Welcome to Ashton

The sign tells you that you are entering Ashton under Lyne. However, this is not the view that most visitors see on their approach. This is the back way in to Ashton along Whitelands Road.

On the left is Whitelands Mill, built in 1883. In the distance is the older Wellington Mill, built in 1857. The photo was taken close to the former Pointsman Inn, named after one of the jobs on the nearby railway.

Rocher Vale

Rocher Vale, at the northern extremity of Ashton under Lyne, is a rugged part of the valley of the River Medlock, upstream from Park Bridge.

This was the location of Rocher Vale Colliery and the building in the photo is what is left of the Engine House, which housed a steam engine to pump water out of the mine.

Alphabet Friday - Kings Road

K is for Kings Road and today's photograph shows Kings Road between St John's Church and Hurst Cross.

On the left, the Church Inn was to let at the time the photo was taken. On the other side of Rowley Street is Higher Hurst Post Office, with the Co-op at the other end of the block.

Carrhill Mill Again

Another view of Carrhill Mill in Mossley, which partially collapsed in July. The isolated right-hand corner of the building originally survived to the full height of the building but the top section was demolished as it it was deemed to be unsafe. The mill is still in much the same as in the photo today, four weeks later.

Noonsun Hill, above Micklehurst, can be seen in the background.

Oven Ready Rabbits

There's not just fish on sale at Seaking Fisheries in Ashton's Phoenix Market Hall. The sign overhead advertises "Oven Ready Rabbits" at £4.99 a kilogram.

Other delights available include smoked mackerel, peppered mackerel, brown shrimp, cockles and mussels and fresh swordfish.

Lily Lanes

Looking down Lily Lanes, Hartshead, on the fringe of Ashton, from close to where last Friday's photo of Jeremy's Cottage was taken.

In the distance, the view is across the fields around Rocher Vale and Park Bridge towards Hathershaw in Oldham.

Mill Collapse

This was the scene at Carrhill Mill in Bottom Mossley a few weeks ago after part of the the mill collapsed. Although there are plans to redevelop the site, the mill was still in use for storing furniture, and people had been working in the building only a few hours before the collapse.

Carrhill Mill was one of the later mills in Mossley, built of brick rather than the more traditional stone used in the town. It was designed to house heavy textile machinery, making its collapse more surprising.

Alphabet Friday - Jeremy's Cottage

J is for "Jeremy's Cottage", which was actually a 17th century farm house.

This Grade II listed building is on Lily Lanes and is part of the cluster of buildings that formed the hamlet of Hartshead, one of the more rural areas of Ashton. It is opposite the former St Augustine's Chapel and enjoys long range views across Manchester and Cheshire.

Towering Above

Things are looking up at Ashton Parish Church. Or, at least, I was when I took this photo of the 145 foot high tower. (That's 44 metres for those of you who have gone metric!)

The tower was built in 1888 to replace an earlier tower, built in 1818 but which had got into a poor state. This in turn replaced an even earlier tower, built around 1500, which had been badly damaged by lightning in 1791.

The Ladysmith

The Ladysmith public house stands on the corner of Wellington Road and Harley Street. The pub opened in 1860 as a beerhouse (licensed to sell beer but not wines and spirits) with the name The Railway Tavern, being only a short distance from Charlestown Station. Five years later it became fully licensed and changed its name to The Railway Hotel. It kept that name until 1983, when it was re-named The Ladysmith, after the former Ladysmith Barracks in Ashton.