St James' Church

This week's Sky Watch shows St James' Church on Cowhill Lane, which punctuates the sky with its twin spires.

The church of St James the Apostle, opened in 1865. The land was given by the Earl of Stamford and most of the £3,500 cost of building was met bt mill owner Oldham Whittaker.

There is a plaque commemorating John Bradford of Manchester, a Christian martyr burnt at the stake in 1555.

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!

Ashton Market

This week's view of My World shows Ashton's open market. As you can see, it was very sunny for a November afternoon but, not surprisingly, it wasn't too warm.

In the background, the market hall has Christmas lights fitted to the walls, as have the lamp posts around the market, in readiness for the season ahead.

I hope my brief absence has not caused withdrawal symptoms for regular visitors!

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

Hartshead Pike

This week's Sky Watch is a return visit to Hartshead Pike. This pointed tower is situated on the prominent hill called Hartshead Pike about 3 miles north-east of the centre of Ashton and is one of my favourite places to photograph. As we saw a couple of weeks ago, it is not the highest hill in the area but its prominent position means it can be seen from many places. In turn this means that the Pike is a splendid viewpoint. It is also a fabulous place to come and watch the sun setting.

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!

Albion Church

This week's view of My World shows Albion Church seen from the tower of Ashton Parish Church. Albion Church was the largest Congregationalist church in the north of England.

In the foreground is Ashton's telephone exchange and behind the church is Tameside College. Behind that is Ridge Hill, covered with houses and dwarfed by the bulk of the Pennine hills in the background.

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

Roughtown

This week's Sky Watch shows you a view along the Tame Valley towards the part of Mossley called Roughtown.

The view is from Mossley Hall, formerly a mill owner's house then later the local town hall. St John's Church, Roughtown, dominates the skyline with it steeple. To the right of that is the hill Wharmton, with a television mast on its summit.

In the middle distance the Manchester to Huddersfield railway line and the A635 road curve around the side of the valley. On the left is the former gatehouse to Mossley Hall and, behind it, the tower on the former Wesleyan Sunday School. This dramatic view is only 4 miles from the centre of Ashton.

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!

Wet and Windy

This week's view of My World shows a damp view of Ashton Market.

Wet and windy weather, such as we have had today, is not good news for the stallholders on the outside market as many of the shoppers hurry quickly between the Arcades shopping centre and the Market Hall. Ans who can blame them?

In the background is the same fruit and veg stall seen here last week.

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

Looking down on Hartshead Pike

This week's Sky Watch shows you an unusual view of Hartshead Pike - looking down on it from higher ground!

This blog has shown many photographs of the iconic tower on top of the hill known as Hartshead Pike. Half a mile east of the pike is Brown Edge, overlooking Mossley. This is not as prominent as Hartshead Pike, but is higher. The summit is marked by an Ordnance Survey trig point, seen here a few weeks ago. Today's photo is the view looking from that trig point down towards Hartshead Pike, with Ashton down to the left of it and Audenshaw Reservoirs visible behind it. If you click the image to see the larger version, you may just be able to make out a small and indistinct shape which is Joddrell Bank radio telescope, on the horizon between the trig point and Hartshead Pike. On the extreme left of the photo you can just see Alderley Edge on the horizon.

The photo features two objects pointing skywards. If Father Ted was here, he might point out that this one is small and that one is far away...

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!

Market Stall

This week's view of My World shows a market stall on Ashton Market.

The stall is one of the fruit and vegetable stalls - the one at the end facing the indoor Market Hall. The clock tower of the Market Hall can be seen to the right of the picture. In the background are glimpses of the grey stone of the Town Hall and the red brick of the former fire station.

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

Ten Houses

This week's view of My World shows the remote terrace of cottages known appropriately as Ten Houses. The row is surrounded by fields and is situated 100 yards outside the boundary of Ashton at Park Bridge.

Although it is now a peaceful location, accessed only by a narrow lane, 100 years ago the nearby valley bottom was a thriving industrial location with the Park Bridge Iron Works, a corn mill and a coal mine all a few minutes walk from these cottages. Park Bridge Iron Works are reputed to have been where the rivets for the Eiffel Tower were manufactured.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Ten Houses" 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

This week's view of My World shows Portland Basin on the Ashton Canal.

Ashton is very lucky to have this peaceful, picturesque spot tucked away, making a big contrast with the busy roadways not too far away.

It is hard to imagine that only 40 years ago the area was derelict, with the canal overgrown and in danger of being closed. Yet it was 40 years ago, in 1972, that thousands of volunteers descended upon this area to begin a massive clean-up operation that eventually led to the canal's reincarnation.

The junction here between the Ashton and Peak Forest Canals is now a landmark on the popular Cheshire Ring canal route.

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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.