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.

ABC Wednesday: V is for Voting

The time has come to vote for the best of Hyde DP 2012.

View the twelve contenders at Best of Hyde 2012 and vote for your favourite three photographs.

Voting closes 12 noon GMT, 28th December 2012.

For ABC Wednesday.

Bennett Street War Memorial

The Bennett Street War Memorial sits in front of the George & Dragon public house, surrounded by railings. It was designed by J.H. Wood, the borough surveyor and sculpted by J.J. Hirst of Denton, the memorial - a stone column - is 16ft 3ins high. The main shaft is 10ft high and 2ft square. It is made of a solid block of the best white selected Windaway stone from Bollington - chosen for its weathering qualities.

At the top across is the word "Honour" and the town coat of arms. Inscribed on the plinth is "to the glory of God and in affectionate memory of the men of Newton who gave their lives for their country and the cause of liberty in the Great War 1914-1919".

To the right below a cross are crossed swords and the inscription "In thanksgiving for the sacrifice of parents, wives, and relatives of the fallen for the safe return of those who have been spared".

On the back are wings and the inscription "Subscribed for and erected by the inhabitants of Newton".

On the left is an anchor and the inscription "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends".

The memorial was paid for by money raised for the George and Dragon Soldier's Comfort Fund. Originally, the plan was for a small scroll of honour, but £329 was raised, allowing for a grander scheme eventually costing £450. It was unveiled on August 15, 1925, by Mr EWH Wood, the M.P. for Stalybridge and Hyde, in front of a crowd of 1,500 people.

Earlier a procession headed by the Chief Constable of Hyde, Mr J.W. Danby, left the town hall, accompanied by Kingston Mills Band and featuring many members of the British Legion. After the hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past", prayers were led by Pastor Black of Muslin Street (now Talbot Road) and Daisyfield United Methodist churches. A passage from Scripture was then read by the Rev. T.E. Lee of St. Stephen's. Speeches followed by Mr B. Winterbottom, chairman of the memorial committee, and Mr Wood M.P.

A contribution to Friday Fences.

The Blue Window Club

The building at the corner of Lumn Road and Smithy Lane was known as the Blue Window Club. Its official name was the Werneth Unionist Working Men's Club. It closed in the late 1980s but re-opened briefly in the 1990s as the "Irish Club". It has since been converted into residential use.

More information on the Hydonian Blog.

The site of the original smithy is now a carpark for the Ring o' Bells pub which is around the far corner. In the centre of the roundabout at the end is the clock from the now demolished James North factory.

For Ruby Tuesday.

A Brilliant Idea

The Dena Magazine has got something going on. These guys started small and kept going, bridging gaps, and they haven't stopped. Sometimes they write about things other Pasadena publications either gloss over or never mention at all. I think their progress is well worth watching.

On May 19th, from 10am-3pm, The Dena Magazine brings us The Dena Community Business and Arts Expo at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly Street. I have no idea what it'll be like but my guess tells me it will be diverse and interesting, with young businesses and new faces. When we attend at the Convention Center ten years from now we can say we were at the first one.

"Einstein and Beyond," the 1998 mural on the south side of the Senior Center, is by southern California artist Gifford Myers. The mural is part of Pasadena Public Art Walking Tour #3.

Garden of Tranquility

The Garden of Tranquility in Hyde Park is a memorial for those patients who suffered at the hands of Harold Shipman.

The garden includes a granite trickle fountain, designed by Mel Chantry and is surrounded by herbs reclaimed from the old Newton Lodge which once sat on the site.

I am away in St Annes until next Monday. A series of posts have been scheduled over the period but as I expect to be offline they won't be tweeted by me nor posted on Facebook.

End of the Crown Pole

In preparation for the refurbishment of Hyde Market the Crown Pole has been dug out of its foundations. As I said in my post of 20th January which shows the pole from the opposite direction, the pole is to be re-sited (but the plans do not say where) whilst the telephone box is to be retained.

The benches between the pole and Clarendon Shopping Centre (the other end to the entrance I showed yesterday) have already been removed.

A closer view of the base of the uprooted pole can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra.

See how it looked when newly erected on Old Hyde.

Ars Brevis

Bright colors haven't been the norm on this scraggle-spit of ground, where Foothill splits from Walnut to begin its eastern trek. I like this area, especially along Walnut: it's where small industries and artist studios set up shop, and you can find old train tracks along the north side of the road.

Now you can also find art. This work is called Planting a Garden. It's by Margaret Lazzari and Lauren Evans, and it's part of Pasadena's Rotating Public Art program. Medians and scraggle-spits like this one are just the spots for works such as this one. Watch for them at your favorite (or least favorite) median around town. Each piece is displayed for 18 months before it's rotated out and replaced with a new one.

This piece looked to be in fine condition when I stopped so I'm not sure what the caution tape was for. But this brings me to the fact that I stopped--stopped the car, got out, and looked up close. I recommend it. I like the piece as a whole, but I like the details even more. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Plus, when you look closely, you can see the materials. I like knowing how this piece was put together and with what.

