Shadow Shot Sunday: Market Street Colonnade

In front of the parade of shops at the bottom end of Market Street, leading towards the bus station, is a colonnade.

Classical colonnades were constructed using large stone columns but Victorian colonnades were made with wrought iron. Essentially they create a covered walkway in front of the buildings. They shelter shoppers from the rain, but in better weather the sun casts delightful shadows on the pavement.

For more shadow shots visit Hey Harriet.

Weekend Reflections: Union Street

A fairly clear reflection this week of the 19th century terraced houses on Union Street. They are reflected in the window of the Union Street clinic. It is one of those windows constructed so that you can look out of it but you can't look in. I don't know if anyone in the waiting room was looking out at me when I took this photo.

For other's reflections this week visit Weekend Reflections.

Brushing up the sand

The pavement outside the Oakland furniture store on Market Place has been repaired recently. Here a workman is just brushing up the excess sand on which the paving stones have been laid.

Sepia Scene: Old shop with plants

This old shop on Stockport Road, Gee Cross has been closed for a few years.

It was once a butcher's shop I think and more recently a hot sandwich shop.

It used to have a bay window frontage but that has long gone and the window space boarded up. The base has been filled with soil and turned into a flower bed and a trellis attached to the window boards for climbers.

For wider view in colour showing its also-closed neighbour see Geograph.

For more sepia scenes vist Sepia Scenes.

ABC Wednesday: B is for Busker

This week's contribution to ABC Wednesday features the busker who plays his accordion in the Market Place at the corner of Russell Street.

There is another view of him on Hyde DP Xtra.

A view down Market Street

Another view from the top deck of the #206 bus from Gee Cross to Piccadilly.

We are at the traffic lights where Union Street meets Market Street.

It is now a box junction. For the benefit of our overseas viewers a box junction is a traffic control measure designed to prevent gridlock at busy road junctions. The surface of the junction is marked with a criss-cross grid of diagonal painted lines and vehicles may not enter the area so marked unless their exit from the junction is clear; drivers may enter the box and wait when they want to turn right and are stopped from doing so only by oncoming traffic or by other vehicles waiting to turn right.

Simple, isn't it?

You can see a slide-show and follow the route of my journey on the #206 at Geo-trips.

Onward Christian Centre

A couple of Saturday's ago members of the Onward Christian Centre were outside the Cotton Bale in Market Place, playing music and addressing the crowds.

Shadow Shot Sunday: Wardle Brook Avenue

From Underwood Road looking into Wardle Brook Avenue.

A shadow still lies over the area where Ian Brady and Myra Hindley lived. Their old house has long since been demolished. If you need to, read the article on Wikipedia.

They were called the "Moors Murderers" through having buried their victims on Saddleworth Moor. Despite an intensive search, the body of Keith Bennett has yet to be found. A concerted effort was made in 1986 - see my poem Searchday Thursday - but without resolution.

The search for Keith continues even to this day - for more information visit the Keith Bennett official website or the appeal page on Facebook.

For more shadow shots visit Hey Harriet.

Weekend Reflection in the window of B's

I took this photo with my phone (which is rarely used for phoning and never for texting) last Saturday morning.

We are looking into B's café which has been open since February 2010. Reflected in its window is The Queens and the Willow Wood Hospice charity shop.

There is also my wife backing her wheelchair out of the Ring 'n' Ride bus.

You can get a clearer view perhaps from the mirror-image greyscale version of this on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more reflections visit Weekend Reflections.

Up from Cheapside

Yesterday I showed you Hoviley Brow.

To cross the motorway you could go up to the footbridge with the spiral ramp.

The alternative is use the Cheapside underpass which lies to the left of the photographer's position in yesterday's shot. It has been cleaned up a little bit since my photograph published in August 2007.

At the end is this ramp that leads up towards Morrisons supermarket.

You can this and the ramp at right angles to it on Hyde DP Xtra.

Sepia Scene: Hoviley Brow

Hoviley Brow, renamed Commercial Street, used to lead all the way from Newton (for Hyde) station into Hyde. The last bit is now merged with Clarendon Place.

Today this road leads only to the textile factory by the side of Godley Brook. It was cut off from town by the construction of the M67 motorway in the 1970s.

Ahead can be seen the footbridge over the motorway with the spiral ramp.

See how this scene looked in the 1950s on Old Hyde.

View the original coloured version on Geograph.

More sepia views at Sepia Scenes.

