Photo of the Year 2010

So, as 2010 blurs into 2011, it's time to declare the Photo of the Year for 2010 for this blog.

As you can see from the photo above, the winner was "Wintry Sun" which appeared here a few weeks ago.
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In second place, only 3 points behind was "Mossley Hall" which also appeared in December. The short list was determined from the clicks on the 5-star rating system at the bottom of each post, so it wasn't a matter of people having short memories!

It does seem, however, a lot of you like photographs that include snow, as both the previous Photos of the Year, for 2008 and 2009, have been snow scenes!

Thanks to all of you who voted. Not many voted through the Comments here but, luckily, plenty of people voted through the Discussion Board.

If you see a photo that you like during 2011, please remember to click on the 5-star voting application at the end of the post, to help that photo towards being shortlisted for the next Photo of the Year!

Photo of the Year for 2009

Photo of the Year for 2008

 

View the Photos of the Year on other photo blogs by visiting City Daily Photos.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

A  Happy New Year  to you all!

Sky Watch: Take the High Road

Although the snow has now thawed, there are plenty of snow images to share, and today's "Sky Watch" image shows a road that is almost in the sky itself!

This is Quickedge Road, an ancient highway that crosses Quick Edge and drops down into the town of Mossley. Although fairly isolated, this sscene is just 4 miles from the centre of Ashton.

Quickedge Road is not used as a through route so the snow ploughs didn't bother clearing the three foot drifts that filled the road between the two stone walls. The many footsteps in the snow show that this did not stop people from exploring this snowy location.

The sky looks harmless enough in this scene and it is hard to imagine that not long before the clouds had jettisoned large amounts of snow onto the landscape!

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See Google Street View of this location.

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!


P.S. Please vote for my Photo of the Year 2010! Votes can be accepted up to 18.00 GMT on 31st December.

eXtraordinary Snow Shapes

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"X" is for "eXtraordinary Snow Shapes" - well, sort of! It's the best idea for an "X" post that I could come up with for now!

As the snow that has blanketed the area for the last ten days suddenly thaws, I bring you a photograph showing eXtraordinary shapes created by the snow and wind.

This is the footpath that runs from Broadcarr up to the summit of Hartshead Pike and the photo was taken from almost the same spot as a previous photo, "Wintry Sun".

The footpath runs between two dry-stone walls and the wind has whipped the snow not only into drifts but into peaks rather like whipped cream! These peaks projected sideways from the wall. You can see where people have walked by close to the other wall. Surprisingly, no-one had been tempted to break these snowy peaks.

"eXtraordinary Snow Shapes" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "X" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Vote for Photo of the Year 2010!

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As the end of another year fast approaches - the third year that this blog has been running - it is time once again to choose the Photo of the Year!

This year, in a change from previous years, I am offering you a short-list of 8 photos to choose from. These are the photos that have been shown to be the most popular with readers according to the 5-star system at the end of each post.

The eight short-listed photos are shown in the montage above. Click the image for a larger view (clicking Back button to return here) or click on the following links to see the original posts.

A - "Heather on the Hill"
B - "Wintry Sun"
C - "Stalybridge Wharf"
D - "Rainbow"
E - "Sky Watch: Hartshead Pike"
F - "Time for Winter Woollies"
G - "Bowling Green"
H - "Mossley Hall"

Please let me know which of those photos are your favourites by Thursday 30th December. The winner will be announced on January 1st as part of the City Daily Photo Photo of the Year theme day.

You can vote for up to three photos, placing them 1st, 2nd and 3rd. (1st choices will receive 3 points, 2nd choices 2 points and 3rd choices 1 point.)

You can make your votes known by one of these methods:
1. reply to this post by clicking the "Comments" link below (the easiest way).
2. email me via the Ashton-under-Lyne.com website
3. reply to the Photo of the Year thread on the Discussion Board (you will need to be registered to post a reply there).

The use of the 5-star feedback system to produce a short-list is a change from previous years where I have invited readers to vote for any photo from the year. That method resulted in a long list of photos, with only a few receiving more than one or two votes. I thought it was a good idea to make use of the feedback readers had already given which had indicated that the eight photos above were well-received.

It is a much easier task to choose one photo from eight than from hundreds!

Monochrome Moment: Town Hall

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Our Monochrome Moment for Christmas shows Ashton under Lyne's Town Hall, with snow covering the market ground in front of it.

