Sky Watch: Crime Lake

You wouldn't think that this scene is just a few miles from the centres of Ashton and Oldham - it is such an oasis of rural tranquility, with plenty of sky to add perfection to the photo!

Crime Lake is an unusual feature in Britain of being a lake that is part of a canal. The canal came into the lake bottom right and then curved round to the right, behind the tall trees. The towing path follows the edge of the water. The lake extends to the left and was formed when a small valley became flooded when a culvert under the canal embankment collapsed. Rather than re-build the culvert, the canal company bought the land in the valley and allowed it to flood.

In Victorian and Edwardian days Crime Lake was a popular destination for Sunday outings, with rowing boats and a steam launch offering visitors to chance to get afloat. Nowadays the lake is part of Daisy Nook Country Park and is popular with walkers and anglers.

The canal is now disused but the Hollinwood Canal Society have been carrying out work to preserve what is left and have ambitious plans to re-open the canal eventually.

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Sky Watch is the regular 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!

The Witchwood

One of the few older buildings left standing at the western end of Old Street is The Witchwood. The age and original name of this pub are uncertain, but in 1850 it was given the name the "Painters Arms". 36 years later it became the "Rifle Brigade" but after 7 years the name was changed back to the "Painters Arms".

Four years later, in 1897, the name changed again, this time to The Globe Hotel, a name which stuck for 87 years. In 1985 it was renamed the "Gamecock" but just three years later it took on its current name, the "Witchwood".

In the past the pub has belonged to Oldham Breweries and Boddingtons but it now sells various real ales.

The "Witchwood" is now a popular music venue catering for a range of musical tastes. It also provides a chance for new local bands to show off their talents.

In the background can be seen Good Hope Mill.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Proper Shop

Now this, to me, is what a shop on Stamford Street should look like! The carefully painted woodwork on the shop front along with the well-arranged window displays in what are very traditional shop windows gives a tantalising glimpse of how all of Stamford Street might have looked had it remained prosperous.

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Saturday in Saddleworth - Delph Village

This photo shows the road that winds through the middle of Delph village as it crosses the River Tame.

Fortunately the main A62 road between Oldham and Huddersfield bypasses the village, although the original turnpike road did in fact come through the village and over this bridge.

Since the photo was taken the road has been deliberately narrowed so that only one vehicle can cross the bridge at a time.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

First Past the Post (Office)

Instead of putting something in the post here on Warrington Street, you can now place bets on which nag will be first past the post! Part of the former Post Office is now a bookie's shop.

It doesn't appear to be doing much trade, but this photo is misleading! There was a constant stream of people going in and out - just as when it was a Post Office. However, I thought that it was possible that some of the people may not have wanted their photo to appear on the internet coming out of a bookies, so I purposely waited until there was nobody around the entrance before taking the photo!

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Sky Watch will be back next week.

Magistrates' Court

Tameside's Magistrates' Court is situated in a splendid purpose-built building in Henry Square, facing the old Swimming Baths. The Magistrates' Court featured on the news regularly when the inquests were taking place of the victims of Dr Harold Shipman.

The building also accommodates the local County Court.

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Floral Lamp Posts

After the rainy shots of Ashton in the last few weeks, a return to the usual sunshine this week!

Tameside Council, as it does every year, makes a good job of brightening the town up with colourful displays of flowers. These florally-enhanced lamp posts are on Ashton's Town Hall steps and this photo, taken on Monday, is looking towards the Market Hall.

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Mossley on Monday: The Blazing Rag

"The Blazing Rag" public house is on George Street in Top Mossley. It opened in 1856 as a beerhouse called "The Welcome Return".

It did not become fully licensed until 1960. In 1986 the pub was renamed "The Blazing Rag", although that had in fact been its nickname for many years. The pub had been popular with followers of the sport of dog trailing, in which a rag soaked in aniseed was dragged along the ground creating a trail for the dogs to follow, as dogs are particularly keen on the scent. When the hunt was over it was the practice to throw the rag onto the fire in the bar, giving rise to the nickname "The Blazing Rag", or just "The Rag".

The pub is one of the locations for the performance of the Mossley Pace Egg Play every Easter Monday.

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Stalybridge Saturday: Waterloo Road School

This week's visit to neighbouring Stalybridge features the old Waterloo Road School. No - not the one on the television series, but the old Waterloo Road Girls' Secondary School, which was eventually replaced by Copley High School. The boys' school is still up the road at West Hill, but Copley is a mixed school, so they must have found some extra boys from somewhere along the way!

