Old Bank

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"O" is for "Old Bank" and today's photo shows an old bank on Stamford Street in Ashton.

The lettering on the walls indicates that this was once the "County Bank". I am told that the building housed the Trustee Savings Bank until a newer building was opened on Old Street (now Lloyds TSB).

The photo shows the grandeur that was given to what was a single-storey building, with ornately decorated stonework and polished stone nearer to ground level. The upper stonework is discoloured with weathering and the building now suffers the indignity of having banners, neon lights and coloured light bulbs attached to it, reflecting its present use as a bar.

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"Old Bank" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "O" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Daffs

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You know that Summer is not far away when the daffodils come out!

Each year there is a host of golden daffodils in the triangular gardens between Mossley Road, Penny Meadow and Cricket's Lane, just east of Ashton town centre.

It draws me each year at this time! I will probably post another photo of this spot in a few days. Here is last year's photo.

"Daffs" 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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Sunday Stroll: The Dingle

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As we got the first really warm days this year, people enjoying a stroll around Stamford Park, between Ashton and Stalybridge, were able to enjoy the partial shade of a stroll through The Dingle.

This is a small wooded valley running along the western side of the park.

Many of the trees are still bare but later in the summer the leaf cover on the trees will stop much of the sunlight from reaching the path here.

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Sky Watch: Watching the Sky Watchers

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Last weekend I shared with you a series of photos showing the effect of the volcanic ash cloud on the sunset as seen from Hartshead Pike.

I wasn't the only one who had made the journey to the Pike for the occasion, as today's photo shows. This photo was taken last week at the same time as I took the sunset images

The photo shows four other photographers with proper cameras and tripods, unlike my little pocket-sized Sony, which I had to rest on the stone stump to get anything like a steady picture! A number of other spectators were also on the hilltop to see the sunset, in spite of the chilly breeze.

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!

Lord Napier

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"N" is for "Napier" and today's photo shows the Lord Napier pub in Ashton.

The Lord Napier on Albion Street was built around 1850 and for over a century was a "beerhouse", which meant that it was licensed to sell beer but not wines and spirits. It only became fully licensed in 1962.

From the date the pub was built it seems possible that it was named after Robert Cornelius Napier (Field Marshal Lord Napier of Magdala) who was something of a hero in the Sikh War of 1845. He had a horse killed under him twice in three days. (Not the same horse!)

There was another Lord Napier in the news a few years earlier. William Napier (9th Lord Napier) wasn't so much of a hero though, having completely failed in his mission of expanding British Trade into China.

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"Lord Napier" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "N" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Henrietta Street

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This is a view of Henrietta Street, which runs northwards from Ashton's town centre towards the Smallshaw and Broadoak areas. When it was first built, the street only ran as far as Lees Field, close to the spot where the photo was taken, only continuing past this point in the late 19th century.

The street takes its name from Henrietta Cavendish Bentinck, who in 1763 married the Lord of the Manor, George Harry Grey, who became the 5th Earl of Stamford. She was the daughter of William, 2nd Duke of Portland. It will be noticed that many of the streets in and around the centre of Ashton are named after members of these families.

Strangely though, this wasn't the original Henrietta Street. The name was originally given to the New Street running through the town centre, which was later renamed Stamford Street.

"Henrietta Street" 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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Sky Watch Extra: Volcanic Ash Sunset

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The volcanic ash in the atmosphere from the Icelandic eruption has caused havoc with Europe's air schedules this week. The ash has also created interesting sunset effects. The best places to observe these effects have been those with clear uninterrupted views north-westwards and where better in the Ashton area than Hartshead Pike?

This series of photos looks towards the sunset from Hartshead Pike across the Werneth area of Oldham. They were taken on my compact Sony camera so lack the detail that a really whizzy camera would have achieved, but they suffice to give an impression of the event.

The sky was completely cloudless - not even a vapour trail as there were no aircraft flying. As the sun sank lower a dark bank became noticeable above the distant horizon. This was an effect caused by the ash in the atmosphere. The sun was swallowed by this murky bank long before it reached the actual horizon.


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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!

Madrassa Arabia Mosque

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"M" is for "Mosque" and today's photo shows the Madrassa Arabia Mosque in Ashton.

The Mosque is an Islamic place of worship and the Madrassa is a religious education centre and the two facilities are incorporated into this new building at the junction of Katherine Street and Richmond Street.

To the right of the Mosque can be seen the fine Victorian terrace on Richmond Street.

Ashton's other large Mosque, by coincidence, was shown here on last week's Sky Watch feature.

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"Madrassa Arabia Mosque" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "M" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Monochrome Moment: Clarence Arcade

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Clarence Arcade is a short covered Victorian shopping arcade of the sort that were the fore-runners of today's modern traffic-free shopping malls!

Clarence Arcade was built in 1894 and is Tameside's only covered Victorian shopping arcade. It ran parallel with Stamford Street, at that time the town's main shopping street, with a decorative entrance at each end.

For the first half of its existence it would have been a thriving honeypot for shoppers but, as Stamford Street's importance as a shopping venue waned, so did the fortunes of Clarence Arcade.

The Arcade has had a refurbishment in recent years and the former shop units are now mostly occupied by offices. While this means that this little corner of Victoriana has been saved, the Arcade which once echoed with the voices of crowds of shoppers is now eerily silent.

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

Sky Watch: Old St Mary's School

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Today's photo looks southwards across the railway cutting from Albemarle Street. It's not a particularly artistic shot but I took it to try to capture the dramatic cloudscape. The photo is of interest because it shows a building that will not be there for much longer.

The large brick building on Newton Street was built as St Mary's school and continued to serve that purpose until around 1970, when the school was transferred to a new building on Holden Street (now Our Lady of Mount Carmel School).

Since the Catholic children moved out the building has seen a whole new life as the Markazi Jamia Mosque.

Now a brand new mosque is being constructed a short distance away at the junction of Hillgate Street and Holden Street. When the new mosque opens, the old building will be demolished to make way for a new Northern By-pass road. Construction of this road has already started between Ashton railway station and Cowhill Lane.

In the background is the spire of Albion Church.

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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!

Ladysmith Centre

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"L" is for "Ladysmith" and today's photo shows the Ladysmith Centre in Ashton.

The Ladysmith Centre started life in the 1960s as a grim concrete shopping area known as "The Precinct", but has undergone major refurbishment and some rebuilding. The centre now looks bright, modern and clean. Being a private site it is kept locked at night and litter is quickly removed. In the photo you can see a cleaning trolley behind the advertising board, indicating that the centre's cleaner was somewhere nearby.

The centre takes its name from the city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The first battalion of the Manchester Regiment, which was based at Ashton under Lyne Barracks, had been involved in the Battle of Ladysmith in the Boer War. They played a part in the relief of the city, which had been under seige for 118 days. Two privates from the battalion were later awarded the Victoria Cross for their amazing bravery. The barracks were later renamed Ladysmith Barracks.

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"Ladymsith" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "L" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Oxford Mills

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This is a view of Oxford Mills, a complex of former cotton mills in Ashton's West End, seen from the Ashton Canal.

The mills were built around 1845 by Thomas Mason, the father of philanthropist and MP Hugh Mason.

The mills, like others in the area, were built alongside the canal to enable the easy delivery of coal and raw cotton to the mills and the easy dispatch of cotton cloth.

"Oxford Mills" 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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