Gateway

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"G" is for "Gateway" and today's photo shows the gateway that was once the entrance to the Ladysmith Barracks, Mossley Road, Ashton.

The area behind the gateway is now a housing estate but it was the site of the barracks of the Manchester Regiment. The barracks opened in 1843, moving from a smaller site on Crickets Lane at a time of civil unrest when it was felt better to move the soldiers away from the town. The barracks were renamed Ladysmith Barracks to commemorate the part the Manchester Regiment played in the Siege of Ladysmith in the Boer War. The barracks occupied an extensive site going back as far as the present Rose Hill School. The barracks closed in 1963 but the Army Pay Corps buildings occupied the northern part of the site until 2002.

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

Air Ambulance Drama in Stalybridge

There was a spot of drama in Stalybridge on Saturday when the air ambulance was called in.

Rory Lees-Oakes was nearby and noticed police cars, ambulance and fire engine in Portland Place at the junction of Stamford Street and Corporation Street and saw the helicopter circling overhead.

"They were attending a woman wearing riding apparel, who was lying on the pavement," reports Rory. "No evidence of another vehicle being involved, which leads me to believe that she may have fallen off a horse.

"The airborne medic attended and after some deliberation with the ambulance crew returned to the helicopter without the injured woman who was transported by ambulance."

The helicopter had landed on waste ground at the end of Alma Street, behind Knowl Street. Although it was not needed for the patient, its presence was of great interest to people living in the area.

These photos are copyright of Rory Lees-Oakes, to whom many thanks for permission to show them here.

See Google Aerial View of the site where the helicopter landed. See Birds Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch: Sammy's Basin

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Today's Sky Watch shows Sammy's Basin in Daisy Nook Country Park, between Ashton and Oldham.

This is a return visit to the basin - we last saw it in March when it still looked fairly wintry.

The basin takes its name from Sammy Pearson, the canal's water bailiff, who lived in one of two cottages which at one time stood at the side of the basin, and who was a well-known character in the area. The basin, originally a round pound to store water between locks, is now a popular spot with local anglers.

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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!

Fireplace

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"F" is for "Fireplace" and today's photo shows the rather grand fireplace in the Mayor's Parlour inside Ashton's Town Hall.

The Mayor's Parlour is a plush room that is used by the Mayor for entertaining guests, including important visitors to the town, or humble citizens such as myself when I was part of a group invited by the Mayor.

The fire guard is embellished with Ashton's Coat of Arms.

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

Corporation Arms

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This is the third week in a row that the "My World" image is of a building on Stockport Road, but today's is at the completely opposite end of the road from the previous two!

Today's photo shows the Corporation Arms and the road junction at Guide Bridge. The pub was opened in 1850 and was a beer house until it was fully licensed in 1857.

The road junction marks the boundary between Ashton and Audenshaw. The wall to the left of the pub is actually the parapet to the canal bridge which gives its name to this district. The same wall can be seen from the Ashton Canal in the first photo on this page, with the pub on the left of the picture.

This is a very busy road junction so it was remarkable that I was able to capture a moment when the road was empty!

"Corporation Arms" 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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Egret Mill

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"E" is for "Egret Mill" and today's photo shows the frontage of the former Egret Mill on Old Street, Ashton.

Egret Mill was built on the corner of Old Street and Bentinck Street in Ashton. It was opened in 1823 as Lees Mill, a five-storey spinning mill. It was later bought by the Egret Mill Company, who added weaving sheds to the site.

In 1881 the original spinning mill was destroyed by fire and the weaving sheds were then extended over the site. However, the mill ceased cotton cloth manufacturing in 1887.

The part of the building seen in the photo accommodated the mill offices. Behind that there are just two bays surviving of the weaving shed. There is nothing left of the rest of the mill.

This part of Old Street is being re-developed as part of the St Petersfield scheme. In the background, further along the street, can be seen The Witchwood pub and The Armoury.

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"Egret Mill" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "E" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Royal London Buildings

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Following last week's "My World" image of fancy Victorian brickwork at Stockport Road in Ashton, here are some more photos taken just a few doors further along the row.

Although part of the same terrace, the design of the building is very different, with a fairly grand stone portico gracing the front door supporting a square bay window above.


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The stone plaque between the upstairs windows on the right bears the words "Royal London Buildings".


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Looking even closer, it will be seen that the upstairs windows, while appearing to be plain in design, in fact have interesting splayed bricked lintels above them. It's amazing what you notice when you start looking upwards!


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"Royal London Buildings" 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: Hartshead Pike

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I can't stay away from Hartshead Pike, especially when there's a fine sunset. I have taken many photos here, each one markedly different.

This hilltop, just within Ashton's eastern boundary, with its dramatic pointed tower, attracts many visitors, as can be seen from this photo taken a couple of days ago. It is not very often that you get the place to yourself!

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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. You are most welcome!

Doctor Spencer's House

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"D" is for "Doctor Spencer's House" and today's photo shows this house on Henrietta Street in Ashton that was once the home of a Doctor Spencer.

Before you marvel at my wonderful knowledge of local history, I should point out that I knew this simply by looking at the stained-glass window above the door, where the words "Dr S. Spencer" appear.

This is a fairly large house so it is possible that, as well as being Doctor Spencer's residence, it might have also been where his patients came to see him. If anyone reading this knows anything of Doctor Spencer I would be pleased to hear from them.


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"Doctor Spencer's House" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "D" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Victorian Fancy

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The Victorians were given to flights of fancy. That included adding lots of fancy brickwork to their buildings!

At first glance, these houses on Stockport Road in Ashton are unremarkable. But when you look upwards you can see that the Victorian builders were determined to give the houses something better than the other houses in the town! The intricate brickwork on the gable front is the sort of thing you would expect on a grand building somewhere, but here it is on a pair of terraced houses on a main road. There is an identical decorative gable on the next pair of houses to the left but not on other houses in the row.

"Victorian Fancy" 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: Pylon

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A view over the upland hamlet of Broadcarr, on the border between Ashton and Mossley.

Taking centre stage is an enormous pylon carrying electricity cables across the hills. In the foreground is an example of a traditional dry stone wall.

The Pennine moors form the background, with Alderman's Hill to the left and Alphin Pike to the right.

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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. You are most welcome!

Council Chamber

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"C" is for "Council Chamber" and today's photo shows the council chamber used for meetings of Tameside Council.

The chamber is situated upstairs in Ashton Town Hall. The Mayor, the Council Leader and the Cabinet members, who have responsibility for Council departments, sit on the raised seats facing the camera, while the other councillors sit on the seats arranged in a curve.

"Council Chamber" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "C" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Stamford Park

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Today's photo shows the duck pond in Stamford Park, on the border between Ashton and Stalybridge.

The park was originally the grounds of Highfield Hall, which was situated at the top of the grassy slope, just left of the centre of the picture. In 1873 the grounds were opened as a municipal park shared between Ashton and Stalybridge. Highfield House itself was demolished in the 1950s. The park is shortly to have a major facelift.

"Stamford Park" 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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