The town hall is decorated for Christmas and a Christmas tree stands near the foot of the steps. Last Christmas I showed you a night-time image of the Town Hall complete with the Christmas lights.

"Town Hall" is a contribution to Monochrome Weekend. Please follow the link to visit other sites taking part.

A  Merry   Christmas  to all followers of this blog! Thank you for visiting.

Sky Watch: Misty Mossley

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Today's "Sky Watch" image shows the view over Mossley under a blanket of snow. The mist in the valley makes it difficult to tell where the snow-covered hills end and where the sky begins!

Mossley is just over the hill from Ashton, but very different in character. The photo was taken from the drive of Mossley Hall, only a few steps away from where this night-time photo was taken.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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!

Waiting at the Gate

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"W" is for "Waiting at the Gate" and today's photo shows a horse doing just that. There isn't much grass to nibble at when snow is covering much of it, so there is no harm in hoping that someone will come along with something else to eat!

The horse is in a field at Broadcarr, on the slopes of Hartshead Pike. We saw the horse's companion in this field in an earlier photo.

"Waiting at the Gate" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "W" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Fraser Street

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Today's My World photo shows a further photo of snowy Ashton under Lyne. Today's photo shows Fraser Street, which runs along the eastern side of the Memorial Gardens, seen in earlier photos here.

Several of the streets in this area have Scottish connections. Nearby Athol and Gower Streets bear the names of a historic Pictish province in Scotland. There were a number of prominent members of the Fraser clan who were Lords of Lovat.

I don't know whether this Fraser Street was named after one of them, but you may be interested in hearing about Simon Fraser, the 11th Lord Lovat. In 1697, he kidnapped and forcibly married his father's widow, Lady Amelia Murray, daughter of John Murray, the 1st Marquess of Athol. For this he was sentenced to death. However, he supported the Government against the Jacobean uprising and was given a pardon. Later on though, he took part in the 1745 Jacobean uprising and his sentence was re-imposed. In 1745, at the age of 80, he was the last man in Britain to be beheaded on Tower Hill in London.

See Google Street View of this location. See Birds Eye View of this location.

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

Sky Watch: Garden Gateway

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Today's "Sky Watch" image shows the ornamental gateway to the Memorial Gardens in Ashton. You can see words to that effect on the arch, with the lettering reversed, since we are looking outwards from the gardens towards Ashton Parish Church.

The snow is clinging to the stonework and the ironwork. The wintry clouds have drifted away and the sky beyond the gateway has cleared.

We saw a view of the snow in the Memorial Gardens a few days ago.

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!

Victoria Market Hall

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"V" is for "Victoria Market Hall" and today's photo shows the building of that name in Stalybridge, two miles east of Ashton under Lyne.

It is a little while since any photos of Stalybridge appeared on this blog so I thought it would be a good opportunity to see this fine building. A close-up of the clock tower appeared here almost two years ago.

The hall was opened in 1868, superseding the 1831 market, and was named after Queen Victoria, the monarch at that time. The market hall was a focus for shoppers from around the town. However, in recent years, as shoppers could easily transport themselves to nearby Ashton or to out-of-town shopping facilities, Stalybridge has become less busy as a shopping centre.

The building was re-furbished around ten years ago but unfortunately is no longer used as a market hall. It is now referred to as Stalybridge Civic Hall. There are offices and meeting rooms in the rear part of the building while the main part is used occasionally for exhibitions, functions, large meetings, etc.

See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location.

"Victoria Market Hall" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "V" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Memorial Gardens

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Today's My World photo shows another snowy scene in Ashton under Lyne. This time, the location is the Memorial Gardens, looking towards Albion Church. The gardens are seen here on a less snowy occasion.

I took this shot looking down the avenue towards the bottom of Mossley Road because I liked the long shadows cast by the evergreen bushes.

See Google Street View of this location. See Birds Eye View of this location.

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

Monochrome Moment: Mossley Hall

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Photographing in the snow at night is experimental photography for me! This shot of Mossley Hall was taken with very little light apart from one street light and the light reflected from the snow.

One problem with photographing snow at night is that everything has an orange cast from the street lights, but this disappears when the image is monochrome!

