Theatre

"T" is for "Theatre" and today's photo shows Guide Bridge Theatre, which is situated in Audenshaw, just a few yards outside the boundary of Ashton.

At first sight the building looks more like a warehouse than a theatre, which is not surprising, as it was built as a warehouse for Fox's Glacier Mints!

Ashton Repertory Club was formed in 1942 and converted a store-room at the Co-op shop in Hillgate into a small theatre where 12 plays a year were staged! In 1971 the club bought the warehouse at Guide Bridge and transformed it into the theatre. The club re-named itself Ashton and Audenshaw Repertory Club but is now known simply as Guide Bridge Theatre. Major alterations were carried out in 1986 and the stage was renewed in 1996. In 2009 a new entrance corridor was created. Although the Theatre became a Limited Company in 2010 it is still completely run by volunteers.

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

"S" is for "Skew Bridge" and today's photo shows a skew bridge across the start of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Whitelands in Ashton.

When I showed you a wider view of this canal bridge back in February, I promised that I would say something about the design of the arch when we got to "S"!

A skew bridge is one which crosses at an angle other than a simple right angle. When this bridge was built in around 1797, engineers were still trying to perfect the art of building skew bridges, so this is a fairly early attempt. If you look at the larger view (by clicking on the photo) you can see that the courses of brick at the side of the bridge are horizontal, with a distinct boundary where they meet the bricks forming the roof arch, which are "winding courses" laid in a helicoidal fashion, perpendicular to the outside face of the bridge. Some of the photos here will explain this.

The first perfectly constructed skew bridge in the country, where all the bricks are laid in winding courses, with none laid horizontally, was built only a few miles away at March Barn Bridge on the Rochdale Canal in 1797. This design has a lot more strength than earlier attempts.

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"Skew Bridge" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "S" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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In The Pink

Today's Sky Watch image shows a patch of sky framed by trees that still have bare branches and by cherry blossom trees that are in full flower.

Sorry - I should have brought you this photo a few weeks back but I didn't have time to post it then. I hope you enjoy the reminder of this lovely short-lived moment!

This corner of Mossley, off Hanover Street, is always a good spot to see the cherry blossom. There was only a brief window of opportunity this year as the strong winds quickly parted the blossoms from their branches.

The chimney of Woodend Mill is visible just right of centre.

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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!

Richmond Street

"R" is for "Richmond Street" and today's photo shows this elegant terrace of brick three-storey houses on Richmond Street in Ashton.

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"Richmond Street" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "R" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Quick Edge

"Q" is for "Quick Edge" and today's photo shows the hill of that name above Mossley, four miles from Ashton. The hill has a very steep slope on its western side although from this angle it appears as a rounded hump.

Quick Edge is seen here from Luzley Lane at Mossley Cross. St George's Parish Church, Mossley, is seen to the right.

The part of the hill that is visible in this photo is in the borough of Tameside whereas the part you can't see is in the borough of Oldham. Both were in Lancashire before becoming part of the Greater Manchester area. Yet, before the township of Mossley was established in 1885, the whole of Quick Edge was in the West Riding of Yorkshire! The area was in a part of Saddleworth called Quickmere. Quick Manor was situated in what is now known as the Roughtown area of Mossley.

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"Quick Edge" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "Q" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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A Bit Wet

Today My World was A Bit Wet. Today's photo shows Market Street in Ashton in the rain.

Some cynical people might say that, since it is near Manchester, it must be a bit wet most of the time! However, today's rain has made a welcome change after weeks of warm and dry weather. It may not be nice getting soaked on the way back from the shops but the rain is needed - April was one of the driest Aprils on record!

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"A Bit Wet" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.
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Weekend Reflections: Canalside Houses

Canals are often a good place to find reflections. As they have no noticeable flow the, unless the wind is blowing ripples across the water, the surface of the canal can be smooth and reflective.

These new canalside properties are in Mossley, four miles east of Ashton. The canal is the Huddersfield Narrow Canal which runs for 20 miles between Ashton and Huddersfield.

The photo would have been almost perfectly symmetrical had th elamp posts not been placed to one side of the footpath!

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For more Weekend Reflections from around the world, visit Newtown Area Photo.

Providence House

"P" is for "Providence House" and today's photo shows the larger-than-average house of this name which stands on the corner of Cowhill Lane and Albemarle Street, close to the centre of Ashton.

The house was built in 1899 and stands amid smaller terraced houses which were built earlier. On a grassy knoll to the north stands St James' Church, which has appeared here several times.

If anyone knows any more history connected with this house, I would be pleased to hear it.

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"Providence House" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "P" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Oddfellows Arms

"O" is for "Oddfellows Arms" and today's photo shows the pub of that name on the corner of Kings Road and Alderley Street in the Hurst Knoll area of Ashton.

The pub opened in 1827 as the Banksmans Arms but changed its name to the Oddfellows ten years later. It originally occupied half of the building but later expanded into the two neighbouring houses.

The Oddfellows was (and still is) a Friendly Society, a sort of pre-runner to the welfare state, offering social benefits to members. Local Oddfellows societies often held their meetings in pubs so that would seem to be the likely reason for the change of name. There was another Oddfellows Arms in Ashton, on Kenyon Street, as well as the Oddfellows Hall on the corner of Booth Street and Stamford Street.

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"Oddfellows Arms" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "O" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Taste of the Past

Today's photo shows a Taste of the Past! The writing is definitely on the wall on the corner of Market Avenue and Wellington Street.

The shop, currently for sale was a branch of Millets outdoor wear shop for many years. However, the fading paintwork on the wall, unseen by many of the people walking past, tells us that it was once the location of "Burrows Bros. Tea Blenders".

Tea became increasingly popular during Victorian times, partly because it was seen as healthy, as the chemicals in the tea counteracted some of the impurities common in the water at the time. Only 150 yards from this building was the shop where Arthur Brooke sold his blends of tea. Arthur called his company Brooke Bond - a made-up name, since there was never a Mr Bond! Brooke Bond is still in existence today as one of the world's best-known names in tea.

Burrows Tea is no longer available.

The small figure in front of the window shutters is a statue of a girl making faces!

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"Taste of the Past" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.
(from 8 pm UK time)