Skywatch Friday: The Clock & The Bells

The B6468 through Gee Cross used to just bend right at its junction with Smithy Lane. In 2006 a roundabout was built to accommodate the James North Clock which had previously stood in the grounds of the Slack Mill which had closed in 1998 and was subsequently demolished.

The Ring o' Bells pub in the background has recently closed and is now boarded up.

See the view from further down Market Street on Hyde DP Xtra.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

20:12 20/12 2012

Around 20:12 20/12 2012 the rain is illuminated by a street lamp at the bottom of Garside Street. In the far background are the lights of the Hare & Hounds on Werneth Low.

For Skywatch Friday.

Moon over Garside Street

The moon is visible over Garside Street whilst the bright afternoon sun glows in the windows of the houses on Dowson Road.

I zoomed in on the moon and you see a closer shot in colour on Hyde DP Xtra and in black&white on Ackworth born, gone West.

For Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: Hyde Town Hall from Hyde Central Station

To the left of the Town Hall are the high rise flats, John Grundy House and Chartist House. A large leylandii tree on Cross Street seems to dwarf the larger buildings.

See the tree from the opposite direction on Hyde DP Xtra.

For Skywatch Friday.

A double rainbow over Hyde

On the evening of the day that PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone were gunned down in Mottram a double-rainbow appeared over Hyde between heavy thunderstorms. Some hail was mixed in with the rain and an amount can be seen gathered in the corner of the eaves (mid-bottom of photo).

More views of the rainbow are on Hyde DP Xtra.

There is an online book of remembrance on the Greater Manchester Police website.

For Skywatch Friday.

The Leafy Foxholes Oak

This ancient oak tree at Foxholes, just below Knott Fold, overlooks the former Godley to Apethorn Railway line now used by the Trans Pennine trail.

See how it looked on Christmas Day 2011.

See how it looked in Feburary 2012

Take a closer look at the leaves on Hyde DP Xtra.

Tree followers should check out Loose & Leafy.

Sky followers should visit Skywatch Friday.

Shell open again

After its extensive refurbishment, the Shell filling station on Dowson Road is open again.

I noticed that unleaded petrol is priced at 128.9 ppl and diesel at 131.9 ppl which makes the former a penny dearer and the latter a penny cheaper than the price at Morrisons.

For Skywatch Friday.

Skyview Friday: Pigeon over the Town Hall

I took a photo of the market last week and it wasn't till I downloaded it that I noticed the pigeon flying over the Town Hall.

It is carrying something in its beak but I can't decide what. As I was using my phone-camera this is the best close-up I can get.

The uncropped original can be viewed on Hyde DP Xtra.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: Hattersley Monkey Puzzle Tree

The Hattersley Monkey Puzzle tree was planted in 1968 by Barry Tongue in the back garden of his house on Garnett Road. The house along with others in the area were demolished as part of the Hattersley redevelopment plan. By then the tree had become a local landmark and a preservation order was placed on it in 2007.

In 2010 planning permission was granted for Tesco to build a supermarket on the site and the tree was moved to Mill Hill Green on the other side of Ashworth Lane.

Photos of the move

Since being moved two years ago the grass has grown around its base, but it still requires support. The houses in the background are on Green Way.

For Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: How it looked a week ago

This is how the sky looked a week ago with a bright blue sky peeking out of the clouds over the Hare and Hounds in the centre and the spire of Hyde Chapel on the right.

Now it is back to torrential rain and high winds - a typical British Summer.

For Skywatch Friday.

Storm Clouds over Gee Cross

This was taken at the same time as my recent photo of the Hare and Hounds.

It looks a little further West towards the trees below the trig point at the junction of Werneth Low Road and Cowlishaw Road.

I used a zoom lens to reach a distance of some two kilometres. The spire of Hyde Chapel is actually about a kilometre away although the cattle seem to be grazing close to.

To highlight the dramatic effect I've introduced a few painterly touches.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: Rhodes Street North

From Manchester Road looking at Rhodes Street North which has been completely demolished. This was formerly part of the Automasters engineering complex. Modern housing has been built on the main site. The area between Manchester Road and the Wilson Brook (which is behind the trees) is earmarked for light industrial or trading use.

See how it looked in 2008.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: Demolishing The Shell Station

The Shell filling station on Dowson Road is now fenced off. It will be closed for 13 weeks while it is completely revamped. Here the pumps and canopy roof have already gone and they are tearing down the canopy supports.

You can see how it used it look in a post from January 2012.

A later view showing them digging down for the old fuel tanks can be found on Hyde DP Xtra.

Today's post is a contribution to Skywatch Friday and Friday Fences.

Skywatch Friday: The Bayley Café

Just up from the squirrel and overlooking the bandstand in Hyde Park is the Bayley Hall.

Bayley Hall forms the main architectural feature of Hyde Park and was built in 1939 on the former site of Newton Lodge. The hall is built over some of the original cellars and has elevated views over the bandstand and woodland dell. It is named after Marie Bayley, Charles James Ashton’s first wife.

In 2009 it became the Park Café.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: Theatre Royal Lamp Holder

A lampholder outside the Theatre Royal.

Read more about the theatre on Old Hyde.

See more skys on Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: The Sky in March

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: The Theatre Royal

A look down Corporation Street at the Theatre Royal, looking slightly better than it has done in recent months following recent building work.

There is a new website now for Hyde Theatre Royal Onward, the trust set up to save this historic theatre for the town.

My own photographs, mainly from the Heritage Open Days can be found at http://www.geraldengland.co.uk/gx/royal.htm.

This post is a contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: The Foxholes Oak

This ancient oak tree at Foxholes, just below Knott Fold, overlooks the former Godley to Apethorn Railway line now used by the Trans Pennine trail.

See how it looked on Christmas Day 2011.

See also how it looked covered in leaves in June 2009 on sithenah.

Since then it has lost a number of branches - see some smaller ones on the embankment and view the embankment from the opposite direction on Hyde DP Xtra.

Tree followers should check out Loose & Leafy.

Sky followers should visit Skywatch Friday.

The top of a tree

Yesterday I posted of photo of the bottom of a tree.

This is the top of that tree.

You can see the middle of the tree on Hyde DP Xtra.

If you are a tree-follower I suggest you check out Loose and Leafy.

This post is a contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Saturday Sunrise

This is how the sky looked early last Saturday morning.

The sun came out and we went on our usually Saturday morning jaunt into town. Mid-morning the sun disappered behind a grey sky and as we came home after lunch it started snowing.

Yesterday's post shows the traffic queuing for petrol.

There is a series of shots on Hyde DP Xtra showing the snow gradually changing the scene on Swains Valley.

By Monday most of the snow had gone and it wasn't quite the snowmageddon the press reports would have you think.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.