The combination of low light and an inexpensive pocket camera means that the image is not sharp but nevertheless I think it looks dramatic. The snow on the ledges provides pleasing highlights and the drama is enhanced by the perspective.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Mossley Hall was built in 1864 as the home of a wealthy mill owner but later became Mossley's Town Hall. Although now back in private ownership the grounds remain public, which was why I was allowed the plod up the snowy drive in the dark!

"Mossley Hall" is a contribution to Monochrome Weekend. Please follow the link to visit other sites taking part.

Sky Watch: Wintry Sun

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Today's "Sky Watch" image shows a weak wintry sun attempting to make itself visible through thin cloud behind the tower on the summit of Hartshead Pike.

The snow in the field is not very deep but that is because the strong winds had blown it into deep drifts against boundary walls and in nearby lanes. On my walk on that particular day along the top section of Lily Lanes, I had to plunge through snow drifts three to four feet deep in places!

The black line separating the sky from the ground is actually a dry stone wall that runs along the top of the ridge.

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!

Under Snow-laden Boughs

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"U" is for "Under Snow-laden Boughs" and today's photo shows the steep pathway in Mossley known as Jacob's Ladder. Mossley is a small town just over the hill from Ashton.

After a heavy snowfall a layer of snow has settled on the boughs of the trees that reach out over the path. Walking down the path you hope that the snow doesn't choose the moment that you are underneath for it to slide off!

Compare today's photo with this one, showing the same location six months ago. What a difference a couple of seasons can make!

Last week we had a view of the Mayor's staircase inside the Town Hall.

The main part of the building, with its Corinthian columns, was opened in 1840, with extensions built to the left and to the rear in 1878.

"Under Snow-laden Boughs" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "U" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Winter Comes Early

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Today's My World photo shows a wintry scene in Broadcarr Lane, on the hill between Ashton and Mossley.

There is very little snow on the house roofs, but that is because there were strong winds in the area and the snow was blown away to land in deep drifts. You can see how the snow plough has carved a way through the drifts that covered the road. You can also see that some snow has blown onto the road after it was cleared.

See Google Street View of this location.

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

Monochrome Moment: St Michael's Square

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See Google Street View of this location.

What better time for a monochrome photo that when most of the colours have been replaced with a blanket of white snow?

Today's black-and-white view shows St Michael's Square, the old heart of Ashton under Lyne, with the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels on the left. Not quite all the angels, as The Angel Inn is on the right of the photo!

"St Michael's Square" is a contribution to Monochrome Weekend. Please follow the link to visit other sites taking part.

Sky Watch: Blue Sky and White Branches

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This is a rather snowy "Sky Watch" image, but there is plenty of clear blue sky to be seen - through the snow-laden branches of the trees.

The photo is in complete contrast to the scenes of just a few days ago when a carpet of autumn leaves still lay on the ground. It was taken on Thursday and shows the unusual sight of snow in November here in Ashton!

The little park at the top of Penny Meadow features quite a lot on this blog as it a good indicator of the characteristics of each season, from golden daffodils to golden leaves!

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

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!

Time for Winter Woollies!

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If you want to know the time when you are shopping on Ashton's Open Market, you simply look up and there is the clock tower on the Market Hall.

However, this photograph, taken yesterday, shows that Winter has made an early appearance in much of Britain this year. Snow in England in November is very unusual!

It was just as well that I took this photo yesterday, with the clock tower glowing in the sunshine, because today was very grey and it was snowing hard for much of the day.

Yes, it really is time for those Winter Woollies!

This photo is a contribution to December's Theme Day of "Time". Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Town Hall

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"T" is for "Town Hall" and today's photo shows Ashton under Lyne's Town Hall today on a rather wintry November afternoon, with a thin coating of snow covering the ground.

Last week we had a view of the Mayor's staircase inside the Town Hall.

The main part of the building, with its Corinthian columns, was opened in 1840, with extensions built to the left and to the rear in 1878.

See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location.

"Town Hall" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "T" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Late Leaves

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Today's My World photo shows, a little belatedly, a leafy Autumn scene in Ashton.

The view is looking down Holden Street, in the Hurst Brook area of the town, towards Canterbury Street. On the right is the Kingsfield Residential Care Centre. To the left, out of shot, is the Hurst Laundry, occupying the former Water Street Hat Works, which was seen in a photo last year.

