Tuesday 30 April 2013

Benches and listed phone boxes


The three benches outside the White Lion on Great Underbank have a "Three Rivers" theme relating to the Tame and Goyt which merge at Portwood to form the Mersey.

Behind them are a pair of K6 Telephone kiosks which are Grade II listed. The kiosks are identical, constructed in cast iron, with three glazed sides in eight registers with margin lights, and a solid rear side with reeded decoration. The Soane-inspired canopy dome is placed above the four arched sides, each with a crown in relief above a glazed panel inscribed 'TELEPHONE'. The kiosks are placed back to back and contain modern telecommunications equipment.

The archetypal K6 telephone kiosk was introduced in 1935 to celebrate the silver jubilee of King George V and is commonly known as the 'Jubilee Kiosk'. It was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott as a development of his earlier K2 kiosk design of 1924. Its design has become iconic and represents the careful adaptation of Neoclassical design, influenced by the work of the Regency architect Sir John Soane, to a mass produced object with a modern technological function.

They are still in use.

For Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.

Monday 29 April 2013

Monday Murals: Deanery Way

Deanery Way connects the Merseyway Shopping Centre to Prince's Street.

On the wall of bhs (British Home Stores) are five murals depicting the history of Stockport.


I hadn't been able to obtain further information about these murals, until I posted there here, but see the comment by Dave Williams.

British Home Stores (bhs) was founded in London in 1928. The department store is known for selling clothes and homeware. In 2009 there were 193 stores employing over 17,000 people.

These photographs were taken Monday, 27 September, 2010



A contribution to Monday Murals.

Sunday 28 April 2013

Water is Life


Ironwork, part of a larger work erected in 1994, overlooking the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Tame to form the river Mersey above Howard Street bridge.

Photograph taken Wednesday, 24 June, 2009.

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

Saturday 27 April 2013

Weekend Reflections: BskyB offices


BSkyB occupy half of the St Peter's Square office development built by BAM Properties in 2009 on the site of the former Cannon Cinema.

The Cannon Cinema, originally the Carlton, later the Essoldo, then the Classic, closed on 13th June 1990. A photograph showing a member of staff outside the front doors is on the Stockport Image Archive.

St Peter's Church is reflected in the glass sides of the offices.

A contribution to Weekend Reflections.


Thursday 25 April 2013

Stockport Street Name Signs


Name signs at the junction of Avenue Street and Great Portwood Street.

A contribution to signs, signs.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

O is for Old Father Time


Old Father Time with scythe and bell above Winter's on Little Underbank. A former shop building constructed in the late 19th century was remodelled in the 1900s and again in the 1990s. The upper floors were decorated with three semi-circular headed niches, each with a pedimented canopy, hanging bell and a shaped plinth supporting a painted figure, to the left a soldier, to the centre Father Time, and to the right a sailor, each connected to the bell. A projecting illuminated square clock-face also hangs above the doorway.


Here is the view from the top of St Petersgate Bridge.

Jacob Winter, a successful Jewish businessman, established a watch and clock repair business here at 23 Little Underbank in around 1890, expanding into #25 in the early 1900s, when the frontage was remodelled. The shop front included a patent mechanism to lower the entire display into the basement, for security. The clock has been restored and re-built on several occasions due to traffic damage. The jewellers closed in the 1980s and the premises have since been in use as a bar.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

St George's Church, Heaviley


St George's Church on Buxton Road at Heaviley was constructed between 1892 and 1897, to designs by Austin and Paley, led by Hubert Austin. The building was endowed by George Fearn, a local brewer. It is built of Runcorn sandstone with lead roofs, designed in a free perpendicular gothic style. The plan consists of a 6-bay nave with aisles, crossing tower, transepts, 2-bay chancel, north and south porches and large south east vestry. The west end has a pointed doorway with blind flanking arches, and large 7-light window above, flanked by octagonal turrets. Aisles have 5-light pointed west windows, 4-light north and south windows, with stepped, gabled buttresses to battlemented parapets. Porches have pointed doorways and battlemented parapets. Square-headed clerestory windows. The transepts have 6-light transomed windows with panelled buttresses. The chancel has a 7-light Tudor-arched east window, with figure of St George in a niche. North and south windows have 5-lights. The crossing tower has richly modelled elevations with blind arcaded panels, louvred openings and a battlemented parapet; crocketed corner pinnacles act as flying buttresses to the octagonal spire which is 230 foot high and a landmark in the area. It is a listed building.

Photograph taken: 30th April, 2009.

A contribution to the CDPB St George's Day theme and Our World Tuesday.


Monday 22 April 2013

Welcome to Stockport Daily Photo

Sign at the eastern entrance to Stockport station. A blue plaque on the wall states that in June, July and August 1940 Stockport welcomed over 1200 evacuees from the Channel Islands. The children were cared for by local families until the islands were liberated in May 1945.


My own photos of the Channel Islands can be seen on Jersey Photos - One a Day.

A contribution to Blue Monday.