ABC Wednesday: Statue

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is S for "Statue" and the photo shows the statue of Hugh Mason which stands in Trafalgar Square in Ashton's West End.

Hugh Mason was a local mill-owner and social reformer. He owned the massive Oxford Mills complex, built by his father, not far from where his statue now stands. He built houses for his workforce, along with community facilities, and was the first local mill owner to give his workers Saturday afternoons off! He kept his employees in work during the "Cotton Famine" when some of his competitors were laying off their workers.

He became a Liberal councillor, mayor and eventually Member of Parliament for the town. When his wife Sarah died after only six years of marriage, he married her sister, Betsy. As this was illegal in Britain at the time, he obtained a special licence from the King of Denmark and was married in that country. He had one child with Sarah and four with Betsy before she died after just seven years.

The statue was originally at Chester Square but was moved after that square became a glorified traffic junction, as you saw in this recent post.

See Google Street View of this location.

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

The Black Knight

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"K" is for "Knight" and today's photo shows the sculpture of The Black Knight situated under the atrium in Tameside Council offices public reception area.

The statue commemorates Ashton's most celebrated legend, that of The Black Knight, thought to be based on the character of Sir Ralph de Assheton, who for a time resided at Ashton Old Hall in the fifteenth century. He was said to have been a cruel tyrant and the local inhabitants feared the sight of him riding around the area, on his black horse, looking for hapless peasants to persecute.

It is said that he was shot dead one Easter Monday by a relative. His death was celebrated by the relieved townsfolk with a custom called Riding the Black Lad, where his effigy was paraded around the town on horseback, had lumps of earth thrown at it and then possibly burnt.

The custom went through various changes over the years and by the 20th century took the form of a procession through the town led by The Black Knight riding on horseback. Read more about this custom here.

When the Arcades shopping mall opened, a sculpture of The Black Knight was commissioned and placed in the central of the mall. Typically of Ashton folk, many were scornful of the sculpture for being brown rather than black! When the Arcades had a refurbishment the sculpture was put into storage and mysteriously disappeared.

It was subsequently found and the council offered to provide a home for it. It has been given a much blacker colouring than before and now sits in pride of place in the main concourse of the council offices.

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

Footballer

The Footballer is one of seven sculptures sited along Lord Sheldon Way depicting local leisure pastimes.

Many people in the town follow football teams, especially the two big local teams, Manchester United and Manchester City. However, Ashton has two football teams of its own - Ashton United, with a ground at Hurst Cross, and Curzon Ashton, with a new ground at Richmond Street.

Of course, a lot of people take part themselves, with local amateur teams, school teams and impromptu games in parks, playgrounds and other places. Lots of boys (of all ages) and quite a few girls are the proud owners of replica football club kits. However, the player depicted heading the ball in the sculpture is not wearing the normal sort of attire you would expect of a footballer! He seems to be clad in some sort of jacket and trousers.

This is the last of the seven sculptures to appear here. You can see the other sculptures along Lord Sheldon Way here.

Walkers

The Walkers is one of seven sculptures sited along Lord Sheldon Way depicting local leisure pastimes.

Walking is a popular hobby with local countryside on the doorstep and the Pennine moors only a bus ride away.

It's tempting to wonder whether the walkers depicted here are contemplating hopping onto the next bus!

Gardener

The Gardener is one of seven sculptures sited along Lord Sheldon Way depicting local leisure pastimes.

The Gardener is taking a break from digging or hoeing and is sweeping up the autumn leaves!

In spite of being an industrial town, Ashton under Lyne has a long association with gardening. Not far from this statue was the market garden run by Bill Sowerbutts, a regular panellist for many years on BBC radio's "Gardeners' Question Time" programme.

Indeed, the very first edition of the programme was broadcast from the Broadoak Hotel in 1947, with Bill as one of the panellists. The programme was broadcast under its original, less-catchy name of "How Does Your Garden Grow? - A Gardeners' Question Time".

Behind the statue can be seen some of the few market garden plots remaining on Ashton Moss.

Cricketer

The Cricketer is one of seven sculptures sited along Lord Sheldon Way depicting local leisure pastimes.

The Cricketer is well-placed because, if he could whack the ball hard enough over his shoulder, it would land on Ashton Cricket Club's pitch!

Jogger

The Jogger is another of the seven sculptures sited along Lord Sheldon Way depicting local leisure pastimes.

I think the figure may have looked better jogging towards the green verge in the background rather than towards the busy road!

The yellow block in the distance is part of the IKEA store in Ashton.

