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.

Roadside Planter

This week's view of My World shows a roadside planter at the side of Ashton's newest road, Albion Way.

Albion Way opened a few months ago and bypasses the Market area, making life easier for shoppers to get to bus stops and to Penny Meadow. To brighten the road up, the council has placed a number of metal flower boxes alongside. These are painted in the town's colours of dark blue and silver (like this website) and bear the town's name and coat of arms.

I can't show you the Google Street View of this, as Mr Google hasn't driven past here since the road opened.

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

Ashton Market Hall

This week's view of My World shows Ashton's iconic Market Hall. It is seen from the Town Hall step. The open market is off to the right of the photo.

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

High Point

This week's Sky Watch takes you to one of the high points around Ashton - the summit of Brown Edge, which overlooks Mossley.

This is the highest point on the ridge between Ashton and Mossley and the concrete object is a triangulation pillar, or "trig point" which was used in the making of maps until the recent arrival of satellite technology. It is a good spot to come to be closer to the sky!

The view is looking south-eastwards, right over Mossley to the Pennine outposts of Noonsun Hill, Alphin Pike and Buckton Moor. Out of sight to the right is a view past hartshead Pike over Ashton towards Manchester. Behind the photographer the view is towards Oldham.

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 Sunday School

This week's view of My World shows the former Albion Sunday School, situated between Crickets Lane and Penny Meadow in Ashton.

Opened in 1862, this was the largest Sunday School in England! In more recent times it has been a carpet warehouse and now an office furniture warehouse.

It is a Grade 2 Listed Building because of its splendid architecture. It is built of red brick with stone banding. As the photo shows, nearby apartments have been built in a matching style.

The photo was taken from the Memorial Gardens.

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See Google Street View of this location.

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