Mottram Post Office

Mottram Post Office is part of a convenience store at the corner of Hyde Road and Stalybridge Road.

Previously it was on Back Lane.

Top of Market Street

This is the top end of Market Street before it becomes Stockport Road at the Clock Roundabout.

The Estate Agents office was formerly "Stockport Road Post Office" despite being actually on Market Street. I suspect the original Stockport Rd PO was around the corner. Adding further to the confusion, Stockport Road was address of the former Gee Cross PO.

Both, along with Cheetham Fold PO were closed about three years ago.

Old Post Office Farm

Built in 1694 as a farmhouse, #2 Back Lane housed Mottram Post Office for many years.

Like Ye Olde Village Fish & Chip Shop next door it is a Grade II listed building.

You can read the official description on Old Hyde.

Cold Seat by the Post Office

The snows may have thawed for now but a week ago it was treacherous in town. No-one was sitting on the old tramstop seat. Inside the Post Office the queues stretched to the door with folk buying stamps for their Christmas cards.

Tree Tower and Pillar Box

The pillar box is on Market Street.

The tower belongs to St George's Church.

I don't know anything about the tree.

Haughton Green Village Post Office

Haughton Green on the Lancashire side of the River Tame is politically part of Denton.

Originally a rural area, with most of its built up areas along the main roads and in the old village, it became more built up when the Manchester (Beswick) overspill estate was located here in the late 50s behind existing housing on Two Trees Lane. There was also building of new middle class housing in and around the original village at the same time. This increased its size significantly as housing now extended down into the valley and next to wooded areas.

The Post Office is at the top of Gibraltar Lane which leads down to Haughton Dale and, across the river, the long demolished Gibraltar Mill.

Beyond the river Apethorn Lane leads to Gee Cross. On the far horizion is Back o' th' Hill.

For more H posts visit ABC Wednesday

Bottom of Knott Lane

Following yesterday's photograph looking up Knott Lane, this is the view from the same point looking in the opposite direction.

At the bottom is Grocer Jack's, a typical local convenience store part of which used to be Cheetham Fold Post Office.

Icy Pavements on Hamnett Street

Looking up Hamnett Street from the side of the Sorting Office towards the Abbey.

The cleared snow has been piled up on the edge of the pavement, obscuring the double-yellow lines denoting "no parking". I wonder where the traffic wardens were.

Collecting the Mail

There is a double pillar box on the Market Place outside the Post Office.

At the appointed collection time, a man drives up in a Royal Mail van to empty it and take the mail round the corner to the sorting office on Hamnett Street.

Grocer Jack's

Continuing our journey down Knotts Lane from the Apethorn we come to the bottom at Cheetham Fold.

To the right of Grocer Jack's is the former Post Office. Those familiar with the signage can easily tell where the signs have been removed. Like Gee Cross Post Office it was closed despite local objections.

Gee Cross Post Office

Post Office?

Well it was at one time. It closed about three years ago despite local protests and the farce of a so-called "consultation document" as inevitably the talk was one way only.

I don't know its history but the brickwork seems to tell a tale. The side wall clearly indicates the previous presence of a fire and a chimney. The absence of a chimney pot on the roof makes me suspect that the fire was removed at the time when the front room was converted for use as a Post Office.

There were always living quarters behind and above the P.O. By the time it reverted to a residence again, doubtless central heating obviated the need for a flued fireplace.

Across the road is Sweetie Corner.

Hollingworth Post Office

Next to Hollingworth Village Stores on Market Street is Hollingworth Post Office.

Unlike nearby Tintwistle Post Office, it isn't threatened with closure.

Shaw Hall Post Office

This photograph of Shaw Hall Post Office in Newton is by guest photographer Frank Bennett.

Many sub post offices in the UK are under threat, especially in town suburbs. Several in Hyde have already gone, but this one appears to have a more certain future. An ATM (aka cash-point, aka hole-in-the-wall} has been established here. Alterations have been made since to the roller-blinds so that the ATM can be accessed 24 hours a day.

Good news for the residents of Newton, but why I wonder is the machine operated by an Irish Bank which doesn't have a branch anywhere nearby at all?

A Public Mail-box

The DP theme for April is "a public mail-box"

I've shown you a standard pillar box and also a small post-box as well as the sorting office on Hamnett Street.

So now I'm displaying this double pillar box located opposite the Post Office.

The links below will lead you to other worldwide DPs participating in this month's theme. I'll be updating this page at intervals throughout today and tomorrow as the different sites come on stream.

1. Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ~~ 2 Tokyo (Japan) ~~ 3 Singapore by Zannnie ~~ 4 Bandung (Indonesia) ~~ 5 Sydney by Sally (Australia) ~~ 6 Newcastle (Australia) ~~ 7 Singapore by Keropokman ~~ 8 Vantaa (Finland) ~~ 9 Melbourne by John, (Australia) ~~ 10 Stavanger (Norway) ~~ 11 London by Ham (UK) ~~ 12 Melbourne by Michael, (Australia) ~~ 13 Nelson (New Zealand) ~~ 14 Port Vila (Vanuata) ~~ 15 Rotterdam (Netherlands) ~~ 16 St Kilda (Australia) ~~ 17 Budapest (Hungary) ~~ 18 Tuzla (B&H) ~~ 19 Hyde (UK) ~~ 20 Maple Ridge (Canada) ~~ 21 Grenoble (France) ~~ 22 Greenville, SC (USA) ~~ 23 Villigen (Switzerland) ~~ 24 Albuquerque, NM (USA) ~~ 25 Mazatlan (Mexico) ~~ 26 Montréal (Canada) ~~ 27 Stayton, OR (USA) ~~ 28 Shanghai (China) ~~ 29 Arradon (France) ~~ 30 Sequim, WA (USA) ~~ 31 Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) ~~ 32 Seattle, WA by Kim (USA) ~~ 33 Minneapolis, MN (USA) ~~ 34 Millerton by Sharon, CT (USA) ~~ 35 Cottage Grove, MN (USA) ~~ 36 Naples, FL (USA) ~~ 37 Jakarta (Indonesia) ~~ 38 Tel Aviv (Israel) ~~ 39 Auckland (New Zealand) ~~ 40 Vatican via Brussels (Belgium) ~~ 41 Stockholm (Sweden) ~~ 42 Boston, MA (USA) ~~ 43 New York City, NY (USA) ~~ 44 Paris (France) ~~ 45 Sydney by Nathalie (Australia) ~~ 46 Wailea, HI (USA) ~~ 47 Saint Paul MN by Carol (USA) ~~ 48 Mexico by Poly ~~ 49 Cape Town (South Africa) ~~ 50 Kitakami (Japan) ~~ 51 Little Rock, AR (USA) ~~ 52 Madrid (Spain) ~~ 53 Manila (Philippines) ~~ 54 Menton (France) ~~ 55 Monmouth County, NJ (USA) ~~ 56 Monte Carlo (Monaco) ~~ 57 Oliver (Canada) ~~ 58 Seoul (Korea) ~~ 59 Tenerife (Spain) ~~ 60 Joplin, MO (USA) ~~ 61 Lubbock, TX (USA) ~~ 62 San Diego, CA (USA) ~~ 63 Nottingham (UK) ~~ 64 Kyoto (Japan) ~~ 65 Cork (Ireland) ~~ 66 Ampang (Malaysia) ~~ 67 Miami, FL (USA) ~~ 68 Selma, NC (USA) ~~ 69 Seattle, WA by Susan (USA) ~~ 70 London by Jonemo (UK) ~~ 71 Torun (Poland) ~~ 72 Santa Clara, CA (USA) ~~ 73 Saarbrücken (Germany) ~~

Post Office Window

I posted a picture of the Post Office back in August.

Today's picture shows the window display. At least Hyde still has a dedicated post office in the town centre.

Postbox

This small postbox is located about a quarter of a mile from the pillar box which I showed you a couple of months back.

It serves the residents of a small estate.

Hamnett Street

This shows the top of Hamnett Street past the Postal Sorting Office.

It leads into a pedestrianised area, but despite the clear signs, a lot of vehicles still drive through.

Postal Sorting Office

Can't wait for your mail to be collected from a pillar box?

Take it down to the sorting office in Hamnett Street and ensure it gets off speedily.

Don't be as speedy though as the owner of the car seen parked here. Watch out for pedestrians crossing near the Bike 'n' Hound and don't hit them.

Pillar Box

Need to post a letter?

Don't want to trek all the way down to the Post office?

Well provided it is correctly stamped and it isn't urgent you can still post your mail in the local pillar box. They tend to get collected from only once a day and never on a Sunday.

Post Office

I posted a picture of the old Post Office some while back.

Here is the new one. It can be a bit cramped and when busy the queues often stretch through the door. Most of our old local P.O.s have been closed down so you have to come into town to buy your stamps.

In nearby Ashton there is uproar over plans to close the town's well loved Post Office and move the operation into W.H.Smiths.