I should have shown the photo a few weeks ago - there is not much left of the leaves now and we have had the first very thin coating of snow in the last day or so. It seemed a shame not to make use of the photo, though,and the colours look very warming as I sit and shiver on this wintry evening!

See Google Street View of this location. See Birds Eye View of this location.

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

Stairway

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"S" is for "Stairway" and today's photo shows one of the stairways inside Ashton Town Hall.

There is a grand staircase leading up from the entrance foyer to the main public hall itself, but these are the back stairs, linking the Mayor's Parlour with the Council Chamber. The wall alongside the staircase is lined with photographs of the Mayors of Tameside.

The photo shows Councillor John Sullivan, who was Mayor of Tameside at the time I visited as one of his guests. No doubt his portrait has since appeared on the wall!

The stairs downwards lead to Sentantii, a museum about the people who have lived in the Tameside area over the centuries. Sentantii, another S word, was the name of a British tribe who lived in the area before the time of the Roman invasion.

"Stairway" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "S" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Site of Market Cross

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Today's My World photo shows what might, at first glance, appear to be an uninteresting corner of Ashton. This is the junction of Old Street and Crickets Lane.

For hundreds of years, this junction was the bustling heart of old Ashton, with lines of ancient cottages running along Old Street and up Crickets Lane. The market was held at the junction of the two roads, for more than 500 years, from 1284 until it was moved to the present Market Place in 1829. For all that time a market cross stood here (not always the same one - it was replaced several times over those years).

The most recent cross now stands in Stamford Park, as we saw a few weeks ago, while a plain replica stands a few yards from here, as we saw last week.

The exact spot where the cross stood is marked by a flat inscribed stone lying in the road, as can be seen in the centre of the photograph above. The photo below shows the words "Site of old cross" inscribed on the stone.

Because of the location of the stone, most people who drive or walk past this sport are completely unaware of it! Apart from the stone, the site of the old cross is also recalled in the name of nearby Old Cross Street.


Close-up of the stone.

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

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

Sky Watch: Branching Out

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After the windy weather of a few days ago, this tree has been completely stripped of its leaves, allowing a view through its branches to the Pennine moorland in the distance.

Not a terribly marvellous composition, but the light was rather stunning that morning, as the mists cleared, so I thought that it was worth sharing.

The solitary bird sitting in the tree seems to add to the bareness of the branches!

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!

Replica Cross

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"R" is for "Replica Cross" and today's photo shows a replica of Ashton's historic market cross.

The replica stands a few yards away from the spot where Ashton's market cross stood for hundreds of years, near the junction of Old Street and the appropriately-named Old Cross Street.

Of the various market crosses which have stood here, only one still remains, and was seen here three weeks ago at its present location in Stamford Park.

The replica was erected in this spot six months ago. I don't know where it stood before that! A plaque says that it is a replica of the cross erected in 1723, which now stands in Stamford Park. Yet, as we saw in the photo of the old cross, it bears carved lettering saying it was erected in 1798! It is possible that the plaque on the replica refers mistakenly to the date of one of the earlier crosses. Another explanation could be that the 1723 cross was moved in 1798, with the lettering on it referring to the date of its re-erection. Are there any historians reading who know more about these crosses, who can help solve this mystery?

Whether or not this is a replica of the cross in Stamford Park, or of an earlier one, it is much plainer and less attractive than that cross, so not really that convincing as a replica!

See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location before the replica was sited here.

"Replica Cross" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "R" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Carpet of Leaves

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Today's photo shows the carpet of leaves that surrounded this bench in King George's Park in Ashton. You can almost hear the crunch of the crisp leaves would make if you walked through them!

The park is more accurately called King George V Playing Field, but it is a park in the normal sense of the word in an urban setting, with children's play area, bowling greens and an all-weather sports court as well as football pitches and areas of grass and trees.

It is a pity that the seat is deserted but I haven't got the nerve to creep up and take a picture of someone sitting on a bench!

See Birds Eye View of this location.

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

Weekend Reflections: Waterside Wander

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Where better for a Weekend Wander with the Autumn colours reflected in the water than along the bank of the disused Fairbottom Branch Canal? The canal runs along the boundary of Ashton under Lyne with Oldham, between Bardsley and Daisy Nook Country Park, where it joins the Hollinwood Canal.

