Throstle Bank Street

Throstle Bank Street leads off Dukinfield Road towards Flowery Field Cricket Club.


This is the view looking back under the railway bridge towards Dukinfield Road.

Towpath Opened Up

I've taken you down the Peak Forest Canal towpath towards Manchester Road before.

See how it looked in January 2008.

That was before the Automasters factory was demolished. By March 2009 only the retaining wall remained.

Forward four months to last Monday and the walls have gone. Demolition work has been replaced by construction work.

I'll show you more photographs from Monday's walk at a later date.

Dowson Road Trees

These trees on Dowson Road are in full bloom.

The one next to the bus shelter is so huge that its leaves droop down over the side making it very difficult for people waiting at the stop to see the bus at it comes around the corner.

Behind them is Enfield Court, a block of retirement apartments.

Cake Stall on Hyde Market

The charity stall on Hyde Market last Saturday was run by Dukinfield Methodist Church.

In addition to the usual books, clothes and bric-a-brac, they had a range of cakes for sale. The lady on the left is Barbara who did all the baking.

We bought some of her scones and very delicious they were indeed.

Caxton Demolition Update

Following up on my post about the demolition of the Caxton Works, the carved doorway is still there, but the top part has already gone.

There is a close-up of the lintel on Hyde DP Xtra.

Looking down Knott Lane

I've shown you the top of Knott Lane before.

It is an ancient route that leads from Hyde Chapel down to Cheetham Fold and over the railway to Knott Fold.

Halfway along it crosses Dowson Road and there is a bench on the corner where you can rest your feet before crossing over.

This is the section on the other side of Dowson Road.

Flowery Field Cricket Club

Flowery Field is a family cricket club with three senior teams who are members of the Lancashire County Cricket League. The club also has a large junior section which supports four junior teams, at U9, U13, U15, & U17 levels.

More information on the Flowery Field Cricket Club website.

Three Golden Balls

Three golden balls are the traditional sign seen over a pawnbroker's shop.

These are not ancient but of very recent appearance over a jewellers on Market Street.

Another set can be seen a few doors down over the "Cash Generator" shop.

See them from the other side on Hyde DP Xtra.

Tree at Foxholes

This old tree at Foxholes is up a banking alongside the old railway which is now part of the Trans Pennine Trail. Behind it is a field.

If you are a new visitor and want to know/see more, check out my other posts about the Trans Pennine Trail - there have been 26 so far.

Old House on Church Street

Now three separate residences, this old house on Church Street was originally a large family home and a doctor's surgery.

It looks slightly lop-sided as the left hand portion of the property was destroyed by a bomb in WWII and subsequently demolished.

The space was occupied by a garage at one time but now a modern house has been erected there.

In the 1980s and 90s it was home to the Church Street dental practice but that has since relocated to Borough Arcade.

I took this photograph after being contacted by Yvonne Michelle whose great grandparents and great-great grandparents once owned the house. She sent me a photograph of the house as it was in about 1910. You can see that and read more details about its history on Old Hyde.

The Uncrowned Crown

The Crown on Market Street is one the latest pubs to close. All its signage has been removed although the outlines are clearly visible.

Only the hanging baskets remain.

Since I took this a few weeks ago, a board has appeared indicating that it is to be sold at auction. There is a similar sign now on the Globe also.

Not Empty Now

At the beginning of this month I showed you the market empty.

It is not so empty on a sunny summer Saturday.

End of the Platform

A follow up to my longer shot of Hyde Central Station, this is the view from the end of the platform looking towards Manchester.

On the right is a glimpse of Flowery Field church.

You can see the full colour version of this on Hyde DP Xtra.

Beetham Tower from Gower Hey Woods

Dominating the skyline in this view from by Dowson Primary School Playing Fields is the Beetham Tower on Deansgate in the centre of Manchester.

At 554 ft (169 metres) in height, it is the tallest building in Manchester, and the tallest building in the UK outside of London, the UK's 7th tallest building and the tallest residential development in Europe. It consists of a Hilton Hotel up to level 23 and apartments from level 25 up to the triplex penthouse on level 47. There are also 2 basement levels, which contain car parking for the residents of the apartments.

Some folk like it but others consider it a blot-on-the-landscape.

Snowman Scarecrow in Broadbottom

This snowman was one of the entries in this years Scarecrow competition in Broadbottom.

He stands outside a house on Westend Terrace; see him in situ on Hyde DP Xtra.

See all the entries on Broadbottom Village website.

