Junior Orchard in Hyde Park

This orchard was planted by local schoolchildren in November 2010 on the site of a former football pitch in Hyde Park. Read more about its beginnings on the Lazy Bicycle Blog.

The building in the background is the toilet block with was built with National Lottery Funding.

ABC Wednesday: X

Taken around 9pm on 26th June 2011.

For more X shots visit ABC Wednesday.

More sky shots can be found on Skywatch Friday.

Steep path to Godley

Yesterday I showed you the path to Mottram Road from the
little bridge over Godley Brook.

From a there a steep cobbled path leads up to Godley. This view is about half way up. You can see the bottom of the path and a couple of shots looking down on Hyde DP Xtra.

Path to Mottram Road

The other day on Hyde DP Xtra I showed you the little bridge over Godley Brook near its confluence with Werneth Brook. On Hyde Daily Photo I showed you the view looking upstream.

Today's view on Hyde DP Xtra is looking downstream from the bridge, whilst here I am showing you the pathway from the bridge up to Mottram Road. Werneth Brook as it flows into Godley Brook is just over the wall on the left.

The coloured version of this can be seen on Geograph.

Pigeon and squirrel under the shadows

I went into Hyde Park last week looking for the new sculpture which I'd shown you at the start of the month under construction. It was intended to complement the earlier wood sculpture of a squirrel.

I wandered around but couldn't see it. The old one was still there and there were a few bare stumps but no carvings. I eventually asked a couple of men who were walking their dogs. "Oh they've chopped it down. It took three weeks to complete and then the council didn't like it and next day it was chopped down. Another five and half grand of our council tax down the swanny!".

It was then I saw a real squirrel streak across the path onto the grass. It stopped at the edge as a pigeon flew down next to it. They both seemed to pause whilst I took their photograph and then speedily departed in opposite directions.

For more shadow shots visit Hey Harriet.

Weekend Reflections: Godley Brook

Reflections in Godley Brook taken from the little bridge that crosses the stream near to its confluence with Werneth Brook not far from Brookbank Nursery.

You can look back towards the little bridge on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more reflections visit Weekend Reflections.

Sundial Close on Pudding Lane

The names Sundial Close on Pudding Lane and Sundial Walk behind it commemorate the site of Sundial Cottage which dated from 1697 and had a stone sundial on its front.

Although a listed building, it was badly vandalised and eventually demolished.

A photograph of it from around 1905 can be seen on Old Hyde.

For more skys visit Skywatch Friday.

Up the Junction again

The junction of Cheetham Hill Road with Birch Lane and Ashton Road has been completely transformed since I last showed you it a year ago.

Then it didn't look much different than it did twenty years ago.

Now the layout has altered, the bus stop (which only served the hourly 343 service from Oldham) has gone, new pedestrian crossings have been incorporated and on the left the view across the now demolished Hyde Mill has opened up.

ABC Wednesday: W is for War Memorial on Werneth Low

The wooden model of Hyde War Memorial, borrowed from the Werneth Low Visitor Centre, was on display at Gee Cross Fete last Sunday.

In 1920, following a public appeal, which raised exactly £14,013, 14 shilling and 8 pennies, the War Memorial Committee of the Hyde Borough Council made a momentous decision by purchasing Lower Higham Farm and all its land. Following the purchase a scheme was put forward to protect the land forever for the health and well being of the community, a lasting tribute to the 710 men from this area who perished in The Great War of 1914 to 1918. On the site known as Hackingknife, at a cost of £2,000, Hyde's main war memorial was officially unveiled on the 25th of June 1921. The land and farm are now held in trust by the Hyde War Memorial Trust.

A more distant view of the memorial can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more W posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Gee Cross Fete 2011

Gee Cross Fete took place on Sunday. The weather was on the cool side with a bit of wind but a warm sun kept peeping out and the rain never materialised.

I was too late it seems to get a photograph of the new mayor with a snake wrapped around her neck but I had a good wander round and took a lot of pictures. I've made a selection of the best 18 which you can view at Gee Cross Fete 2011.

Bluebell Centre Garden

Today's photo is of the garden at the Bluebell Centre which is next door to the Joshua Bradley.

Look to the right and you can see one of the geese popping its head out from the pond.

The coloured version of this photograph can be found on Geograph.

Two Bridges

Last week I showed you the bridge from Peel Street to Mansfield Road.

The view this week is from the opposite direction.

We are on the TransPennine trail which runs for 215 miles from Southport to Hornsea. For cyclists this is part of Route 62 of the National Cycle Network which links Glasson just south of Lancaster with Selby in Yorkshire via Blackpool, Preston, Southport, Stockport and Doncaster.

The tarmac path on the right is for cyclists and walkers whilst on the left is a bridleway for horseriders.

Originally this section was a freight railway line from Godley Junction to Apethorn carrying mainly coal from Yorkshire to Fiddler's Ferry Power Station on Merseyside.

