B & Q at the Snipe

The entrance to the B & Q store on the Snipe retail park between Ashton and Audenshaw. This was one of the first of B & Q's larger "Warehouse" stores and replaced the earlier B & Q store nearby, which is now Staples. In the distance, behind the Give Way sign, you can just see the recently-closed MFI store - another victim of the "downturn".

The Snipe retail park was built on the site of Ashton Moss Colliery (the "Snipe Pit"). The colliery was opened in 1875 and its second shaft, sunk in 1882, at 2,850 feet was the deepest in the world at that time. The Snipe retail park takes its name from the nearby Snipe Inn on Manchester Road.

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

Shades of Blue

Today's photo was taken from the roof of The Arcades shopping mall, from the same spot as last week's photo of Water Street.

It shows the IKEA store in the centre of the photo, with the Wellington Road bingo emporium and retail park to the right. To the left is Assheton House, probably one of the most convenient blocks of flats for shopping and buses!

It's a good job Ashton's buses are no longer blue, or they would really clash with the assorted shades of blue in this photo!

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

Mossley on Monday: Just Walking the Dog

Mossley is just over the hill from Ashton but in some ways is another world. The strong winter sunshine last week offered this image of a lady taking her dog for a walk alongside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The scene is looking westwards from the side of Lock 13. The canal towpath is a very popular walking route in Mossley.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Sunday Stroll: Knott Hill Reservoir

Another popular short walk near Ashton is to Knott Hill Reservoir, in the valley between Hartshead and Hazelhurst.

The reservoir was built shortly after 1835 to replace the earlier and smaller Tongue Bottom (Tombottom) reservoir a short distance higher up the valley, behind the present Hartshead Inn.

Knott Hill Reservoir is no longer used and its water level was dropped to the present level when the dam embankment showed signs of instability. The photo was taken from the path that ran around the original waterline of the reservoir, which can also be seen on the opposite side and gives a good idea of how deep the reservoir was when it was in use.

Today it is managed by Tameside Countryside Service as a nature reserve and the path around the outside is a popular walking route. Hartshead Pike is seen on the hill in the background, enticing the more energetic walker!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Stalybridge Saturday: Railway Station

You would be forgiven if you didn't immediately recognise this location, as this is the brand new face of Stalybridge Station. This is the first in a series of weekly visits to Stalybridge, Ashton's next-door neighbour, just 2 miles to the east.

At a cost of £675,000 a new glass-fronted entrance has been built with seating area and departure information shown on hi-tech screens. This part of a £1.5 million scheme to improve the station which has included improved toilets and shelters.

On the down side, the number of car parking spaces on the immediate forecourt has been reduced from 13 to 6 plus 2 taxi spaces and two disabled spaces. Other spaces are available on the ramp alongside the station building and on a plot opposite, but more parking will need to be provided if more people are to use the station as a "park-and-ride" facility.

See Google Aerial View of this location before the modernisation.

Sky Watch: Hartshead Pike

Hartshead Pike, on the ridge between Ashton under Lyne and Mossley, is a good place to see dramatic skyscapes and eerie lighting conditions. Today's photo shows dramatic clouds rather than actual sky, but this is England's Pennines, after all.

The Hartshead Pike tag at the end of the post will take you to other views of the hill in other lighting conditions.

Sky Watch is the new Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Ashton Town Hall at Christmas

A few late shoppers hurry home past the steps of Ashton's Town Hall just before Christmas.

I have shown you a few photos of the Christmas lights around Ashton but I have saved the Town Hall for today.

A  Merry   Christmas  to all followers of this blog! Thank you for visiting.

Arcadian Christmas Tree

As we have a last-minute dash around the shops of Ashton searching for that elusive present, let us pause to look from another angle at the superb decorations in The Arcades shopping mall.

From this angle we can see the white Christmas tree on the landing of the steps.

On a sadder note it is time to say goodbye to Woolworths, which will be closing down for good on 27th December. Please spare a thought for all the hard-working staff whose Christmas will not be so happy this year. Let's hope that the store space will soon be taken on by another retailer and that some of the staff might find new jobs there.

Time for a Winter's Walk to Park Bridge

With the prospect of a few days off around Christmas and New Year, many people go for a winter stroll or even a longer walk, especially if they feel the need to walk off the effects of too much eating!

One of the popular spots for walking locally is Park Bridge. The view here looks down across the remains of the former Lees family's iron works from what was once the railway embankment leading to the long-gone railway viaduct. The Stables building in the centre of the photo houses a heritage centre and café.

If you're too far away to go for a walk there, you could always do a bit of exploring around the area using the "Bird's Eye View" link below.

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

Water Street

Today's photo is looking along Water Street towards Oldham Road from the roof of The Arcades shopping mall. The No. 330 bus from Stockport has just turned out of Gas Street on its way to the bus station.

In the middle distance, Holy Trinity Church is clearly seen. In the far distance the Beetham Tower in Manchester is just visible in the haze.

Water Street and Gas Street took their names from the corporation-owned utilities that had premises nearby. A cotton mill once stood where The Arcades now is, with Charlestown Mission Chapel on the right hand side of the road. Behind the chapel were narrow streets with rows of small early terraced mill-workers' houses that formed Charlestown.

It is hard to believe that, around 1800, Charlestown was separated from the small town of Ashton under Lyne, then spreading along what is now Old Street, by open fields!

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