Charles Dickens - 200 Years

Booths Well was dressed by members of Gee Cross and District Women's Institute as part of the 2012 Gee Cross Well Dressing.

"The Old Curiosity Shop" celebrates the bi-centenary of the birth of Charles Dickens.

More details on the Well Dressing with photographs of all seven wells visited this year can be viewed at Gee Cross Well Dressing 2012.

Other "C" posts can be viewed via ABC Wednesday.

With the CDPB portal still not up and running, contributions to the August 1st theme of numbers can be seen at CDPB Theme Day.

ABC Wednesday: A is for Arnold Hill Well

Arnold Hill Well is first stop on the annual Gee Cross Well Dressing Procession.

Although well-dressing is a custom mostly confined to Derbyshire, it can be seen in adjacent counties too. Well dressing celebrations were held regularly in Gee Cross from the 1820s until 1878. The custom was revived by the local Women's Institute in 2000.

Arnold Hill Well was dressed by the children of Holy Trinity School. The children looked at inspiring people and stories from the history of the Olympic Games. They have been reflecting on Olympic values such as respect, excellence, friendship, courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

You can view 16 photographs from the 2012 Well Dressing at Gee Cross Well Dressing 2012.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Kitty at Hobson Moor Quarry

Photograph © Karl & Ali.

Is it a mural or just graffiti?

Karl & Ali found this at Hobson Moor Quarry, a popular climbing venue on the outskirts of Mottram-in-Longdendale.

For more information and a wider view of the quarry see Hyde DP Xtra.

A contribution to Monday Murals.

Shadow Shot Sunday: Brookbank Folly Castle

The castellated folly castle overlooking Godley Brook lies in the back garden of Brookbank House. The house was built in 1837 by Joseph Hibbert, the sixth of fourteen children of Randal Hibbert. The Hibbert family of Godley played an important part in the history of Hyde and its neighborhood, figuring amongst the pioneers of the cotton industry.

The castle folly was probably built around the mid part of the 19th century. In the mid-1990s there were plans by the then owners to restore the building and open it up to the public. See Hyde Cheshire.

Now it belongs to the Brookbank Day Nursery and public access to the folly is not permitted. It can however be viewed from this footpath on the North side of the Godley Brook.

Another view of the folly can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra and a larger monochrome view can be seen on my photoblog sithenah.

A contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Squirrel in Hyde Park

The sculpture of a squirrel with a nut was created from a Turkey Oak by Preston-based artist Thompson Dagnall.

The tree was diseased and had to be felled. Rather than remove the tree completely it was felled to a safe height so that it could be sculpted.

It has been here nearly two years now has developed a patina. See how it looked in December 2010 and how it looked under construction in March 2010.

Onward Once More

Another view of the Hyde Coat of Arms. The last one I showed you was on the Theatre Royal. This one is on the Town Hall.

[Post updated 11 am]

Following on from yesterday, I'd had nothing after 11.10pm on Wednesday and got a taxi to Tameside hospital for 8 am Thursday. I answered various questions and had blood taken but then lay on a trolley watching others who had not arrived until 10.30 am go down for surgery come back and go home until 5 pm when I was eventually taken down to theatre. I woke up back in the unit about 9pm and was shown a gall stone the size of a walnut. At midnight I was given some tea and toast. There were only three of us staying overnight but I had a drain in me which was uncomfortable so I rested but didn't sleep. I had more tea and toast at 4.30 am and at 6.30 am the drain was taken out and at 7.15 am I was sent home in a taxi, getting home just before it started snowing.

I discovered that a carer had give my wife her breakfast at 9.15 am yesterday but then nobody had been at lunch time. A carer had finally turned at 7.30 pm by which time Christine was hungry and shaking (possibly having a hypo). She was given four large sandwiches! Whether she took her correct medication I can't tell for sure. I'm glad to be home but am in quite some pain as yet - have been told to take it easy for the next three or four days by which time I should be feeling better.

Our freezer and fridge are nicely stocked and a neighbour is kindly getting us some more bread and cooked meat later so we should be OK till early next week.

Weekend Reflections: Crown Decorators

Crown Decorators on the corner of Church Street and Oldham Street are a well-established business by which I mean they've been there for as long as I can remember.

Their windows are quite reflective so are this week's contribution to Weekend Reflections.

