Stalybridge Saturday: Sheep Dog

"Sheep Dog" is the title of this post, and that's what the photo shows - sheep and a dog!

They kept very still while I took the photo. In fact, they didn't move all day, for a closer inspection shows that they are not real!

They stand guard at the entrance to Old Forge furniture shop on Waterloo Road in Stalybridge, just around the corner from the railway station. I wonder whether you can buy one to stand in the corner of your lounge?

It's amazing what you see on the way to Tesco!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sky Watch: Fade to Grey

Sky Watch? Where's the sky? It's disappeared in the fog!

Or, put it another way - the sky has come down to earth and engulfed Ashton in clouds!

Ashton is not often foggy so this view makes the tower of the Old Baths look mysterious as it fades away pointing to where the sky should be.

The photo is looking westwards along Stamford Street towards Henry Square from the junction with Bentinck Street. The scene is completely different from how it would have been a few years ago, when both sides of the street were lined with small shops. The Old Baths is the only feature that will be familiar to anyone who has not been to Ashton for a while!

See Google Aerial View of this location before the redevelopment.
See recent LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is the new Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

Building of the Year!

Ashton under Lyne Civic Society has awarded its coveted "Building of the Year" award for 2008 to Ashton Market Hall.

The aim of the Civic Society's award is primarily to draw public attention to developments that are making a positive contribution to the town's built environment. The award is often given to buildings that have not been in the spotlight but on this occasion it was felt that the Market Hall plays such an important part in the life of the town that this imaginative reconstruction deserved the accolade.

The photo shows Councillor Jackie Lane (Heritage) and Councillor Keiran Quinn (Economic Services) receiving a plaque commemorating the award from Civic Society Chairman Susan Knight (on the right). Looking on are members of the Civic Society and representatives from Tameside Council.

The Market Hall was re-opened on November 28th 2008 after being gutted by fire in May 2004.

Previous winners of the award include the Oddfellows Hall on Stamford Street, Harper Mill on Mossley Road, Wellington Court on Adam Street and 225 Old Street in the St Petersfield development.

Trafalgar Street

This is part of Trafalgar Street in Ashton's West End. The houses were part of a renewal scheme to re-furbish properties and give the area a new lease of life. The new tiles and outer brickwork make the houses look new.

Today's photo was taken very close to where last week's picture of Hamilton Street and Ryecroft Mill was taken. The very tall television aerials are necessary because the mill stands between the houses and the television mast at Winter Hill!

The tower of St Peter's Church at Chester Square can be seen in the distance.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Another one bites the dust...

Another bit of industrial Ashton bites the dust as the demolition men move in to pull down this small factory. The lettering on the red door proclaims "Alfred Pearson & Son Ltd, Hillgate St. Works, Reclaimed Textile Processors".

The site is being cleared to build a replacement for the Markazi Jamia Mosque in Newton Street, off Penny Meadow. The present mosque, in the former St Mary's School building, is to be demolished to make way for part of the Ashton Northern Bypass road.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Mossley on Monday: Mossley Park

Some brand new gates have appeared at the entrance to Mossley Park on Old Brow this last week. They are painted in the green and gold of the civic colour scheme for Mossley (i.e. the lamp posts, litter bins, bollards, etc. are all in these colours).

The hillside location of the park offers stunning views across the valley towards the moors. However, the children who enjoy the extensive play area (when the weather is warmer) probably don't spend a lot of time admiring the view!

The photo in last week's "Sunday Stroll" was taken from a spot directly behind the gold spike above the letter "M" on the gate. It was looking towards Noonsun Hill, which is on the left of today's photo. Buckton Castle is on the hill top above the letter "Y".

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sunday Stroll: Knott Lanes

This delightful wooded scene was photographed from the towpath of the Fairbottom Branch Canal, part of an easy walking route through Daisy Nook Country Park.

The horses are leaving the bridle path onto Knott Lanes, just downhill of Valley Aqueduct. Knott Lanes, now a dead end for motor vehicles, was once the main route between Ashton and Oldham. The River Medlock can be seen through the trees on the right, at the foot of a steep bank.

I was standing on the Oldham boundary, so everything you see in the photo is within the boundary of Ashton, proving that it is not all mills and chimneys!

