Old Street

Today's photo shows part of Old Street in the heart of Ashton. This was one of the oldest parts of Ashton, being the junction of the old roads from Manchester, Oldham and Stalybridge. The junction was originally called Newton Nook but this name has long disappeared.

The cream-coloured building on the left was the Pitt and Nelson public house. This dates back to 1685 and was originally called the Smithies. Later it was the Grapes, then the White Hart. It became the Pitt and Nelson in 1807, after the deaths of William Pitt and Lord Nelson.

See Google Street View of this location.

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

Trains

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is T for "Trains" and the photo shows Ashton's Charlestown Station with a train at each platform.

On the right hand side, the train from Manchester heading for Stalybridge is waiting. On the left hand side, a train from Stalybridge is just arriving on its way to Manchester.

The brown building on the left houses the offices of Tameside Council. The blue buildings in the background are Assheton House and IKEA, which were seen in last week's photo of the new tram terminus.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Trains" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "T" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Whit Friday Band Contests

Last Friday was "Whit Friday" (the Friday that follows Whit Sunday), a day that people from elsewhere may not have heard of, but which is traditionally a local holiday in some northern towns. The traditions are still strong in Mossley and Saddleworth, with the traditional Whit Walks taking place in the morning and the brass band contests taking place in the late afternoon and evening.

The band contests are also held in Ashton (outside the Broadoak Hotel and at Ashton United football ground) as well as in nearby towns such as Dukinfield, Stalybridge and Droylsden. The contests are held in a number of the villages in the Saddleworth area, too, and brass bands from around the country, and even from overseas, tour round in coaches trying to play at as many contests as they can in the time.

This photo above shown a band that is close to home - Mossley Band playing at the Upper Mossley contest, with a backdrop of the Pennine hills. After playing as they marched along Market Street, the band played a test piece in the arena before jumping into their coach to play at other locations.

Each band might get around to 10 or 12 contests in the evening and each venue attracts something like 40 bands, with some of the more popular venues seeing considerably more. Towards the end of the evening the bands end up marching and playing in the dark, although the arena is lit up by floodlights.

The contest circuit is unique to this area and is a special event enjoyed by large numbers of local people as well as visitors from far and wide.

"Whit Friday Band Contests" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Fixing The Road

Today's view shows the normally busy A670 road between Mossley and Ashton being administered a little not-so-tender loving care.

The daily pounding of cars and lorries between Ashton and Huddersfield, along with all the local traffic, has taken its toll on the road and it now needs a new surface. Before the new surface can be laid the road is attacked by a fearsome machine that chews up the existing tarmac and deposits it in little bits, by way of a conveyor, into waiting lorries.

The lorry in the photo has been filled and is about to move away. An empty lorry was waiting to take its place. Of course, the workers have to be careful not to damage manhole and drain covers. When the old surface has been removed a different set of vehicles will move in to lay the new surface.

Because of the narrowness of the road, it has had to be closed to traffic. The closure is between 9.30 am and 4.00 pm and could last up to two weeks. This means that traffic, including buses, has had to be diverted via Heyrod and Stalybridge. It was surprising how many drivers had either not seen or not believed the signs telling them that the road ahead was closed. This wasn't too bad for the drivers heading towards Ashton, as they could turn right at the fire station down Arundel Street and down to Bottom Mossley. However, drivers coming up from Ashton who had not taken notice of the signs were having to turn around and take a lengthy detour back down Mossley Road to Darnton Road, or take a trickier detour up Broadcarr Lane and along the narrow Thornley Lane to come into Mossley from Grotton. I saw a number of lorries heading up Broadcarr Lane so I don't know what they did. They probably ended up in Lees!

A shuttle bus was running between Top Mossley and Bottom Mossley, where passengers changed onto the buses running to Ashton that were being diverted through Heyrod. There didn't seem to be any provision at all for would-be bus passengers along Mossley Road between Mossley and Fountain Street in Ashton.

