Stockport Library

The library on the corner of Wellington Road South and St Petersgate was founded in 1913 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie and designed by Bradshaw Gass & Hope of Bolton. A listed building, it is considered a good example of a Carnegie Library with many features typical of the building type.

The library is built of red brick and Portland stone in a Baroque/Renaissance style with a corner dome and a tall finial to the corner of St Petersgate. There is a five-window range flanked by a bay to the south which is framed by banded pilasters and has a tall arched window, cornice and cartouche in the frieze. At the other end a similar bay contains the main entrance. It has an attic storey with small windows and a rusticated basement taking the fall of the land. The corner domed bay has banded pilasters, and the elevation to St Petersgate is broadly similar to the Wellington Street South elevation.

A contribution to the Library theme at City Daily Photoblogs.

C is for Curious Cows

I found these strange looking cows outside Seven Miles Out in the Market Place. Shortly afterwards they were taken inside and I heard some mention of them being used in a video.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Looking down on Little Underbank

From St Petersgate bridge.

A contribution to the Look down theme at City Daily Photos.

Y is for Yew Tree Maze

I first blogged about the yew tree maze in Veronon Park, Stockport six years ago on Ackworth born, gone West. I recently took another look to see its progress.

It still has a long way to go before it will become much of a puzzle. One can still walk through between many of the trees and indeed directly from the entrance to the middle. None of this takes anything away from the magnificence of the central tree.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday and NF Trees and Bushes.

Sweeping up outside Bhs

British Home Stores was founded in London in 1928. In 2009 when it became part of Green's Arcadia Group there were 193 stores employing over 17,000 people. By 2015 there were only 171 stores employing 11,000 staff. BHS was sold to the consortium Retail Acquisitions Ltd for the nominal value of £1. On 2nd June 2016 it was announced that the company would be wound down following failed attempts to find a buyer.



A contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Flora and fauna in Vernon Park

The fountain at the ornamental pond in Vernon Park may not be playing but the ducks are.

A female mallard and one of her ducklings can be seen here swimming around the blue flag iris.

Three mallard drakes watch from the perimeter wall.

Meanwhile moorhens try to hide amongst the water lilies.

A contribution to
Floral Fridays;
Weekend Reflections;
Scenic Weekends;
Saturday Critters;
Camera Critters.

Bredbury Curve

In 2015 plans for the Bredbury Curve Development were recommend for acceptance by the council.

The plans were rejected in 2016 - see details.

The proposal involved the filling in of the existing railway cutting with inert materials and the construction of 60 dwellings with associated new highways, a junction with Stockport Road East, landscaping, parking and amenities.

The site was previously a railway cutting that accommodated a rail line which linked the Glazebrook to Godley Line to the Ashbury Junction to New Mills Junction line. The scheme was designed in such a way that a corridor would be retained along the northern corner of the site in order to enable a future tram/train line to be constructed between the Ashbury Junction to New Mills Junction line and Whitefield Road and then onwards towards Stockport Town Centre.

Peter Whatley's photograph published on Geograph and taken from the crossover bridge at Bredbury Station shows how it looked in 1989.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.