I also liked seeing how the location interacted, however tentatively, with the piece.

One of my favorite things about art is its subjectivity. No single work will please everyone. That's one of the many appealing things about this rotating program. Don't like the art? Don't worry. Just give it a little time.

Skywatch Friday: Looking past the Crown Pole

A view from the South end of Hyde Market looking down Corporation Street.

Immediately on the left is the Midland Bank. Across Market Street on the corner of Corporation Street is the Royal Bank of Scotland. Further down Corporation Street on the opposite side of the road can be glimpsed the domes of the Jamia Mosque. Nearer is the Town Hall from which a flag is flying.

In the foreground on the left is a board showing details of the plans to revamp the Market ground. Behind it lies the Crown Pole erected in 2002 to commemorate the Queen's golden jubilee. The pole is to be re-sited but the plans do not say where. The telephone box is to be retained.

More about the revamp on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more skies around the world visit Skywatch Friday.

Theme Day: mystery object

Here's my theme day entry.  Can you guess what it is?  Unfortunately, I don't have a long distance shot to show you.  It is a large piece of public sculpture on the Mills College Campus.  Spiders have added an extra layer of weirdness to this piece.  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in this month's City Daily Photo Theme Day.

ABC Wednesday: Z is for zany

I read on Streetcolor's blog that she had yarnbombed an Oakland Library.  Naturally I ran down to get a picture of it before it was taken down.  Check out her blog for other efforts.  Yarnbombing is such a whimsical and zany activity, that it's hard to imagine that folks would take exception to it.  But it happens.  Last year another group yarnbombed the T in the There sculpture on the Oakland-Berkeley line.  City officials initially protested and then backed off, probably realizing they came across as stiff-necked, humorless, bean counters.  I don't know where or when yarnbombing started, but I do remember a post by Steffe last year, which raises the possibility this activity started in Sweden!  Visit ABC Wednesday for more takes on Z.  Next week we start again with A.

Skywatch Friday: blue skies, weird statue

This statue can be found at Union Point along the estuary.  I think it's supposed to represent multiple cultures that inhabited the immediate era throughout history.  Nice try, no cigar.  For more sky shots, visit Skywatch Friday.

Weekend Reflection: on the way to the estuary

This is part of the tidal channel that brings water to Lake Merritt from the estuary.  There's a nice little park with a couple of public sculptures along side the channel.  In the background is the Nimitz freeway that this channel runs under to reach the estuary.  Another view was posted a while back.  This was taken before the week of rains came.  For other reflections, visit James' meme, Weekend Reflections.

willing to be educated

This pair is found on the Oakland campus of the California College of the Arts.  CCA (formerly known as CCAC--California College of Arts and Crafts) is a nationally known and respected art college that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.  It was founded in 1907 and sits on 4 wooded acres above the quarry lake featured a couple of months ago.  CAC anchors one end of College Avenue with the entrance to the UC campus at the other end.  Tried to find out some information about these sculptures but came up empty-handed.  Frankly, I don't get it/them, which probably represents a serious gap in my education.  I have faith that someone in the blogosphere will enlighten me.

Jack London statue

A statue of Jack London in the public space named after him at the foot of Broadway.

art at the Oakland airport

 Oakland International Airport travelers arriving at or departing from Gates 26-32 in Terminal 2 will view a stunning 160-foot glass window wall entitled "Going Away, Coming Home" by Oakland artist Hung Liu.  Commissioned in 2006, this work features her signature "drip" technique.  The artist took her inspiration from an antique Chinese screen and successfully creates a feeling of serenity in a busy environment.  The 80 cranes in this installation represent blessings and safe travel.

There is here

On the border between Oakland and Berkeley stand two iron sculptures with "THERE" denoting where Oakland starts.  What does Berkeley's side say?  "HERE," of course.  It's actually pretty funny even if it is a sideways diss of Oakland.  It's a sly reference to Gertrude Stein's supposed comment about Oakland that "There's no there there."  But honest, folks, she wasn't referring to her hometown, but rather to the fact that her childhood home was no longer standing in the old neighborhood.  The elevated structure in the background is the BART metro system.

Communication Not Separation

I saw this mural when I was out shooting pictures of the Rose Parade aftermath. It's at 1292 Colorado Blvd. overlooking the parking lot just west of the Incycle bicycle shop.

The artist is Victor Steinbacher, assisted by Leo Sanchez. A tidbit of undated information I found on the web said Steinbacher studied at Art Center College of Design and resides in Pasadena. The mural dates from 1993. That's about it. I found even less about Sanchez.

This piece isn't on the City of Pasadena Art Walks, which are more centrally located to downtown. But there's art all over Pasadena. You don't have to look too hard to discover it.

My favorite thing about the mural is that I had never seen it before. I love finding new things (new to me). Plus I love that the guy on the left is green.

What do you think of it?