North Face

The north face of Ashton's Parish Church, seen from the direction of Stamford Street in interesting light conditions. Above the entrance to the north porch is a small statue of St Michael the Archangel, sometimes referred to as the patron saint of warriors, with his sword.

Living It Up

Some residents in Ashton's West End are living the high life, looking down on the rest of the world from their elevated homes overlooking Stockport Road and West End Park.

The multi-coloured high-rise blocks, seen here from Park Parade, are Ellison House on the left, Grosvenor House on the right and Ryecroft House in the distance.

Parish Church

A striking view of Ashton's Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels on a Summer Sunday evening. The clock shows 5.20, so if it had been a weekday, the bypass in the foreground would have been solid with traffic! In the photo can be seen the floral display depicting Ashton Market seen here on July 15th.

Vintage Cars (3)

Yet another photo from the vintage car rally in June. Today's photo shows a 1952 Morris Oxford MO alongside a 1959 Mark 2 Ford Consul.

The Oxford was the big brother to the Morris Minor. The Consul was the cousin of the more powerful Zephyr and predecessor of the ubiquitous Cortina.

Alphabet Friday - Fletcher Street

"F" is for "Fletcher Street" which runs between the old Market Hall and the temporary Phoenix Market Hall. It is now a pedestrianised street but at one time some of Ashton's local buses terminated here.

The sculpture to the left of the photo is "The Family" mentioned here in March.

Vintage Cars (2)

Another photo today of the vintage car rally that took place in June. Along Bow Street, facing the market ground, is this line-up of Ford vehicles, all of which were such familiar sights in their time! Nearest the camera is a Ford Popular from the 1950s. Behind that is a selection of later Populars, Anglias or Prefects.

Vintage Cars

In June there was a vintage car rally in the area around Ashton's market ground. This immaculate line-up in Warrington Street includes a 1930s Austin 7 and a Rolls Royce.

I think the Rolls Royce is a 1930s 20/25 or Wraith. Perhaps someone could confirm or correct this? Funny how it is the Austin that is getting all the attention!

The House That Isn't (2)

Yesterday's photo was of what seemed to be a house in Greenfield. Today's photo is a close-up of that building and straight away you can see what was odd about it - the windows are just pretend! The doors look rather utilitarian and the garden isn't up to much, either! The yellow warning signs on the doors are the clue here, warning of high voltages, for this is no house, but the Greenfield Electricity Substation. It was built as part of the small housing estate off Chew Valley Road in 2003 at a cost of around £300,000.

I hope the current neighbours aren't too shocked. At least it has its ohm entrance! As you can see from the tree, the photo was taken earlier in the year. I'm sorry I couldn't bring you live images... Oh, what revolting puns!

The House That Isn't

Situated on a small estate in the village of Greenfield, around 6 miles from Ashton, and a few yards from the banks of the River Tame, is this building, with the delightful backdrop of Pots and Pans. To the casual passer-by it appears to be a fairly normal 4 or 5 bedroomed house, similar to others nearby. But looking closer, there is something odd about it. All is not what is appears to be!

The mystery will be solved tomorrow!

Alphabet Friday - Escalator

"E" is for "Escalator" and there are not many of those in Ashton. This one is in the Arcades shopping mall, between Katherine Street and Warrington Street. As you can see, it is a solitary escalator carrying shoppers up to the first floor level. They have to use the stairs or the lift to get back down again!

Amongst the other locations where escalators can be found in Ashton are Marks and Spencer and IKEA, although IKEA's are really sort of sloping moving walkways!