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Stalybridge Saturday: Market Hall

The splendid facade of Stalybridge's Victoria Market Hall masks a shameful secret - the Market Hall no longer houses a market! While Stalybridge's market hall was never as busy as that of its neighbour, Ashton, it was always quietly buzzing and had a friendly, personal feel. However, when the council decided that the hall needed refurbishment, plans to move the stallholders to temporary premises came to nothing and the market simply shut.

The inside of the building is now a very attractive space, but no longer a market. It is used for community events but this means that the hall is empty for most of the time. Luckily the rear of the building has been made into offices and smaller meeting rooms and these are made good use of.

Outside the hall is one of the ornamental fingerposts that Tameside seems to have bought in bulk. The fingers read: North, Mossley, Ashton under Lyne, Droylsden, Audenshaw, Dukinfield, Denton, Hyde, Longdendale. The globe inside the crown lights up at night, and looks very nice, as can been seen in this photo of the one outside Ashton's Market Hall.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sky Watch: Vapour Trails

Watching the sky today we seen the stripes of vapour trails left by high-flying jets.

Ashton lies under the path of aircraft travelling between London and North America, so there are frequent trails left across a clear blue winter's sky, such as this one on Wednesday. The photo was taken near the bowling greens in King George VI Playing Field, Ashton.

Sky Watch is the new Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Ashton Sausages!

Fancy Bangers and Mash? Forget Ashton Mashers - try Ashton Bangers! Cordwell's stall in Ashton Market Hall is now selling its exclusive new "Ashton" sausages to celebrate the Market Hall's re-birth, and I watched them being made.

Cordwell's is run by master butcher Egan Johnson (pictured above), who developed these premium pork sausages using the following ingredients that spell out the word "Ashton":
A - Allspice
S - Sage
H - Honey
T - Taragon
O - Oregano
N - Nutmeg
These go together to make a really tasty banger! And I can tell you that cooking them fills the house with a delicious smell!

A list of Cordwell's other sausages can be found here.

The photos below show Egan making the Ashton sausages behind the counter as I watched.

West Door

This is the West Door of Ashton's Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels. The door stands at the foot of the 145 foot tall church tower.

The present church building dates back to the 15th century although most of the outside of the building was re-constructed in Victorian times.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Ryecroft Mill

Ryecroft Mill dominates the neat brick terraced houses in Hamilton Street, in Ashton's West End.

The mill was built in 1837 and is the second of the four mills built on the Ryecroft site. No 3 Mill was seen here in September. Textile production ceased in the 1970s and the mill is now home to Ryecroft Foods, a subsidiary of Weetabix.

The houses in Hamilton Street have been re-furbished and look as good as new!

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Mossley on Monday: Fleece Inn

No, it doesn't always rain in Mossley, but sometimes the rain can add something to a photo.

The Fleece Inn, opposite Mossley Library, was built in 1808, but at first was called "Letters", then "Croppers", only becoming "The Fleece" in 1819. It was on the corner of Waterton Lane, with fields behind, as Arundel Street was not yet built. In the 1870s, lark singing contests were held at the inn, the winner being the bird that sang the longest!

See Google Aerial View of this location. The funfair seems to have been set up on Mossley Market Place when the aerial photo was taken!

Sunday Stroll: The "Roman" Road

A rewarding walk for those who do not mind a few small hills is along the ancient road that runs around the hillside below the moors between Carrbrook and Greenfield.

This road is sometimes called the Roman Road and indeed the Romans did use it as their route between the forts at Melandra (near Glossop) and Castleshaw (near Delph). However, the road is anything but straight, as the Romans did not build it, but made use of a road that was already in existence.

Ancient tracks such as this usually kept to high ground to avoid the boggy valley floors. This was the main route up the valley until the construction of the turnpike roads - Huddersfield Road in 1783 and Manchester Road in 1826.

The photo shows the road on the hillside above Micklehurst. The hill ahead is part of Noonsun Hill, but the road swings to the left to avoid climbing too high. The remains of the ancient Buckton Castle are on the hilltop, out of view to the right.

The road gives splendid views across Mossley and Saddleworth. The walk can be done by bus from Ashton, catching the 348 to Carrbrook and returning from Greenfield on the 350.
See Google Aerial View of this location.

Stalybridge Saturday: Rassbottom Brow

Rassbottom Brow is an old route continuing down from Ridge Hill Lane down to Market Street in Stalybridge. It is just opposite Stalybridge Station and is one of the steep pathways leading northwards from the town centre.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sky Watch: Rooftops

A view you don't see very often - looking across the rooftops of Ashton towards the Pennine hills.

