ABC Wednesday: "Big O"!

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is O for "Big O!" and the photo shows the enormous round shape of the old waterwheel at Portland Basin in Ashton.

The waterwheel dates from 1839 and was used for powering the hoists inside the canal warehouse.

For connoisseurs of water wheels this particular one is the high breast-shot suspension type. It is made of wrought iron and has a diameter of 24 feet. There are 416 teeth around the rim which connect by gears with the hoists which lifted goods between floors in the warehouse.

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

ABC Wednesday: New Bridge

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is N for "New Bridge" and the photo shows the new bridge that is being constructed over the Ashton Canal at Margaret Street, near Portland Basin.

The bridge replaces an older bridge that was too narrow for larger trucks to cross to gain access to industrial premises on the south side. Unfortunately this bridge was 115 years old, making it one of the oldest structures in Ashton. The brick-arched bridge was constructed to give access to fields and a handful of cottages, which were all that there was between the canal and the river at that time. But, hey - what is the value of history when it stands in the way of progress?

See Google Street View of this location.

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

ABC Wednesday: Market

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is M for "Market" and the photo shows Ashton's open market with the Market Hall in the background.

The almost clear blue sky makes it look as if this is a warm and pleasant day, but a glance at the warm clothing that the people in the picture are wearing shows you that winter is clinging on for as long as it can, with icy winds.

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

ABC Wednesday: Low Cloud

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is L for "Low Cloud" and the photo shows low clouds obscuring the hills in Mossley.

Even though Mossley is only 4 miles north-east of Ashton, the geography is very different, with the town being enclosed by the steep-sided Tame Valley with the surrounding hills rising to over 1000 feet. Therefore, when you get low clouds, they tend to bump into the hills! On the ground this is experienced as fog or mist.

This photo shows one such low cloud making its may along the valley with the higher ground of Noonsun Hill and around Pots and Pans rising above.

See Google Street View of this location (without the low cloud).

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