Beyond Peel Street bridge can be seen the next bridge connecting Donald Avenue with Grange Road North.

For more bridges this Sunday visit San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Weekend Reflections at the Town Hall

For others visit Weekend Reflections.

Behind Brook Street & Steeles Avenue

The gates at the bottom of Brook Street were open when I was walking down there a week or so ago, affording a view of the land at the back of Steeles Avenue.

It was probably a hive of industry like much of Hyde a century ago but now it seems to be a bit of a backwater.

The grassy bank on the left with a mobile phone relay mast above is hiding the M67 motorway.

Pennine View, Hattersley

New houses and apartments are going up on Hattersley Road West in the Harehills area of the estate.

ABC Wednesday: V is for Virgin Atlantic

Hyde lies under the incoming flightpath of planes headng for Manchester Airport.

This was seen flying over the Peel Street bridge.

In preparation for landing the wheels are in the process of being lowered.

For more V posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Godley Off Licence

Godley off licence and convenience store is on the corner of Mottram Road and Leech Street.

The faded writing on the end wall suggests it has been a grocers for many years. I'll try and get a closer look at it when I get the chance.

An "off licence", for the information of our foreign readers, is a shop licensed for the sale of alcohol (beers, wines & spirits) solely for consumption off the premises.

Behind the Joshua Bradley

The former Bamford Hall at Gee Cross was converted in 2008 to the Joshua Bradley public house.

Sunday Bridges: Peel Street to Mansfield Road

This bridge over the former Apethorn to Godley railway line connects Peel Street to Mansfield Road.

The route is now a section of the TransPennine Way from Southport and Liverpool to Hull and Hornsea. It has a tarmacced lane for walkers and cyclists with a bridleway alongside.

A closer view of the shadows across the bridge can be found on Hyde DP Xtra.

More Sunday Bridges can be found at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Weekend Reflections: Puddles on Green Lane

Trees are reflected in the puddles on Green Lane.

See how it looked in May 2009.

Visit other Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: The chimney that survived

When Ashton Bros Mill was demolished the chimney survived due to it being a covenient location for the attachment of mobile phone relay masts.

See further upwardly mobile views on Skywatch Friday.

I've since discovered that the chimney actually used to belong to Winterbotham's tripe dressing factory on Bank Street.

Brookbank Nursery

Brookbank Nursery on Mottram Road is based in a grade II listed house that was built in 1837 by the local Hibbert family.

ABC Wednesday: U is for Underwood Road, Hattersley

Underwood Road on the Hattersley Estate looking East from the junction with Wardlebrook Avenue.

Hattersley Estate was built in the 1950s to house Manchester's "overspill" but has seen much re-generation over recent years.

Underwood Road is a continuation of the ancient route known as Pudding Lane.

View the road from the other end on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more U posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Hyde Christian Fellowship 1985

Hyde Christian Fellowship is an Evangelical Church on Chapel Street established in 1985.

The building was originally the Friends Meeting House dating from 1873 - see Hyde DP Xtra.

The coloured version of this photograph can be found on Geograph.

Gerrards Hollow

Before Dowson Road was built a deep valley ran from Gee Cross village down to the river Tame to the North of Apethorn Lane and Gerrard Street (now Stockport Road) which was the name given to the stretch of road from The Grape's Hotel to Gerrards Cross. Towards the end of the 1800s at the side of Gerrard's Cross were 12 cottages in the valley which was called Gerrards Hollow. These cottages were lost when part of Gerrard's Hollow was filled in to carry Dowson Road. Now what is left is occuppied by a few large modern houses which can scarcely be seen through the trees behind the bus stop on Dowson Road. They are reached from Apethorn Lane via a short road known as Gerrards Wood.

Shadows on Apethorn Lane

The original coloured version of this photograph can be seen on Geograph.

For more shadow shots visit Hey Harriet.

Weekend Reflections: The Pond at the Bluebell Centre

The Bluebell Centre next to the Joshua Bradley public house has a pond in its grounds.

For another view of the pond and two of its inhabitants see Hyde DP Xtra.

For other reflections visit Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: St Giles Drive

St Giles Drive is off St Pauls Hill Road. I was walking down the latter one sunny morning early this week and stopped to take this quick photograph.

As I did so, that black cloud loomed closer and drops of rains started hitting my neck.

By the time I reached the bottom of St Michaels Road it was raining stair-rods as we say around here.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more sights.

Eating Al Fresco

Tree Sculpture Under Construction

Today's photograph was taken by Ian of the Lazy Bicycle Blog and shows a tree in Hyde Park. The tree is being transformed into a sculpture.

A wood sculpture of a squirrel was created last year. This one is probably by the same artist. Ian didn't tell me where in the park this is so I'll have to hunt for it next time I venture that way.

For more T posts visit ABC Wednesday

"Under Construction" is the City Daily Photoblogs theme for June 1st. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.