Looking from the roof of The Arcades shopping centre, you can see a rear view of the stone lion on the roof of part of the council offices. Beyond that is the clock tower of Ashton Market Hall, with its new roof visible to each side.

To the right is the Albion Church, while to the extreme left you can see the roof of the converted Harper Mill, which was shown here earlier in the week.

Sky Watch is the new Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Guide Bridge

Today's photo looks westwards along Stockport Road to Guide Bridge, on the boundary between Ashton and Audenshaw.

Guide Bridge itself is across the Ashton Canal, although you would have to look hard for it as you pass. The car heading this way is just crossing the bridge.

Ahead is St Stephen's Church, Audenshaw, built in 1845 in the early Gothic style. Guide Bridge railway station, the first station to serve the Ashton area, is round the corner to the left at the traffic lights.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

More Muffins

It's been a while since we've had a picture of muffins, so here is a selection
on sale in Ashton Market Hall.

These are proper Lancashire oven bottom muffins, not the fairy cakes with chocolate chips or blueberries found in America.

As the name implies, they are cooked on the bottom of a hot oven. If they are baked higher in the oven they rise more and end up something like barm cakes or tea cakes. Tradition has it that bakers in the area started making them using left-over dough and baked them on the oven bottom while his ordinary bread was baking on the shelves higher up.

Harper Mill

Harper Mill, off Mossley Road in Ashton, was built in 1855 for the Lees brothers on land next to existing workshops. Most of the building was destroyed in a fire in 1871 and it was re-built over the next two years, larger than before.

It was then home to the Harper Twist Company until the 1920s after which it was used for the "preparation and spinning of cotton-type fibres" by M. Pickles & Sons.

In 1999 fire again destroyed much of the building but about half of the empty shell was retained and the interior re-built as apartments with new extensions replacing the demolished part. In 2005 it was named Ashton Civic Society's "Building of the Year".

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Mossley on Monday: Hillside Houses

Mossley is built on the sides of the steep-sided Tame valley and this has determined the style of many of the houses in the town. This row of cottages on Carr Hill Road don't get much of view from their back windows. The houses behind them have four storeys at the back, but only two at the front on Stockport Road. As the two roads converge the houses squeeze into the restricted space.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sunday Stroll: Daisy Nook Locks

Probably the most popular place for walking locally is Daisy Nook Country Park, on the boundary between Ashton and Failsworth. The towpath of the disused Hollinwood Branch Canal makes for an easy level walk, while the more adventurous can take the steeper paths through the woodland.

There were four locks here at Waterhouses Locks, which have now been infilled. The two in the photo formed a staircase of two locks joined together.

There are plenty of other easy canal walks near Ashton, such as along the Peak Forest Canal or the Huddersfield Canal.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Stalybridge Saturday: Huddersfield Canal

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal sweeps through the centre of Stalybridge, just 2 miles east of Ashton under Lyne. This section of canal was re-opened in 2001 and had previously been filled in and occupied by the Delta cable works. The Tesco store was built on the site of the factory and its car park is split by the canal. A footbridge has been built for customers and their trolleys. Behind Tesco a new block of apartments has been built in the style of a traditional warehouse building.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sky Watch: St Michael's Church

Today's contribution to the Sky Watch theme shows the tower of the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels, Ashton under Lyne. The 145-foot high tower is silhouetted against a heavy winter's sky. The photo shows the gargoyles protruding from the corners of the tower, while the flag hangs limply in the still air.

The tower was built in 1888 to replace an earlier tower, built in 1818 but which had got into a poor state. This in turn replaced an even earlier tower, built around 1500, which had been badly damaged by lightning in 1791.

The church has appeared in a number of previous posts, including this one and this one. Close-ups of some of the church's ugly carved stone heads can be seen here.

Sky Watch is the new Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Central Library

This is the Central Library and Art Gallery on Old Street in Ashton. It is the answer to yesterday's "where is this?" puzzle. The carved Viking boat is near the top of the face of the tower, high above the entrance steps.

The building dates from around 1890 and was built as the Heginbottom Technical School by the trustees of the late George Heginbottom, a local mill owner.