ABC Wednesday: A is for Acorn Hill

Old maps of Gee Cross mark the present section of Stockport Road down past the Werneth Hotel as "Acorn Hill".

The house next to The Werneth, lower down the road and opposite the bend, is called "Acorn Villa" and is dated 1879. You can see it on Hyde DP Xtra.

This photograph was taken from the top deck of the new 206 bus route that now runs half-hourly between Gee Cross and Manchester Piccadilly via Haughton Green and Gorton Lane. You can see a slide show of my journey to Manchester on the Geo-trips site.

For more A posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Booth's Well 2011

As I promised last week here is a close-up of Booth's Well as dressed in 2011.

Booth's Well on Wych Road is decorated each year by the local Women's Institue. The design for 2011 was based on the wedding of the Owl and the Pussycat. It was 140 years ago that Edward Lear published his nonsense songs.

Three other wells can be seen Hyde DP Xtra.

Information about the history and format of the Gee Cross Well Dressing can be found on Gee Cross Well Dressing 2006.

New Houses at Cotton Trees

A look at the new houses going up on the "Cotton Mills" estate on the site of the former Hyde Mill.

Shadow Shot Sunday/Sunday Bridges: The Spiral Ramp

This week's contribution to both Shadow Shot Sunday at Hey Harriet and Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo features a fimilar landmark, the spiral ramp leading up to a footbridge over the M67 motorway.

Earlier photos of or from the footbridge:

• 060505 M67 Junction 3
• 070627 Footbridge over M67
• 080119 M67 Looking East
• 080205 Clark Way Bridge over M67
• 090330 End of March Quiz
• 090406 The Answer is a Spiral Ramp
• 090413 Ramp to Spiral Footbridge
• 090527 Inside the Spiral
• 090928 That Spiral Ramp Again
• 091006 Footbridge Underview
• 091023 Spiral Skywatch
• 091030 Along to the Spiral Ramp
• 091106 Not the Spiral Ramp but ...
• 100103 Another Look at the Spiral Ramp Footbridge

Weekend Reflections in a Tuba

It was the Gee Cross Well Dressing last Sunday.

At the start of the procession it was raining heavily so everyone was huddled under their umbrellas.

As in previous years the Adamson Band led the procession around the Gee Cross Wells.

Despite the rain the horn of the tuba reflected a unique view.

You can see the whole of the instrument on Hyde DP Xtra and more of the band on Geograph.

I'll show you some of the wells next week.

Information about the history and format of the Gee Cross Well Dressing can be found on Gee Cross Well Dressing 2006.

More reflections can be found at Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: Over Cotton Mills to Matley

We are looking across the site of Hyde Mill towards Matley.

Hyde Mill was demolished in 2009 and an estate of new houses called "Cotton Mills" is being erected. This photograph was taken from the four roads junction of Yew Tree Lane and Birch Lane with Ashton Road and Johnson Brook Road.

Building has already started on part of the site, but this section is still being prepared. The view here will again disappear before long.

Another view across this area can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra.

More skys at Skywatch Friday.

Sepia Scene: Grafton Street

A sepia view of Grafton Street looking East past the Grafton Centre and Bangla City towards Clark Way and the Northern end of John Street.

The houses on John Street are about the only parts of this photograph that existed before the M67 motorway and the Clark Way bypass were bulldozed through this area of Hyde. Grafton Street was then a street of old terraced houses.

The coloured version of this photograph can be seen on Geograph whilst the view in the opposite direction can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more sepia scenes visit Sepia Scenes.

ABC Wednesday: Z is for Zumba

I'd never heard of Zumba until I saw this banner on the side of the Town Hall.

"Get Bikini Fit for Summer" it says which suggested it was something to do with aerobics. Since then I've discovered that it is a combination of dancing and excercise - very energetic and exhausting according to people who've told me they've tried it.

I keep hearing about everywhere now so it must be the latest craZe.

For more Z posts visit ABC Wednesday.

2011 Well Dressing at Gee Cross

It was the Gee Cross Well Dressing last Sunday.

At the start of the procession it was raining heavily so everyone was huddled under their umbrellas. See them on Hyde DP Xtra.

Those of us without umbrellas got soaked. After the procession had set off, most of those not following went into the Grapes. Others huddled around Booth's Well.

I'll show you photos of the Adamson band at the weekend and closer views of some of the wells next week.