At 4.00 pm the traffic was allowed through again, onto the rough untarmacked surface. It will all start again tomorrow, and every week day until the job is complete. Fortunately the disruption has been reduced by carrying out the work during the school holidays!

See Google Street View of this location.

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

Heyrod and Millbrook

Today's Sky Watch photo shows the scene looking across the Tame Valley at from Heyrod. Above the rooftops of houses in Heyrod, we see Millbrook on the other side of the valley, near the entrance to the Brushes Valley.

Near the centre of the photo is the chimney of Oakwood Mill, seen here in 2009. To the right of that, beside a pylon, Staley Hall can just be seen.

The rounded outlines of Harridge Piker and Hollingworthall Moor shape the boundary between land and sky in a satisfying way.

Heyrod is on the fringe of Stalybridge about four miles east of Ashton.

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See Google Street 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!

Stamford Park Conservatory

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the "Conservatory" in Stamford Park, on the border between Ashton and Stalybridge.

This is not your average conservatory added on to the back of a house. This is the John Nield Conservatory, which is effectively a hothouse in which exotic plants grow. A sign over the entrance tells how it was "erected and furnished with plants from the legacy left to Stamford Park by the late John Nield Esq. J.P. Apsley House, Ashton under Lyne, Opened 3rd Oct 1907."

I showed you a photo looking up at the roof structure inside the conservatory three years ago.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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

Leaves in Stamford Park

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows autumn leaves in Stamford Park, on the border between Ashton and Stalybridge.
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Is it really Autumn? The leaves have certainly been falling but then the temperature rises again and plants continue to grow. We have seen some of the warmest October days on record this year. It must be confusing for the animals and plants!

See Google Street View of this location.

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

Towards Carrbrook

Today's Sky Watch image is looking across the Tame Valley towards Carrbrook. The photo was taken on the slopes of Luzley Brow, on the hill between Ashton and Mossley.

The band of houses visible across the middle of the photo are in Carrbrook and Buckton Vale, both in Stalybridge.

The hill behind them is Harridge Pike, with Hollingworthall Moor in the background to the right, separated by Brushes Valley.

The photo is taken from a footpath which curves away to the left, leading towards Bottom Mossley.

The rounded hills are echoed by the clouds floating above them, linking the sky with the landscape.

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See Google Street 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!

Greenfield

For today's photo we open the world of Ashton a little wider with a visit to nearby Greenfield in Saddleworth.

If you take a train eastwards from Ashton, towards Huddersfield, the third stop (after Stalybridge and Mossley) is Greenfield. The railway here is winding along the side of the valley as it clims into the Pennines, so it is not surprising that this view, from just across the road from Greenfield Station, is looking down over the village of Greenfield itself.

The photo is looking along Chew Valley Road, running towards the distant steeple of St Mary's Church, with the steep hills surrounding Dovestones Reservoir in the background.

To the right, the modern building facing this way is The House That Isn't, featured on this blog three years ago..

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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

Motorway

"M" is for "Motrway" and today's photo shows the M60 motorway as it sweeps through the Guide Bridge area on the western edge of Ashton.

In the background to the left of the photo is the blue roof of Assheton House, near the bus station. To the right of that are Portland House, Welbeck House and Margaret House.

The tower of St Peter's Church is just visible hiding behind the chimney and tower of "Tudno" Mill (Ryecroft Mill No. 3). The top of the tower of the Old Baths can just be seen behind the new houses that stand on the site of the Birch Hotel. To the right are Grosvenor House and Rycroft House, off Stckport Road.

In the far distance looms Alphin Pike and the high Pennine moorland to the east of Mossley and Stalybridge.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Motorway" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "M" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

The Key Holder

"K" is for "Key" and today's photo shows the stone head of a lion, with a key in its mouth, above the door of the NatWest Bank on the corner of Warrington Street and Old Street in Ashton.

