Sky Watch: Garden Gateway

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Today's "Sky Watch" image shows the ornamental gateway to the Memorial Gardens in Ashton. You can see words to that effect on the arch, with the lettering reversed, since we are looking outwards from the gardens towards Ashton Parish Church.

The snow is clinging to the stonework and the ironwork. The wintry clouds have drifted away and the sky beyond the gateway has cleared.

We saw a view of the snow in the Memorial Gardens a few days ago.

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!

Victoria Market Hall

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"V" is for "Victoria Market Hall" and today's photo shows the building of that name in Stalybridge, two miles east of Ashton under Lyne.

It is a little while since any photos of Stalybridge appeared on this blog so I thought it would be a good opportunity to see this fine building. A close-up of the clock tower appeared here almost two years ago.

The hall was opened in 1868, superseding the 1831 market, and was named after Queen Victoria, the monarch at that time. The market hall was a focus for shoppers from around the town. However, in recent years, as shoppers could easily transport themselves to nearby Ashton or to out-of-town shopping facilities, Stalybridge has become less busy as a shopping centre.

The building was re-furbished around ten years ago but unfortunately is no longer used as a market hall. It is now referred to as Stalybridge Civic Hall. There are offices and meeting rooms in the rear part of the building while the main part is used occasionally for exhibitions, functions, large meetings, etc.

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

"Victoria Market Hall" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "V" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Memorial Gardens

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Today's My World photo shows another snowy scene in Ashton under Lyne. This time, the location is the Memorial Gardens, looking towards Albion Church. The gardens are seen here on a less snowy occasion.

I took this shot looking down the avenue towards the bottom of Mossley Road because I liked the long shadows cast by the evergreen bushes.

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

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

Monochrome Moment: Mossley Hall

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Photographing in the snow at night is experimental photography for me! This shot of Mossley Hall was taken with very little light apart from one street light and the light reflected from the snow.

One problem with photographing snow at night is that everything has an orange cast from the street lights, but this disappears when the image is monochrome!

The combination of low light and an inexpensive pocket camera means that the image is not sharp but nevertheless I think it looks dramatic. The snow on the ledges provides pleasing highlights and the drama is enhanced by the perspective.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Mossley Hall was built in 1864 as the home of a wealthy mill owner but later became Mossley's Town Hall. Although now back in private ownership the grounds remain public, which was why I was allowed the plod up the snowy drive in the dark!

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

Sky Watch: Wintry Sun

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Today's "Sky Watch" image shows a weak wintry sun attempting to make itself visible through thin cloud behind the tower on the summit of Hartshead Pike.

The snow in the field is not very deep but that is because the strong winds had blown it into deep drifts against boundary walls and in nearby lanes. On my walk on that particular day along the top section of Lily Lanes, I had to plunge through snow drifts three to four feet deep in places!

The black line separating the sky from the ground is actually a dry stone wall that runs along the top of the ridge.

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!

Under Snow-laden Boughs

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"U" is for "Under Snow-laden Boughs" and today's photo shows the steep pathway in Mossley known as Jacob's Ladder. Mossley is a small town just over the hill from Ashton.

After a heavy snowfall a layer of snow has settled on the boughs of the trees that reach out over the path. Walking down the path you hope that the snow doesn't choose the moment that you are underneath for it to slide off!

Compare today's photo with this one, showing the same location six months ago. What a difference a couple of seasons can make!

Last week we had a view of the Mayor's staircase inside the Town Hall.

The main part of the building, with its Corinthian columns, was opened in 1840, with extensions built to the left and to the rear in 1878.

"Under Snow-laden Boughs" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "U" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Winter Comes Early

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Today's My World photo shows a wintry scene in Broadcarr Lane, on the hill between Ashton and Mossley.

There is very little snow on the house roofs, but that is because there were strong winds in the area and the snow was blown away to land in deep drifts. You can see how the snow plough has carved a way through the drifts that covered the road. You can also see that some snow has blown onto the road after it was cleared.

See Google Street View of this location.

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

Monochrome Moment: St Michael's Square

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See Google Street View of this location.

What better time for a monochrome photo that when most of the colours have been replaced with a blanket of white snow?

Today's black-and-white view shows St Michael's Square, the old heart of Ashton under Lyne, with the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels on the left. Not quite all the angels, as The Angel Inn is on the right of the photo!

"St Michael's Square" is a contribution to Monochrome Weekend. Please follow the link to visit other sites taking part.

Sky Watch: Blue Sky and White Branches

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This is a rather snowy "Sky Watch" image, but there is plenty of clear blue sky to be seen - through the snow-laden branches of the trees.

The photo is in complete contrast to the scenes of just a few days ago when a carpet of autumn leaves still lay on the ground. It was taken on Thursday and shows the unusual sight of snow in November here in Ashton!

The little park at the top of Penny Meadow features quite a lot on this blog as it a good indicator of the characteristics of each season, from golden daffodils to golden leaves!

See Google Aerial View of this location. See Birds 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!

Time for Winter Woollies!

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If you want to know the time when you are shopping on Ashton's Open Market, you simply look up and there is the clock tower on the Market Hall.

However, this photograph, taken yesterday, shows that Winter has made an early appearance in much of Britain this year. Snow in England in November is very unusual!

It was just as well that I took this photo yesterday, with the clock tower glowing in the sunshine, because today was very grey and it was snowing hard for much of the day.

Yes, it really is time for those Winter Woollies!

This photo is a contribution to December's Theme Day of "Time". Click here to view thumbnails for all participants