It never fails to surprise me just what a haven of tranquillity exists between these two nearby industrial towns. The canal, of course, owns its existence to the area's industrial history, being built to transport coal from the pits that lined the river valley down to the cotton mills of Ashton and Manchester.

As the coal mines closed, so did the canal and, cut off from the waterway network, its route remains as a delight for anglers, walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

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

For more Weekend Reflections from around the world, visit Newtown Area Photo.

Quickwood

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"Q" is for "Quickwood" and today's photo shows the historic row of houses of that name in Mossley, just over the hill from Ashton.

The three storey building on the left was Quick Manor, which was also called Mossley Manor. This was built in the 17th century as the manor house of Quickmere, one of the four divisions of Saddleworth. At that time, this part of Mossley was in Yorkshire along with Saddleworth.

The two storey cottages that join on to it were added in phases between around 1760 and 1820. The area was very rural at that time, although mills were beginning to be built along the valley bottom after the canal was built. The church of St John the Baptist was built on the hill behind Quickmere in 1878.

See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location.

"Quickwood" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "Q" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Sunday Stroll: Winterford Woods

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Suddenly Autumn is upon us with a vengeance, and the winds have removed many of the browning leaves from the trees over the last week or so.

You don't have to go far to find colourful autumn scenes, and this delightful stroll was through Winterford Woods, between Micklehurst and Woodend in Mossley. The path runs down from the former Micklehurst Loop railway line to Winterford Lock on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The water of the canal can be seen through the trees on the right, at the foot of a steep slope.

The name Winterford comes from the old track that crossed the valley long before the canal and turnpike road were built, which found a suitable place to ford the river, even in the winter when other crossings were too boggy. The route of the old track crosses the canal next to the lock and can still be followed up across Manchester Road, although there is a convenient bridge for getting across the river these days!

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch: Watching the Sun Go Down

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Standing on a hill watching the sun go down is one of life's pleasurable experiences! Not only that, but it is free and in full colour!

I am often drawn to the hills above Ashton to watch the sun set and, as you can see, I am not alone in this!

Today's photo was taken near Lily Lanes on the slopes of Hartshead Pike, looking across towards Winter Hill and Bolton.

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!

The Point

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"P" is for "Point" and today's photo shows "The Point", which is a building that formerly housed Ashton's Labour Exchange and County Court, but has now been converted into apartments.

The building was empty for a number of years until a developer took on the challenge to spend £2 million on converting the building. Unfortunately the company ran into financial difficulties and the project was halted. Luckily another company saw the merit in the scheme and completed the work. Read more about it here.

This is the view from the Point, looking across Park Parade (Ashton's by-pass) to the Parish Church.
(That's enough Ps for one Photo - Ed.)

See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location.

"The Point" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "P" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Margaret Street

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Today's photo shows part of Margaret Street and the area south of Katherine Street.

This area was re-built in the 1960s as part of part of Ashton's slum clearance programme. The area had previously been occupied by rows of cramped terraced houses and the multi-storey flats and maisonettes built here were a big improvement at the time.

The buildings have had some re-modelling in recent years, with the leaky flat roofs of the maisonettes being replaced with new curved roofs. Security gates and other measures have given the residents more privacy than before.

On the left is the five-storey maisonette block of Welbeck Terrace, with the three-storey Margaret Terrace to the right. Behind that is the 13-storey Welbeck House, with Portland House in the distance.

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

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

Old Man

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"0" is for "Old Man" and today's photo shows the grave stone of a former resident of Ashton under Lyne who would have been considered very old in his time!

The stone, in the church yard of Ashton Parish Church, was carved with the words:
"Here Resteth the Body of John Leech of Hurst Buried the 16 day of October 1689 aged 92 years whereby Anne his wide has issue 12 Children and in his Lifetime was Father to 12 Grandfather to 75 Great Grandfather to 92 Great Great Grandfather to 2 in all 181 Persons"

The grave stone has been moved at some stage from its original location to this upright position near the churchyard entrance and someone has added the word "Near" above the words "Here Resteth..."

These days attaining the age of 92 does not seem to be such a remarkable achievement but it certainly was back in the 17th century, when he lived through the period of the Great Plague. Even at the time of his death the average life expectancy in England was only around 39! There must have been something in the ale in Hurst!


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See Birds Eye View of this location.

"Old Man" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "O" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.