Kings Road

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"K" is for "Kings Road" and today's photo shows part of Kings Road in the Hurst Cross area of Ashton.

Kings Road was originally called Hurst Lane and was the route from Ashton to Hurst Cross and Higher Hurst. From Hurst Cross travellers could head eastwards towards Mossley and Yorkshire or northwards along a maze of lanes towards Park Bridge and Oldham.

On the right is the much re-branded Co-op "local" store, once the Co-op "Late Shop" but now "Co-operative Food".

On the left, behind the former Church Inn (now itself a shop) is the spire of St John's church.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

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"Kings Road" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "K" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Medieval Day

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"My World" this weekend saw a trip back in time to the Middle Ages as Ashton had a medieval theme day around the Market Hall.

Characters dressed in medieval costume mingled with visitors in Market Street where there were displays of skills such as arrow fletching, wood working on a foot-treadle powered lathe, cooking over a wood fire, etc. and market stalls selling traditional wares (and delicious hot pies). There was even a visit from Sir Ralph de Ashetton, the dreaded "Black Knight" before whom the ancient townsfolk of Ashton would quake with fear.

The event recalled the fact that there have been markets held in Ashton for more than 700 years!

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

Jersey Street

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"J" is for "Jersey Street" and today's photo shows the street of that name off Alexandra Road in Ashton.

Jersey Street is in an area of tightly-packed terraced houses built in the second half of the 19th century. It was probably named after George Child Villiers, the 5th Earl of Jersey, a Conservative politician of the period, whose son married Julia, the daughter of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. George Child Villiers was a distant relation to Liberal MP Charles Pelham Villiers.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

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"Jersey Street" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "J" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Shadows: Bowling Green

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The spectators on the benches watching the game of bowls cast their shadows onto the ground behind them.

The bowling green is in Stamford Park, straddling the border between Ashton under Lyne and Stalybridge.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

"Bowling Green" is a contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday. Please click the link to Hey Harriet to see more Shadow Shot Sunday posts.

Sky Watch: Rainbow

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Today's Sky Watch photo captures a rainbow that appeared this week across the Tame Valley in Mossley, four miles from Ashton.

The weather has been somewhat changeable over the past few days, with short sharp showers interrupting what had been pleasant Autumn sunshine. There was a stronger rainbow today but I didn't have the camera to hand, as luck would have it!

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!

Industrial Zone

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"I" is for "Industrial Zone" and today's photo shows part of the industrial area that stretches along Ashton's southern fringe.

In case any followers of this blog have been getting the impression that Ashton is an idyllic location where the sun always shines and everything is green grass, heather moorlands, historic buildings and delightful flower beds, then I'm sorry to disillusion you, but Ashton has its less pretty industrial areas, like most places.

Although Ashton was originally a small market town for the surrounding rural areas, it grew into a large town with the development of coal mining and the cotton spinning industry in the area, with most of the mills being concentrated along the southern edge of the town, alongside the canal and river.

Most of Ashton's cotton mills have now gone but those that remain have been converted to other uses. The mill on the left is Oxford Street Mill, which was formerly called Duncan Mill and built in 1860. It is now home to Hawke International, manufacturers of such things as cable glands.

In the distance is the large Oxford Mills complex dating from 1845. The canal is the Ashton Canal that runs to Manchester, built in 1792.

See Birds Eye View of this location, which shows very well th eband of industry that follows the canal.

"Industrial Zone" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "I" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Stamford Park Flower Beds

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For this week's My World feature we pay another visit to the splendid flower beds in Stamford Park, on the border of Ashton and Stalybridge.

The colours have completely changed since I posted the photo of primroses in these beds in May. This photo was taken on Sunday during a history walk around the park as part of the Heritage weekend. I was amazed at how much colour these still is in the park half-way through September!

"Stamford Park Flower Beds" 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: Millstone Monument

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Today's Sky Watch photo shows the small structure made from old mill stones on the summit of Hartshead Pike.

This marks the site of the original tower that stood on the hill top before the present tower was built on a more prominent spot a few yards to the south.

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!

Heather on the Hill

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"H" is for "Heather on the Hill" and today's photo shows the heather on the hilltop at Hartshead Pike above Ashton.

There are only small areas of heather here, unlike on the slopes of the Pennine moorland, a mile or so to the east.

The photo looks southwards from the slopes of the pike, towards Luzley, Ridge Hill and Hough Hill, with the hills of the Peak District in the background.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

"Heather on the Hill" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "H" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Sky Watch: Broadcarr

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Today's Sky Watch photo is another sunset scene at Broadcarr, between Ashton and Mossley.

The sun has recently sunk down below the hill behind Hartshead Pike but the golden sunshine still lights up the clouds.

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!

September Theme Day: Open Air Market

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The Theme for the first day of September is "Open Air Markets" and there are few towns in England to have an open air market to rival that of Ashton under Lyne.

There has been a market in Ashton for over 700 years. A royal charter to hold a market in Ashton was granted in 1284. For the next 500 years, Ashton market was the focus of the area for miles around. During that time, the area was rural with most people earning their living from the land.

The original market was held in the square around the old market cross (now St Michael's Square at the bottom of Old Cross Street). The Market Hall, seen in the background, was built in 1829, and this large open market place created in front of it. The Market Hall was re-opened in 2008 after being destroyed by fire four years earlier.

The outdoor market is open seven days a week, with the normal stalls being available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The stalls sell a range of things including fruit and vegetables, clothing, fabrics, household items and CDs.

On Tuesdays a Flea Market is held and on Sundays a Table Top sale takes place. On the last Sunday of each month a Farmers' and Producers' Market is held.

Read more about Ashton Market.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Today's photos are a contribution to the City Daily Photo September Theme Day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.


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