Cyclist

The Cyclist is one of seven sculptures sited along Lord Sheldon Way depicting local leisure pastimes. Lord Sheldon Way is the new western approach to Ashton from Manchester and will be the route of the Metrolink tram.

According to Tameside Council, the statues are designed to "enhance the visual environment" and "boost the first impressions of people visiting Ashton and create a lasting and positive image of the town".

Mossley on Monday: Mill Girl

This sculpture of a mill girl stands outside the George Lawton Hall in Top Mossley. A variety of public sculptures have been commissioned by Tameside Council and have been positioned throughout the borough. Many of them have appeared on this blog. As Mossley was famous for its mills it was decided that the character to be depicted would be a mill girl, with baskets full of cotton bobbins. The George Lawton Hall stands on the site of the former Albion Mill.

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

Ship Ahoy!

If you look up as you are passing this building in Ashton, you will this carving of what appears to be a Viking boat, complete with sail, oars and shields.

I say "what appears to be" as it looks like the Viking boats I learned about at school, but I am puzzled by the dove emblem on the sail. The dove is often used as a Christian symbol, so what would it be doing on a Viking sail? Perhaps there is someone reading who knows more about this or who knows exactly what this carving is intended to represent?

So, where is this carving to be seen? Those who know Ashton well should be able to answer that immediately. The answer will be given tomorrow.

Alphabet Friday - Ugly Faces

"U" is for "Ugly Faces" and these particular examples can be found around the outside of Ashton Parish Church.

A stone moulding known as a hoodmould runs around the top of each window and door around the outside of the church. At each end of the hoodmoulds are carved stone heads. These were added at the time of the 19th century re-building of the church exterior. Such carved heads are very common on churches.



The heads each side of the windows tend to have comic ugly faces. Back in May we saw the more elegant heads that are to be found on each side of a small doorway at the back of the church.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Colonel Duckenfield

This statue of Colonel Robert Duckenfield stands outside the entrance to Dukinfield Town Hall, King Street, was erected in 2007.

Colonel Duckenfield lived from 1619 to 1689 and was High Sherrif of Cheshire. He was Lord of the Manor of Dukinfield, living at the now-demolished Dukinfield Hall, where he established up the first independent chapel in England (Old Hall Chapel - the oldest Nonconformist chapel). He fought for the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War and led thew forces that captured the Isle of Man.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

The Word is On The Street!

For today's Theme Day on "Books" we pay another visit to Maurice Miner, whom we met coming up for air last Sunday.

He is one of a series of light-hearted scupltures to have been put up in the area to celebrate the forthcoming re-opening of the old Ashton Market Hall after the 2004 fire.

This miner celebrity has dropped in here in Market Avenue in Ashton. He is seen here amusing himself with some down to earth reading. He is a mine of information and tried to floor me with a few questions. He told me that life has been the pits recently but these days things were looking up!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

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Little Madam

Another in the series of statues to have appeared in Market Avenue in Ashton recently is this young lady making faces at passers-by.

In the background can be seen the miner who featured in yesterday's photo.

Coming up for Air

Another new sight in The Avenue this week is this coal miner who appears to have lost his way and has surfaced amid the shops. He joins the other figures who are heralding the re-opening of the Market Hall.

I wonder how long it will be before someone falls over him?

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Cheeky Chappy

This cheeky chappy is thumbing his nose to passers-by on the corner of Market Avenue and Old Street in Ashton.

This fellow is one of six sculptures that have appeared in the area to mark the imminent re-opening of the Market Hall.

Click on the the photo above to see a wider view of the scene. (Click your back button to return here!)

Alphabet Friday - Old Town

O is for "Old Town" and this street sculpture represents Ashton's Old Town area of Stamford Street and Old Street. The metal grid in the centre of the sculpture is in the form of a map of the grid pattern of Ashton's streets. The surface is decorated with a variety of objects to represent the shops and industries of the area. Elsewhere are representations of people, buildings and events that have shaped Ashton. The sculpture was created in 2002 and is the work of artist Michael Johnson.

Memorial Gardens and Albion Church

A view of Albion Church seen across the Memorial Gardens, Cricket's Lane, Ashton.

To the right is the War Memorial, built of 50 tonnes of Portland Stone, topped with a bronze statue showing a wounded soldier and an angel of peace. On each side are statues of lions.

The Family

The huge sculpture entitled "The Family" stands at the junction of Fletcher Street and Market Street in Ashton, facing the Market Hall. It is the work of sculptor Paul Margetts, who has a number of other works around the town. It was unveiled in 1995, after being commissioned by MAB (UK) the previous year, the "Year of the Family". Signs of the times in the background are "Superpound Store" on the left and "Dizzi Gothic" on the right.