Information about the history and format of the Gee Cross Well Dressing can be found on Gee Cross Well Dressing 2006.

A Model of the Theatre Royal

One of the exhibits at Gee Cross Fete was a model of the Theatre Royal made by Alan Tolfrey a modelmaker from Mossley.

See more of his models at Mossley Modelmaker.

See my own photographs of the theatre at http://www.geraldengland.co.uk/gx/royal.htm.

Read more about the fight to preserve and reopen the theatre at Theatre Royal Onward.

Find more of my photos of this year's fete at Gee Cross Fete 2011.

Shadows across the Bowling Green

Shadows flow across the lower of the two summer bowling greens in Hyde Park.

In the background is the new pavilion built in 2008 to replace the old pavilion which was gutted by fire in 2007.

The other summer green is on the other side.

Hyde Park also has a winter green.

For more Sunday Shadows visit Hey Harriet.

Weekend Reflections: Summer Downpour on Dowson Road

After a few days of warm sunshine the weather has turned again bringing cool strong winds and a series of short sharp showers and thunderstorms.

I'd escaped the storms on my shopping trip but as I got off the bus opposite the Shell filling station on Dowson road the rain came suddenly down like bullets bouncing off the road.

In the wet road was the reflection of the tree outside the garage.

For more reflections visit Weekend Reflections.

Mobile Police Station

The mobile Police Station parked outside Gee Cross Fete was manned by Community Support Officers. They used to have their own Facebook page but it has been pulled. It seems they didn't attract enough Facebook friends and feedback to justify its presence.

See my photos of this year's fete at Gee Cross Fete 2011.

Sepia Scene: The Werneth

A sepia view of the Werneth on the corner of Stockport Road and Treacle Brow.

For a coloured version see Geograph.

For more sepia scenes visit Sepia Scenes.

ABC Wednesday: Y is for Yogi's

Yogi's newsagents and off licence is on Grosvenor Road. When new houses were constructed below Grosvenor Road in the 60s or thereabouts a row of six shops was built.

The shops included a butchers, greengrocers, hairdressers and fish and chip shop. Now the only one left thriving is Yogi's convenience store.

For more Y posts visit ABC Wednesday.

St James' Catholic Primary School

St. James’ on Cheriton Close is a voluntary aided Primary and Nursery school linked to the Parish of St. James the Great, Hattersley.

The school has its own website.

Stonepit Reservoir Looking Overgrown

Stonepit Reservoir is now used by the Tameside Federation of Anglers.

It was fully restored about five years ago but now the vegetation seems to be taking it over somewhat.

Previous photographs of Stonepit Reservoir.

• July 20th 2006 Stonepit Reservoir
• September 6th 2006 Twigs & Barbed Wire
• September 14th 2006 Stonepit Reservoir Again
• December 14th 2006 Stonepit Reservoir Yet Again
• December 22nd 2006 A Glimpse of Stonepit Reservoir
• January 11th 2007 Reservoir Filling Up
• May 15th 2007 Reservoir Nearly Ready
• July 7th 2007 Waterfall flowing at Stonepit
• August 11th 2007 Stonepit Reservoir Not Quite Ready
• September 17th 2007 Missed the Birdie
• November 2nd 2007 A Licence to Fish
• November 23rd 2007 Another Sign at Stonepit
• February 27th 2008 A Frosty Morning at Stonepit Reservoir
• April 20th 2008 April Morning at Stonepit
• April 27th 2008 Heron at Stonepit
• May 4th 2008 Danger Deep Water
• May 11th 2008 Gone Fishing
• 4th February 2009 Round the Bend
• 12th March 2009 Ice on Stonepit Reservoir

Crossing over Green Lane Bridge

I've shown you Green Lane Bridge sideways and even from underneath.

This view is looking over the bridge towards St Pauls Hill Road. Back in May 2009 I posted the view in the opposite direction.

See more bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Weekend Reflections: Godley Brook by ABC Wax

More reflections in Godley Brook but today about a mile further West from the ones I showed you last week.

Here the stream is channeled between the ABC Wax textile factory and Hoviley Brow.

Compare it with the same scene in September 2009. What changes can you see?

For more reflections visit Weekend Reflections.

2011 Fete on Sam Redfern Green

Sam Redfern Green in Gee Cross is the venue for the annual village fete.

More of my photos from this year's event can be found on Gee Cross Fete 2011.

"Green" is the CDPB theme for today. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants to the theme.