Weekend Reflections: Mill Race

This delightful scene with its watery reflection is in the village of Delph, in Saddleworth, around 7 miles from Ashton.

The tranquillity of the scene belies its industrial origins. The waterway on the left is an artificial mill race or leat, created to provide power for a woollen mill a little further downstream.

The water comes from the River Tame, which runs unseen below the bank on the right of the photo. A couple of hundred yards upstream, just below Delph Bridge, a weir across the river helps to divert some of the water into the mill race. By the time the channel reached the mill, its height above the river meant that it was able to drive a water wheel that could power machinery.

Waterside mills were very common in the hilly area to the east of Ashton before coal-powered steam engines were able to power a greater number of machines, giving rise to the large multi-storey mills built in Ashton and other towns throughout the Victorian era.

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Sunday Stroll: Boodle Woods

The ground throughout Boodle Woods, in Daisy Nook Country Park, is a carpet of golden leaves at this time of year. This is the footpath that leads from the former canal tunnel towards the site of Riversvale Hall. The River Medlock can be seen on the left, at the bottom of a steep slope.

A little further along this path was the location of this wintry scene that appeared in February.

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Mossley on Monday: River Tame

This is the view looking upstream along the River Tame, north-eastwards from Waggon Road Bridge, Bottoms, in Mossley. To the left, an old mill has been converted into apartments. Ahead, the former Croft Mill has been replaced by modern houses. In the background are the Pennine moors rising above the trees in their Autumn colours.

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Saturday in Saddleworth - Delph Village

This photo shows the road that winds through the middle of Delph village as it crosses the River Tame.

Fortunately the main A62 road between Oldham and Huddersfield bypasses the village, although the original turnpike road did in fact come through the village and over this bridge.

Since the photo was taken the road has been deliberately narrowed so that only one vehicle can cross the bridge at a time.

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Sunday Stroll: Park Bridge

Even a dull day doesn't diminish the attractiveness of the Medlock Valley near Park Bridge.

Up until around fifty years ago this valley would have rung out with the sounds of the Lees family's iron works. The viaduct carrying the Ashton to Oldham railway would have been visible just down the valley. Even this gently rising riverside path was originally the track of a narrow-gauge railway that transported coal and iron down to the Hollinwood Canal at Fairbottom.

These days, however, the loudest sound you will hear at this spot is the rushing of the river beside you. A few of the iron work's buildings survive and are used for other purposes but large areas of the former works have now reverted to part of the landscape.

Behind the camera the path continues along the valley to the remains of the coal mine at Rocher Vale.

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Stalybridge Saturday: Victoria Bridge

Today's photo was taken at Victoria Bridge, where Trinity Street crosses the River Tame, in the middle of Stalybridge (two miles from Ashton).

The splendid details of the Victorian ironwork has been picked out by the careful paintwork. The date 1867 appears in small white lettering above the word "Victoria". A larger plaque below shows the date 1991 - presumably when the bridge was refurbished. (Click the photo to see larger version.)

The building to the right of the bridge is the Post Office. You can just see part of a weir where the river disappears around the bend. In the distance you can see the snow-covered Pennine moors. Although the snow has melted down in Stalybridge, the snow on the hills lasts a lot longer!

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