I have tried in vain to find some meaning to this. Presumably there is something symbolic about a lion with a key in its mouth, as there is a similar one in Stalybridge. The back of the old five pound notes at one time showed a lion with a key, although the key was attached to its mouth by a chain. Perhaps someone reading this can offer an answer?

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A close-up of the lion can be seen in the photo below.

See Google Street View of this location.



"The Key Holder" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "K" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Please leave a comment below.

Trans-Pennine Express

Today's photo shows the Trans-Pennine Express passing through Guide Bridge Station at the western boundary of Ashton. The train is heading for Manchester's Piccadilly Station. Being an express, the train doesn't actually stop here at Guide Bridge, but has to slow down where the line from Stalybridge joins the line from Glossop. (The junction can be seen in the distance if you look at the larger version of the photo.)

We saw a view of the station from the road bridge a couple of weeks ago.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Trans-Pennine Express" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Guide Bridge Station

"G" is for "Guide Bridge Station" and today's photo shows this railway station which is on the western boundary of Ashton.

The train in the photo is on its way from Glossop to Manchester Piccadilly. At one time the line continued through Woodhead Tunnel to Sheffield. The Trans-Pennine Express trains pass through the station without stopping, turning left a quarter of a mile on, towards Stalybridge.

This station was the first railway station to open in Ashton and was originally called Ashton and Hooley Hill. It took its later name from the adjacent bridge over the Ashton Canal (not over the River Tame, as suggested in Wikipedia). The canal runs behind the trees on the left of the photo.

The station is a shadow of its former self, with the remaining platform-side buildings sealed up. Only the trains on the Glossop line stop here now. The regular service between Stalybridge and Stockport has been replaced with a so-called "parliamentary" train, running one journey a week in one direction only, from Stockport to Stalybridge, stopping at the platform on the "wrong" side here at Guide Bridge after emerging from the Stockport line.

A footbridge between the platforms burnt down five years ago and has not been replaced, necessitating a long walk round from one platform to the other.

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See Birds Eye View of this location.
See Google Street View of this location.

"Guide Bridge Station" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "G" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Sky Watch: Heyrod

The village of Heyrod is on the side of the Tame Valley, halfway between Stalybridge and Mossley, just over the hill from Ashton.

The photo shows the houses on John Street, with Wakefield Road just visible running behind them. On the skyline are the hills overlooking Mossley and Greenfield, with Noon Sun Hill in the centre of the photo, the Buckton Castle hilltop to the right and Wharmton to the left.

The hills draw the eye upwards, making the sky a part of the landscape of the valley. Although a fairly sunny day, a dark cloud casts a shadow over Buckton Castle and Carrbrook to the right.

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See Bird's 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!

Vote for Photo of the Year 2010!

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As the end of another year fast approaches - the third year that this blog has been running - it is time once again to choose the Photo of the Year!

This year, in a change from previous years, I am offering you a short-list of 8 photos to choose from. These are the photos that have been shown to be the most popular with readers according to the 5-star system at the end of each post.

The eight short-listed photos are shown in the montage above. Click the image for a larger view (clicking Back button to return here) or click on the following links to see the original posts.

A - "Heather on the Hill"
B - "Wintry Sun"
C - "Stalybridge Wharf"
D - "Rainbow"
E - "Sky Watch: Hartshead Pike"
F - "Time for Winter Woollies"
G - "Bowling Green"
H - "Mossley Hall"

Please let me know which of those photos are your favourites by Thursday 30th December. The winner will be announced on January 1st as part of the City Daily Photo Photo of the Year theme day.

You can vote for up to three photos, placing them 1st, 2nd and 3rd. (1st choices will receive 3 points, 2nd choices 2 points and 3rd choices 1 point.)

You can make your votes known by one of these methods:
1. reply to this post by clicking the "Comments" link below (the easiest way).
2. email me via the Ashton-under-Lyne.com website
3. reply to the Photo of the Year thread on the Discussion Board (you will need to be registered to post a reply there).

