London - A View Through Time

My photograph of a view from the London Monument 1961 has been included in a short film "London - A Journey Through Time" by James Fox.

It can be viewed on YouTube.

A contribution to Wednesday Waters.

Shadows on Bridge #2

Bridge #2 on the Peak Forest Canal carries the B6139 Ashton Street over the canal near Shepley Industrial Estate.

We passed under it last Friday when we celebrated our son's 34th birthday and escaped the aftermath of the election by taking a trip on Community Spirit, a narrowboat operated by the East Manchester Community Boat Project.

On this section of the journey the sun shone and cast shadows of the trees on the bridge.

A contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Princess Street Bridge, Blackpool

This is the bridge over Princess Street looking west. It originally carried the railway line between Blackpool South and Blackpool Central stations.

This view is looking east. The railway line closed in 1964 and in the 1980s a road was built along the trackbed.

The former sidings approaching Blackpool Central have been converted into the Central car and coach park. The eastern parapet of the bridge can be seen on the right. The western portal is set back behind the hoardings on the right.

On the inside of the western parapet of the bridge is some graffiti/street art. I suspect this dates from 2012 but I haven't been able to confirm this.

This image from Streetview shows how it looked in 2009.

A contribution to Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo and Monday Murals.

Old and new landmarks

Travelling into Manchester on the A56, crossing the river Medlock on the Bridgewater Viaduct (the road on the right) the original landmark was Castlefield Congregational Church. Now it is overshadowed by the Beetham Tower.

Castlefield Congregational Church originally opened as a Congregational chapel in 1858, and was designed by the local architect Edward Walters. It is Grade II listed.

For a time it was the offices of Artingstalls Auctioneers. The building was converted to a sound recording studio in the 1980s and owned by Pete Waterman. Rick Astley recorded "Never Gonna Give You Up" in the chapel. Waterman sold the building in 2006 to Bluetree Estates for conversion to offices. After a leasing deal fell through in 2010 the building was put up for sale again and remains unoccupied.

Beetham Tower is a 47-storey mixed-use skyscraper completed in 2006 and named after its developers, the Beetham Organisation. It was designed by Ian Simpson. At a height of 168 metres (551 ft), it is the tallest skyscraper in Manchester, the ninth tallest building in the United Kingdom and the tallest building outside London.

The Hilton Hotel occupies space up to level 22 and a four-metre cantilever marks level 23 where the Cloud 23 bar is located. Above this level are apartments from level 25 to the triplex penthouse apartment on level 47. The structure is one of the thinnest skyscrapers in the world and was designed to be a slender tower. A blade structure on the south side of the building acts as a façade overrun accentuating its slim form and doubles as a lightning rod.

In the foreground left is a footbridge over the river Medlock. Either side of the two landmarks are arches of the Castlefield Viaduct which carries the railway line west from Deansgate. The one on the left, over the Rochdale Canal, was featured in my post of February 1st 2014.

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

A contribution to The Weekend in Black and White;
Scenic Weekends,
Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo and
Inspired Sundays.

Deansgate Locks

A week ago I showed photographs of the Rochdale Canal at Castlefield. Originally that section of the canal up to lock 91 at the end of Whitworth Street West ran through a shallow tunnel. In 1902 this was opened up except for the short Gaythorn Tunnel taking it under Deansgate.

Lock 91 is one of the "Rochdale Nine". When the rest of the Rochdale Canal was closed to navigation in 1952, the nine locks, which link the Ashton and Bridgewater Canals through the centre of Manchester, were the only part of the canal to remain open, forming part of the "Cheshire Ring".

This bar above the Rochdale Canal at Deansgate Locks, takes its name from the number of the lock below. It was originally built in 1804-5 as the lock keeper's cottage.

Both the lock and the lock keeper's cottage are Grade II listed buildings.

The "bridge" at the top is the walkway that links Deansgate Station with the Castlefield-Deansgate Metrolink tram stop.

Between locks 91 and 90 the canal passes between Whitworth Street West on the right and the Deansgate Locks Viaduct on the left that now carries the Metrolink tramway. Footbridges connect the business (mostly bars) under the arches with Whitworth Street West.

  © Copyright Dr Neil Clifton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

This is how it looked in 1981.

Lock 90 is also known as Albion Lock after the name of a nearby mill.

A contribution to Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

The Rochdale Canal at Castlefields

In the Castlefields area of Manchester, an arch of the Castlefield Viaduct crosses the Rochdale Canal.