The school was an attractive building of Accrington Brick with stone banding. It must have started life as a mixed school because, although the word "Girls" appears in raised lettering over the doorway visible on the left side of the building, the doorway on the far side has the word "Boys" above it.

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Sky Watch: Pointing Heavenwards

Today's photo is another view, looking skyward, of the sculpture in Henry Square to commemorate the 1917 Munitions Explosion in Ashton's West End.
The explosion occurred at the factory of Hooley Hill Rubber and Chemical Works on William Street in Ashton's West End, which was producing TNT for First World War bombs. Forty-three people lost their lives in the explosion and hundreds more were injured. Among the casualties were many schoolchildren on their way home from school.

The stainless steel sculpture, inspired by drawings by local children, was created by Paul Margetts, who has other pieces of sculpture elsewhere around Ashton.

This sculpture was previously seen here in June 2008, soon after it was installed.

See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is the regular 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!

Warrington Street

A look along Warrington Street towards Stamford Street.

The long-established Williams Bros. carpet shop is on the right, on the corner of Wellington Street, with the Caledonia pub next door.

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Rainy Days

Another damp day - this time looking across Ashton Market from the Market Hall.

The composition would have looked better if the two ladies had been further to the left, silhouetted against the lighter patch of ground. However by the time I had pressed the button they had moved further across. I didn't feel that they would appreciate me asking them to go back and walk past me again!

Sunday Stroll: Lily Lanes

Today's photo shows Lily Lanes at Hartshead, one of the popular routes up to Hartshead Pike, as it passes Lane End Farm.

The road becomes unsuitable for most motor vehicles beyond this point, although I drove an old car of mine all the way up many years ago!

The last time we took a stroll up Lily Lanes there was a coating of snow!

I don't know whether anyone can offer an explanation as to why, like Knott Lanes in Bardsley, Lily Lanes has a plural name? A local oddity, perhaps?

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Sky Watch: I see the Moon

I see the moon and the moon sees me... or rather it sees the tower on Hartshead Pike!

This photo was taken a few minutes after last week's Sky Watch photo showing the sunset over Oldham.

Sky Watch is the regular 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!

Get Around for a Pound

Hyde-based independent bus operator Speedwell started a new bus route yesterday. The number S50 runs every 20 minutes from Hey Farm, through Mossley, Ashton and Droylsden to Manchester Shude Hill.

The thing that makes this service a little different from the competition is that all fares, for whatever distance, are £1 (or 50p for children). That means Ashton to Manchester for £1. Mossley to Ashton for £1, even Mossley to Manchester for £1.

These are considerable reductions on the usual fares. It remains to be seen whether Speedwell can tempt passengers away from the other bus companies and, perhaps more importantly, tempt people out of their cars!

The S50 is the green and white bus in the photo, which is moving away after dropping passengers off outside Ashton Market.

Speedwell has launched a web site about the new service:
http://www.speedwellvalue.com
in which they explain their "vision".

Prospective customers should note that the bus does not divert into Tameside Hospital and the Manchester terminus is at Shude Hill rather than Piccadilly.

Mossley on Monday: Puddle

The recent rainy period couldn't be allowed to pass without more damp photos appearing here!

Today's image looks along Argyle Street in Mossley after a heavy downpour.

Mossley police station is seen on the right and the Pennine moors above Carrbrook are seen in the background.

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Saturday in Saddleworth - Delph Station

Delph Station was the terminus of the "Delph Donkey" branch that left the main Huddersfield to Manchester line between Moorfield Halt and Saddleworth Viaduct.

The station building, close to Delph Cross Roads, is still there and is now a private house. The platform is now seeing service as a patio! A new housing development now occupies the former goods yard and siding just beyond the station.

The "Delph Donkey" line had two stations at Dobcross and at Measurements, a halt added for workers travelling to and from the Hirst Brothers' Measurements factory, which made watches and clocks. Trains from Delph called at Greenfield on the main line and then continued on another branch through a tunnel to Grotton, Lees and Oldham Clegg Street.

The last passenger trains to Delph were in 1955 and the last goods trains in 1963. The track bed is now a walking and cycling route.

It is claimed that the line was so named because carriages were originally pulled by a donkey or horse but this is thought to be very unlikely and it may just have been a derogatory name for the little line.

See Google Aerial View of this location.