Hyde Park Corner

It calls itself Hyde Park Corner but as you can see it is more of a bend than a corner. It is also on the opposite side of town to Hyde Park.

The business which used to sell tyres and in-car stereos and the like has been closed for some time, although there is still a hand car-wash business behind it on Markland Street.

The "Hot Crumpet" next door though is a thriving business run by Steve and Steph selling sandwiches, jacket potatoes, hot pies and much else.

Demolition of Caxton Works

I first became aware of the Caxton Works in February 2008 when I took a walk down Mary Street and photographed the Door to Caxton Works and the Top of Caxton Works

Although in a sorry state it had recently been in use by a number of businesses but by October 2008 when I posted Sky over Edward Street it had been abandoned.

Early in July I was not surpised to see some action at Caxton Works.

Here now is the scene last Monday.

Six more photos from that day are on Hyde DP Xtra

Nettled Sign

Approaching Knott Fold bridge on the Trans Pennine trail horse-riders encounter this sign which says

HORSES SHOULD KEEP
TO THE GRAVEL PATH
  WHERE PROVIDED
   NO GALLOPING

but this summer's weather has led to a huge growth spurt in the local nettle population and the sign is now almost engulfed by them.

Gee Cross Well Dressing 2009

Yesterday like these other photographers I went up to the Well Dressing Festival that starts each year from outside the Grapes Hotel.

I've posted six photographs from this year on Hyde DP Xtra and a short video clip on Ackworth Born, Gone West.

I didn't follow the band or visit all the sites this year.

For more about the Well Dressing ceremony read my account of the 2008 Gee Cross Well Dressing and my photographs of the 2006 Gee Cross Well Dressing.

And the Winner Is ...

(click on photo to enlarge)

Last week I posted a Caption Competition photograph.

The winner is Alison Williams from Southampton whose blog is Miso Soup. Alison is actually the person who first introduced me to blogging. A small prize will on its way to her shortly.

The first runner-up is Jacob from Ocala. He has a number of blogs and you might care to check for a change his literary offering Creative Confections.

The second runner up is Lynn from Cheltenham.

I've given Alison's caption the charcoal treatment. You can see what I've done with Jacob and Lynn's efforts on Hyde DP Xtra.

Dowson Primary School Playing Fields

The playing fields of Dowson Primary School stretch towards Gower Hey Woods and the footpath between the two is a nature trail.

Why there is an amount of litter in one corner, I cannot say.

Aldi from Hyde Central Station

In January I posted a photograph of the Aldi Supermaket on Manchester Road.

This is the opposite view looking down from the steps to Hyde Central Station.

Also prominent is the Cheshire Ring public house opposite the end of Great Norbury Street.

A view of the station itself can be found today on Hyde DP Xtra, whilst an image from 1989 can be seen on Old Hyde.

Over Knott Fold Bridge

Back in May I showed you Knott Fold Bridge over the Trans Pennine Trail.

This is the view crossing the bridge from Cheetham Fold to Knott Fold.

Dog walkers in Gower Hey Woods

Gower Hey Woods covers a large area.

Above me here is a large grassy field below Clough Gate.

Behind me a winding footpath leads down through the trees towards the brook.

Town Hall in Charcoal

As I reported last week the foundation stone of Hyde Town Hall was laid in 1883.

I decided the nearest comparison to the 1898 image on Old Hyde I could achieve would be this charcoal version of a recent photograph.

Action at Caxton Works

When I last showed you the Caxton Works, the Edward Street side was covered with a wealth of vegetation.

It has all now been cleared.

Whether as a prelude to restoration or demolition remains to be seen.

There are still plants growing out of the top as you can see on Hyde DP Xtra.

July Caption Competition

Time for another caption competition.

Who is saying what?

There'll be book prizes for the best captions offered.

Post your caption in the comments.

The competition will remain open for a week.

I'll announce the winner next Sunday.

Hare & Hounds at Mid-Summer

This long-range shot of the Hare & Hounds was taken around 9.30pm on mid-summer's day.

I showed you a long-range view earlier in May.

Another view of the mid-summer sky can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra.

Path to Edna Street

This little cobbled path leads from Wood End Lane to Edna Street.

Under Dowson Road

On the Trans Pennine Trail again.

Dowson Road is the main A627 and so this is the widest bridge that crosses the old railway line.

Empty

The CDPB theme today is Empty so here's an early evening view of the deserted market. The traders and shoppers have all gone home and the pubs won't be chucking out for a couple of hours or so yet.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.