Reflected in the canal is part of Manchester's highest building, the Beetham Tower.

The canalside is home to Canada Geese. A ramped walkway leads down to the towpath.

Looking back from the towpath under the viaduct which carries the mainline railway through Deansgate. On the right is a former railway line now converted to carry the Metrolink Tramway.

A contribution to Weekend Reflections and Scenic Weekends as well as Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Over the River Irk

These photos were taken in July from a stationary Metrolink tram on the Rochdale line waiting to join the line coming in from Bury.

This view is of the river Irk as it passes under Smedley Road and over a weir.

A closer view shows that there were roadworks on the bridge at the time.

This is the view in the opposite direction and you may be able to see where the viaduct the tram is travelling on crosses the river. As the Irk reaches Manchester Victoria it is culverted under the station and joins the Irwell close to where last week I showed you some bridges and reflections in the Irwell.

A contribution to Friday Fences and Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Reflections in the Irwell

The River Irwell rises on the Rossendale hills north of Bacup and flows south for 39 miles before joining the River Mersey west of Manchester.

During the Industrial Revolution the river became severely polluted by industrial waste but in the second half of the 20th century, a number of initiatives were implemented to improve its water quality, restock it with fish and create a diverse environment for wildlife. Consequently, stretches of the river flowing through Manchester and Salford have attracted large-scale investment in business and residential developments such as Salford Quays, and other parts of the river have become nationally important wildlife havens.

This stretch is below Manchester Cathedral and there used to be moorings underneath this viewpoint.

The bridge on the left is Cathedral Approach. Formerly it carried the railway into Manchester Exchange Station but now leads only to the NCP car park.

On the right is Chapel Street bridge carrying the A6041. Behind it is the railway bridge leading out of Victoria Station.

A contribution to Weekend Reflections
as well as Scenic Weekends
and also Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Bridge across Corporation Street, Manchester

Corporation Street, October 2013 showing the bridge connecting the Arndale Centre with Marks & Spencers.

The original bridge was destroyed in the IRA bombing of Manchester in June 1996. The story is told in this BBC News item now archived.

I last posted about the bridge over Corporation Street in August 2008



This view shows construction work still taking place in July 1998.



This shows the new walkway bridge as it looked in 1999.

The new bridge is cylindrical, instead of oblong, but otherwise fits exactly as the original had. The walkway is neither level (sloping downwards from the Arndale Centre into Marks & Spencer) nor straight, as it was discovered that the original walkway entrances in the two buildings were not directly opposite one another, but slightly askew.

This is the view inside going from the Arndale into M&S.

Here is the view going the other way.

A contribution to Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Manchester's Musical Bridge

The top of the bridge taking Great Bridgewater Street bridge over an arm of the Rochdale Canal next to the Bridgewater Hall (on the right) has a musical theme (click on the photo to enlarge for a better view).

It leads into a small basin bounded on two sides by apartments and on the others by the Bridgewater Hall and Barbirolli Square. The basin is not accessible to canal boats and a fountain now plays in the middle thereof.

The Bridgewater Hall opened in 1996 as an international concert venue. The Hall is home to three resident orchestras: the Hallé, the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata.

A contribution to Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Replacing Bridge #28 on the Ashton Canal

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This is bridge #28 on the Ashton Canal as it looked in May 2012 as I approached it from the direction of Portland Basin.

Here it is again a year later in May 2013 when it was being replaced by a new skew bridge in order to allow easier access from Margaret Street to the Riverside Industrial Estate to the south of the canal.

This is from underneath the bridge during reconstruction. On the right is a temporary girder bridge being used to transport materials across.

Looking back underneath the bridge towards Portland Basin. You can see it from further away in my post about the canal on May 10th.

Two months later in July I went back to see the completed bridge, having taken a photo looking towards it from bridge #29 by the Portland Basin.

This is the view over the new bridge from the Riverside Industrial Estate.

Here is how the new bridge looks from the west.

  © Copyright Christine Johnstone and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
And finally a reminder of how it looked in May 2010 from the stern of a narrowboat.

A contribution to Weekend Reflections,

Scenic Weekends,

Shadow Shot Sunday and

Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Encounter by the Ashton Canal

Last Monday I was taking photographs of the Ashton Canal from the footbridge by the Portland Basin. I noticed a woman climbing the steps up to the bridge. She stopped and I wondered for a brief moment if perhaps she thought I was blocking her path, but she was looking down and I saw there was a young squirrel crossing the bridge.

It stopped and looked at me, back at the woman and wondered which way to turn.