Following the 1880 Libraries Act, Ashton Corporation had opened a free library in Ashton Town Hall. Then in 1893 the library was moved to new purpose-built accommodation in the new Technical School building, where it remains to this day, as Tameside's Central Library. The remainder of the former school accommodation is now used for other library services, such as the reference and music libraries, and the upper floor is now Tameside's Art Gallery.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Ship Ahoy!

If you look up as you are passing this building in Ashton, you will this carving of what appears to be a Viking boat, complete with sail, oars and shields.

I say "what appears to be" as it looks like the Viking boats I learned about at school, but I am puzzled by the dove emblem on the sail. The dove is often used as a Christian symbol, so what would it be doing on a Viking sail? Perhaps there is someone reading who knows more about this or who knows exactly what this carving is intended to represent?

So, where is this carving to be seen? Those who know Ashton well should be able to answer that immediately. The answer will be given tomorrow.

Hazelhurst

Hazelhurst estate is the most easterly part of the built-up area of Ashton. It lies between Mossley Road and Gorsey Lane, near the site of the former Hazelhurst Mill, a small early cotton mill which was in operation between the 1790s and 1880s. The photo shows Hazelhurst Road, with the estate's shops on the left.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Mossley on Monday: O little Town

O little town of Mossley (twinned with Hem)
How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and streamless valley
The incoming flights to Manchester Airport go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
Some humble Christmas lights.
The homes and mills and all the hills
Are seen in Mossley tonight.

Please excuse my singing! This photo of Mossley was taken last week looking down from the footpath that runs along the top of Brown Edge, near the trig point at just over 1000 feet above sea level. Click on the photo to see a much larger version (click your back button to return here).

Waterton Lane runs along the bottom of the hill towards the red-bricked Co-op store. To the right of that are the fire station, with its red doors visible, and St George's Church. To the left of Waterton Lane you can see the cleared site of the recently-demolished Hart Mill.

In the far distance on the left you can see the village of Carrbrook nestled beneath the moorland of Harridge Pike.

Oh, and the white bits in the foreground are actually small patches of snow!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sunday Stroll: Park Bridge

Whether or not you got out for a walk over the Christmas or New Year break, you can still enjoy today's view at Park Bridge.

This view, like the one in December, looks down from what was once the railway embankment leading to the long-gone railway viaduct.

We see some of the remains of the cotton mill and iron works that were situated here. The River Medlock flows through the valley and on the right the road climbs towards Alt Hill. In the distance, to the right of centre, the shape of Harridge Pike above Millbrook can just be made out through the haze.

Park Bridge can now be reached easily on foot from Ashton by using the new path which follows the old railway line from Turner Lane and Cranbourne Road.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Stalybridge Saturday: Tripe and Sandwiches

The Tripe and Sandwich shop is on Melbourne Street in the heart of Stalybridge. Although the town in dominated by the Tesco and Aldi stores, many people still walk the few extra yards to make use of the traditional shops along Melbourne Street.

The signs in the window advertise "Squires Original Oven Bottom Muffins" and "John Street Flat Muffins".

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sky Watch: Broadcarr

Today's contribution to the Sky Watch theme is looking down across the small hamlet of Broadcarr from Brown Edge, between Ashton and Mossley.

Dominating the view is Hartshead Pike with its pointed tower drawing the eye like a magnet. To the left, in the distance, part of Ashton can be seen, with a wisp of smoke emerging from the boiler house chimney at Tameside Hospital. Hartshead Pike featured in last week's Sky Watch.

Sky Watch is the new Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Photo of the year 2008 "A Touch of White"

January's theme day is "Best Photo of 2008". I asked for suggestions (here and by email) for the best photo to appear on this blog during 2008 and had a wide range of suggestions. Some of the snow scenes proved to be the most popular and this photo, "A Touch of White", from February just edged ahead of others. Ironically, it wasn't actually taken in 2008 and is in next-door Mossley, rather than Ashton itself, but don't let that spoil your enjoyment!

The photo shows the frozen Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Woodend, in Mossley, just over the hill from Ashton. (Click on photo to see larger version.) It was actually snowing on that day in February 2008, but the snow melted before I could attack it with a camera, so I published this earlier photo to illustrate the day's weather.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

The runners-up were these other snow scenes:

"Ashton under Snow" on Easter Sunday, and


"Now where did I leave my lunch?" in December.

Thank you to all who sent suggestions. Please click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the January theme day.

A  Happy New Year  to you all! I hope you realise that it is exactly a year since I started this photo blog!