Whit Walks

"W" is for "Whit Walks" and today's photos show scene's from Ashton's Whit Walks, which took place on Sunday afternoon.

Members of churches from different parts of Ashton process to the town centre, each accompanied by a band. The churches assemble for a united service of witness. Then all the churches walk together around the town centre before splitting and and returning to their starting points.

Other townsfolk turn out to watch the walk and listen to the bands. It is not at all a solemn religious procession - it is a very jolly affair, with the bands playing bright marches and people waving and calling out to other people they know.

In the past, when money was even more scarce than it is now, Whitsun may have been the only time in the year when people got to wear new clothes. This custom actually did have a religious origin, as Whitsun celebrates the time when the Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, went out and recruited the first Christians. The new clothes are symbolic of starting a new life.

This year, for a change, Ashton's Whit Walks once again took place on the traditional date of the Sunday after Whit Sunday - but only because that coincided this year with the third Sunday of June, which is now the fixed date for the walks. Nearby Mossley and Saddleworth still have their Whit Walks on the traditional Whit Friday, as reported here yesterday.


Above: Walkers from St Gabriel's Church, Cockbrook. Below: Dobcross Band


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"Whit Walks" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "W" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Whit Friday Band Contests

Whit Friday is a bit special in this part of the world. Many of you have probably never heard of Whit Friday but in the areas around Saddleworth and Mossley it is one of the highlights of the year! Traditionally for many people it is a day off work. In the morning, the churches of the area hold services of witness and then parade through the streets accompanied by brass bands. This is still an important event in Mossley although it is even more spectacular in nearby Saddleworth.

Then, in the evening, hundreds of brass bands from around the country, along with some from overseas, tour round as many of the band contests in the area as they can manage. There are a number of contests throughout Tameside, including at The Broadoak Hotel and at Hurst Cross in Ashton, and in Mossley, as shown in these photos. There are even more contests in the various villages of Saddleworth. Some people like the crowds in the popular venues, such as Uppermill and Delph, while others prefer the more intimate atmosphere of the smaller contest venues.

Each contest sees at least 40 bands during the six hour event, while some see as many as 80! It is also a good evening out for anyone keen on coach-spotting!

The photo at the top shows the superb band from Wardle High School in Rochdale playing and marching along Market Street in Mossley towards the contest venue.

The photo below shows Mossley Band on home turf performing their set piece in front of the adjudicator's caravan on St Joseph's School playground. Not a very colourful photo, I'm afraid, but Mossley Band's uniform is black and the evening was a little grey!


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"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.

Please look back in tomorrow for another "Whit"-related post.

Volunteer Inn

"V" is for "Volunteer Inn" and today's photo shows the door of Ashton's former Volunteer Inn. The Volunteer Inn stood on Old Street, opposite the Armoury, which was a drill hall for the volunteer regiment, which is how the pub got its name.

The pub has now closed and is used as the offices of a funeral director. The Armoury is now home to Ashton's Territorial Army. However, the glazed door of the pub, showing the words "Volunteer Inn" has been re-located in the mess bar inside the Armoury building.

A photo of the former Volunteer Inn featured as a "V" post a year ago.

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"Volunteer Inn" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "V" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Ugly Face

"U" is for "Ugly Face" and today's photo shows a stone carved with an ugly face, which can be found in the Dingle in Stamford Park (see photo below).

Ashton Parish Church was partly rebuilt several times in the Victorian period and it is thought that some of the old stones that were not re-used found their way here and were used to build rustic walls in the valley known as the Dingle when Stamford Park was being created.



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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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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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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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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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