It climbed up on the bridge railings. I aimed my camera at the squirrel despite having my sunglasses on and having to shoot almost directly towards the sun. The camera focussed even if my eyes didn't. Another close-up shot is on my photoblog sithenah.

At one point a pigeon flew on the bridge to see what has happening. After a brief period I moved away and the squirrel crawled along the parapet and then jumped into some bushes.

A contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday.
Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo and
Camera Critters.

Ashton Canal

The Ashton Canal runs eastwards from Manchester to Ashton under Lyne. It links the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Peak Forest Canal with the Rochdale Canal and Bridgewater Canal and forms part of the "Cheshire Ring".

The original scheme was completed in 1796, running from a large basin behind what is now Piccadilly Station in Manchester, climbing gradually eastwards via 18 locks to Fairfield, Droylsden. From there one level section continued eastward to Whitelands Basin, Ashton under Lyne, while another arm headed north through what is now Daisy Nook, climbing another eight locks to Hollinwood, with a branch running east from Daisy Nook towards Park Bridge. A short arm from Portland Basin crossed the River Tame to Dukinfield. A year later an additional branch from Clayton to Stockport was opened.

The Peak Forest Canal, opened in 1800, joined the Ashton Canal by way of the Dukinfield spur across the aqueduct over the Tame at Portland Basin.

This stretch is just west of the Portland Basin. Behind the high black fence on the right is the Riverside Industrial Estate accessed by an old brick bridge which is being replaced by a wider skew bridge.

In the background is Junction Mill chimney. The octagonal chimney, 210 feet (64m) high with an unusual tulip-shaped top was built in 1867 to serve Samuel Heginbottom's cotton-spinning mill which operated from 1831 to 1930. The mill itself was eventually demolished and replaced in recent years with canalside apartments called "Boatmans Walk". In 2000 the chimney was bought by Tameside Council and restored.

For Skywatch Friday;
Friday Fences;
Weekend Reflections;
Scenic Weekends.

Sunday Bridges: Norbury Viaduct, Hazel Grove

(Click on image to view full-size version)
This bridge over Macclesfield Road leads on to the Norbury viaduct. Just beyond the bridge on the left is the terminus of the 192 bus service to Manchester. It carries over nine million passengers each year, and is considered by many to be the busiest bus route in the country - see Wikipedia.

(Click on image to view full-size version)
Established under the arches of the viaduct since 1982 is the used-car salerooms of the Midland Garage.

(Click on image to view full-size version)
The viaduct was built by the Midland Railway as part of the New Mills to Heaton Mersey line, which formed part of its main line between Manchester Central and London St Pancras.

(Click on image to view full-size version)
At the end of the viaduct is the bridge over the A6, Buxton Road.

(Click on image to view full-size version)
Like all railway bridges in the UK it carries a notice detailing who to contact in the event of any damage caused to the bridge by striking vehicles.

(Click on image to view full-size version)
A final look back at Buxton Road bridge from the other side.

An old view of the viaduct can be found on the Stockport Image Archive.

For more bridges, visit Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Weekend in Black & White: Arch #42

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A look alongside the viaduct that carries the railway line from Oxford Road to Piccadilly in Manchester.

Arch 42 near Princess Street is roughly halfway between the two stations.

This is one of a series of photographs I took on a walk around the route of the viaduct making some interesting discoveries along the way. An illustrated account of that walk can be found on the Geograph blog.

This is a contribution to The Weekend in Black and White and Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Trans Pennine Trail: Green Pastures to East Didsbury

This is part of the Trans Pennine Trail leading out of Green Pastures, Heaton Mersey towards a tunnel under Parrs Wood Lane. The route is along a former railway line running from New Mills through Heaton Mersey and Chorlton-cum-Hardy to Manchester.

This is looking back under the tunnel. It looks better in monochrome.

  © Copyright Chris Wimbush and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Chris Wimbush's photograph taken in January 2011 shows where the footpath used to continue along the line of the dismantled railway towards the bridge carrying Kingsway. The route has been diverted as the East Didsbury tram station at the end of the South Manchester Line is being built on the site.

Here is how it looks now with construction work ongoing. The station is due to open in Summer 2013 and according to the trammstop plan the line of the trail will be re-instated.

Plans were originally drawn up for a Metrolink tramway via East Didsbury to Stockport but the extended route was withdrawn in 2004 due to lack of funding. If they are ever revived then the path under the tunnel is unlikely to look anything like it does now.

A contribution to Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.