The use of the 5-star feedback system to produce a short-list is a change from previous years where I have invited readers to vote for any photo from the year. That method resulted in a long list of photos, with only a few receiving more than one or two votes. I thought it was a good idea to make use of the feedback readers had already given which had indicated that the eight photos above were well-received.

It is a much easier task to choose one photo from eight than from hundreds!

Victoria Market Hall

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"V" is for "Victoria Market Hall" and today's photo shows the building of that name in Stalybridge, two miles east of Ashton under Lyne.

It is a little while since any photos of Stalybridge appeared on this blog so I thought it would be a good opportunity to see this fine building. A close-up of the clock tower appeared here almost two years ago.

The hall was opened in 1868, superseding the 1831 market, and was named after Queen Victoria, the monarch at that time. The market hall was a focus for shoppers from around the town. However, in recent years, as shoppers could easily transport themselves to nearby Ashton or to out-of-town shopping facilities, Stalybridge has become less busy as a shopping centre.

The building was re-furbished around ten years ago but unfortunately is no longer used as a market hall. It is now referred to as Stalybridge Civic Hall. There are offices and meeting rooms in the rear part of the building while the main part is used occasionally for exhibitions, functions, large meetings, etc.

See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location.

"Victoria Market Hall" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "V" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Market Cross

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Today's photo shows Ashton's old Market Cross, which now stands as a feature in Stamford Park. The cross once stood in Ashton's original Market Place, which was situated at the junction of Old Street and Cricketts Lane, at the northern end of St Michael's Square, near the appropriately named Old Cross Street.

There had been a market on that spot since 1284, and a number of crosses have stood there over the years. A small cross is known to have been erected there in 1723, but that would have replaced an even older cross. That cross was replaced in 1763, probably to enable road widening for the construction of the turnpike road to Mossley and Doctor Lane Head. This, in turn, was replaced in 1798 by the cross in this photo that survives today in Stamford Park!

In 1829 the market was moved to the new Market Place (now the open market) and the old market place just became a busy street. The old cross was eventually moved to its present location when Stamford Park was opened in 1873 in the extensive grounds of Highfield Hall, on the border of Ashton and Stalybridge.

The pillar bears the inscription "Erected by Thomas Walker, Jack Knight, Robert Lees, Constables, 1798"

See Birds Eye View of this location.

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

Shadows: Bowling Green

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The spectators on the benches watching the game of bowls cast their shadows onto the ground behind them.

The bowling green is in Stamford Park, straddling the border between Ashton under Lyne and Stalybridge.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

"Bowling Green" is a contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday. Please click the link to Hey Harriet to see more Shadow Shot Sunday posts.

Stamford Park Flower Beds

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For this week's My World feature we pay another visit to the splendid flower beds in Stamford Park, on the border of Ashton and Stalybridge.

The colours have completely changed since I posted the photo of primroses in these beds in May. This photo was taken on Sunday during a history walk around the park as part of the Heritage weekend. I was amazed at how much colour these still is in the park half-way through September!

"Stamford Park Flower Beds" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.


See Birds Eye View of this location.

Air Ambulance Drama in Stalybridge

There was a spot of drama in Stalybridge on Saturday when the air ambulance was called in.

Rory Lees-Oakes was nearby and noticed police cars, ambulance and fire engine in Portland Place at the junction of Stamford Street and Corporation Street and saw the helicopter circling overhead.

"They were attending a woman wearing riding apparel, who was lying on the pavement," reports Rory. "No evidence of another vehicle being involved, which leads me to believe that she may have fallen off a horse.

"The airborne medic attended and after some deliberation with the ambulance crew returned to the helicopter without the injured woman who was transported by ambulance."

The helicopter had landed on waste ground at the end of Alma Street, behind Knowl Street. Although it was not needed for the patient, its presence was of great interest to people living in the area.

These photos are copyright of Rory Lees-Oakes, to whom many thanks for permission to show them here.

See Google Aerial View of the site where the helicopter landed. See Birds Eye View of this location.