hanging around by the water. Not bad for a corner of an industrial northern town!

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Portland Basin" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.


"Portland Basin" is also my contribution to the City Daily Photo March Theme Day of "My Favourite Part of Town".
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the March Theme Day.

Time for Winter Woollies!

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If you want to know the time when you are shopping on Ashton's Open Market, you simply look up and there is the clock tower on the Market Hall.

However, this photograph, taken yesterday, shows that Winter has made an early appearance in much of Britain this year. Snow in England in November is very unusual!

It was just as well that I took this photo yesterday, with the clock tower glowing in the sunshine, because today was very grey and it was snowing hard for much of the day.

Yes, it really is time for those Winter Woollies!

This photo is a contribution to December's Theme Day of "Time". Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

September Theme Day: Open Air Market

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The Theme for the first day of September is "Open Air Markets" and there are few towns in England to have an open air market to rival that of Ashton under Lyne.

There has been a market in Ashton for over 700 years. A royal charter to hold a market in Ashton was granted in 1284. For the next 500 years, Ashton market was the focus of the area for miles around. During that time, the area was rural with most people earning their living from the land.

The original market was held in the square around the old market cross (now St Michael's Square at the bottom of Old Cross Street). The Market Hall, seen in the background, was built in 1829, and this large open market place created in front of it. The Market Hall was re-opened in 2008 after being destroyed by fire four years earlier.

The outdoor market is open seven days a week, with the normal stalls being available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The stalls sell a range of things including fruit and vegetables, clothing, fabrics, household items and CDs.

On Tuesdays a Flea Market is held and on Sundays a Table Top sale takes place. On the last Sunday of each month a Farmers' and Producers' Market is held.

Read more about Ashton Market.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Today's photos are a contribution to the City Daily Photo September Theme Day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.


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Photo of the year 2009

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Thank you to all who sent in suggestions for their favourite photo on this blog during 2009. The most popular turned out to be the picture of St James Church, Cowhill Lane, in the snow just before Christmas.

Regular readers will have already seen the original photo so, rather than simply repeat it, I give you a modified version, cropped to focus more on the church and with the telephone wires airbrushed out. I hope that doesn't spoil your enjoyment!

See Birds Eye View of this location.

You must love photos of the snow because the Photo of the Year for 2008 was also a snow scene!

Thank you for your support during 2009 - I hope you will keep coming back and perhaps let me know your favourite photo of 2010 in twelve months time!

Photo of the Year 2009 is a Theme Day for daily blogs all over the world. Please visit some of the others. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.