ABC Wednesday: S is for Spoon

One Saturday a few weeks ago we were having our tea and toast at the Methodist Church and found this spoon.

So what was the P.S.A. Brotherhood?

To discover something about it see my post on Old Hyde.

For more S posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Half a dozen shops on Market Street

A group of shops towards the top end of Market Street.

"Hyde Trophies" has been there for a number of years.

The vacant shop next door was previously a taxi office.

The "Clay Hut" (or is it "Clay Hat"?) is a newly opened halal fast food takeaway (as if there aren't already too many on the Street) in premises previously occupied by glaziers.

The next shop was a locksmith's for many years but now is a dog grooming parlour called "Top Dogz".

The still vacant office next door has been used (I'm given to understand) as a business "address of convenience".

The signwriter's shop has been here for a number of years.

I wonder what businesses will be here in another couple of years.

The clocks go back tonight

Tonight the clocks go back, so I thought I'd show you one that won't be going back.

This used to hang outside what was once the George Hotel on the corner of Great Norbury Street and Woodend Lane. It was still there when I took this photograph of it in April 2010. The pub was already in the process of being converted into a house. The clock disappeared very shortly afterwards.

I showed you how the building looked before it closed on 3rd October 2009 and how it looks now after conversion on 6th October 2011.

You can see how it once looked many years ago on Nancy & Tom's Hyde, Cheshire blog.

ABC Wednesday: O is for Onward

Onward is the motto of Hyde Corporation.

The Hyde coat of arms is described on the Tameside MBC website as

Argent, a chevron nebuly argent between three lozenges Or; on a chief of the second a flake erect surmounted by a hatter's bow in bend sinister between a cog-wheel and two miners' pick in saltire, therefrom suspended a Davy lamp, all proper. Crest: On a wreath of the colours, Upon a pack of cotton prints azure, banded and semee of mascles Or, a sprig of the cotton-tree, slipped and fructed, in bend sinister surmounted of a shuttle furnished in bend proper. Motto: Onward. Granted: 18 July 1882.

The Arms reflects the reasons for its establishment as an independent town - its industry. Cotton is shown by the cotton pattern and shuttle, coal by the miner's axe and the Davy lamp, and hatting by the hatters bow. The lower part of the shield contained the Arms of the manorial family of Hyde.

This photograph features part of the frieze on the Theatre Royal.

Onward is my own motto too as I try and move forward after my recent stays in hospital. I've an out-patient's appointment next Monday and will know more then. Meanwhile I'm trying to just take things a bit easy.

For more "O" posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Fulton's Fairy Godmother

In the recent Autumn Scarecrow Festival, third prize was awarded to the contribution in Fulton's frozen food store in Clarendon Mall.

The Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man

These three were in the Mall in September to promote the Autumn Scarecrow Festival in Hyde Park. It all took place whilst I was away in Stepping Hill so I never saw any of it.

Sorry I haven't posted for over a week but I've had more pressing concerns - see Another week - another hospital.

I shall only be posting infrequently for while.

Lucky horse shoes

Local farrier John Hilton was in action at Gee Cross Fete making horse shoes.

For more photos from the fete see Gee Cross Fete 2011.

Another empty shop

This was a furniture emporium on Market Street but is now another empty shop. I'm showing it today not so much to highlight the downturn in trade (new shops are opening up elsewhere - Hyde is not as dead as some would have you think) but to show another view of the colonnade that runs along the bottom end of Market Street - see last Sunday's shadow shot.

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.

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.

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.

ABC Wednesday: W is for War Memorial on Werneth Low

The wooden model of Hyde War Memorial, borrowed from the Werneth Low Visitor Centre, was on display at Gee Cross Fete last Sunday.

In 1920, following a public appeal, which raised exactly £14,013, 14 shilling and 8 pennies, the War Memorial Committee of the Hyde Borough Council made a momentous decision by purchasing Lower Higham Farm and all its land. Following the purchase a scheme was put forward to protect the land forever for the health and well being of the community, a lasting tribute to the 710 men from this area who perished in The Great War of 1914 to 1918. On the site known as Hackingknife, at a cost of £2,000, Hyde's main war memorial was officially unveiled on the 25th of June 1921. The land and farm are now held in trust by the Hyde War Memorial Trust.

A more distant view of the memorial can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more W posts visit ABC Wednesday.