Photographing Stockport

Looking across Wellington Road South towards the railway viaduct. I wasn't the only person photographing Stockport that afternoon.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

My Stockport Photo of the Year 2015: The River Mersey

The theme for City Daily Photos is Photo of the Year.

My choice for Photo of the Year 2015 is from the 25th April of the river Mersey emerging from under the Bear Pit and an arch of the Wellington Road viaduct into sunshine and flowing towards the railway viaduct.

The Mersey emerges

Having been culverted under the Merseyway Shopping Centre for most of its first mile of life the river Mersey emerges from under the Bear Pit and an arch of the Wellington Road viaduct into sunshine and heads towards the railway viaduct.

For another view and one taken in the opposite direction see the post from 26th May 2013.

A contribution to
Weekend Reflections;
Scenic Weekends;
Shadow Shot Sunday;
Water World Wednesday.

Work on Warren Street

Lancashire Bridge crosses the river Mersey around the junction of Warren Street and Bridge Street. It was constructed in 1877 and widened in 1891. A reinforced concrete widening structure was added in 1937. The bridge is a square single span arch structure which comprises three arch sections with a skewed reinforced concrete portal frame on the east side of the arch. The bridge and the river was covered over in the late 1930s and a road built over the top. In 1965 the road was replaced by the Merseyway Shopping Centre.

An inspection and assessment of the reinforced concrete portal bridge established that the concrete had endemic chloride problems, poor cover and active corrosion and needed to be replaced. Pedestrian access has been maintained whilst the work is carried out but buses and other traffic have had to be diverted. On completion of the remedial works the stone arched section will have a new stone parapet installed to a design similar to that historically located at the bridge. Elsewhere, ornate metal railings will be installed around the opening.

The work started a year ago and was due to be completed in March but there seems a way to go yet.

A contribution to Monday Mellow Yellows.

B is for Bridge Street

Bridge Street leads down from the Market Place and was once part of the main north-south route through the town. Traffic from the north would have descended from Dodge Hill/Lancashire Hill down Tiviot Dale to Lancashire Bridge over the river Mersey at the bottom of Bridge Street.

Lancashire Bridge is currently undergoing repair work as shown in this earlier post.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Swaine Street

Between the viaduct and the bus station.

A contribution to The Weekend in Black and White and Scenic Weekends.

Stockport's landmark railway viaduct

Stockport railway viaduct is a landmark structure. This first view is from the M60 motorway Eastbound looking South towards the viaduct; the motorway itself is elevated so it is nearly level with the roofs of buildings that nestle under the viaduct's archways.

The viaduct was built in 1839/40 by the engineer George Watson Buck under the architect John Lowe.

This view is taken from outside the bus station. The motorway is somewhere near the farthest arch to be seen in this photograph. Note how it towers over the double-decker buses in the garage.


This view is from the other side above Daw Bank near to where it reaches Stockport Station.

In 1887-89 it was widened to four tracks, 27 arches, 111 feet high and 1786 feet long, comprising 11 million bricks.



This is the view across the bus station from Wellington Road viaduct.

A contribution to the Landmark theme at City Daily Photoblogs.

Merseyway from Level 3

From the level 3 car park on Mersey Way looking down into the shopping complex.

Merseyway Shopping Centre opened in 1965 . It consists mainly of a large pedestrianised street, where at one point there are two levels of walkways for shoppers, and there is access to both the first and ground floor of many shops. It was extensively refurbished in 1995 with the provision of level 3 parking and an area of covered mall at the western edge of the centre.

It is built on giant stilts above the River Mersey and the river runs for the entire length of the centre. The river had been first covered over in the late 1930s when a road was built over the top.

In the background is the town's iconic railway viaduct and visible under the second arch from the left is the town's modern icon the Stockport Pyramid.

A contribution to Blue Monday and Our World Tuesday.

Works on Merseyway

I posted about the repair work to Lancashire Bridge on 6th August 2014.

The work has now spread into Merseyway itself and this a peek I took behind the fences yesterday.

Beneath all this flows the culverted river Mersey. Meanwhile despite the clutter the roads and pathways around the works are being kept open.

A contribution to
Good Fences and Skywatch Friday

D is for Digging up Lancashire Bridge

I posted a photograph of Bridge Street on May 13th but look at it now.

This was once part of the main north-south route through the town. Traffic from the north would have come down Dodge Hill/Lancashire Hill through Tiviot Dale to Lancashire Bridge over the river Mersey then up Bridge Street to the Underbanks and Hillgate.

Lancashire Bridge was constructed in 1877 with a reinforced concrete widening structure added in 1937. The bridge is a square single span arch structure which comprises three arch sections with a skewed reinforced concrete portal frame on the east side of the arch. Recent inspection and assessment of the reinforced concrete portal bridge has established that the concrete has endemic chloride problems, poor cover and active corrosion and needs to be replaced.

This is the view from the bottom of Bridge Street as workmen dig up the roadway. Pedestrian access is being maintained whilst the work is carried out but buses and other traffic have had to be diverted.

A contribution to
ABC Wednesday;
Good Fences;
Orange You Glad It's Friday.

Woodley Tunnel

At Woodley the Peak Forest Canal passes through a 176yd (153m) tunnel. The towpath also passes through, protected by a handrail.

This is taken from just inside the southern portal. I'm informed that halfway along the tunnel the towpath is very muddy so I haven't actually made the journey through.

A contribution to
Our World Tuesday;
Water World Wednesday.

The Quietest railway station in the country

I wrote all about Reddish South Station back in May 2013 so I'll refer you back there for more information. I was back there again a week last Friday and noticed that the Friends of Reddish Station have erected a new picket fence and sign in front of the mural.

As the timetable indicates only one train a week stops at Reddish South on the line from Stockport to Stalybridge and there is no return service. I had arrived at 10.10 to catch the 10.20 train.

The platform has been extended over the line that ran on the right where the "Friends of Reddish South Station" have planted a garden. No one else was waiting for the train and there isn't even a bench to sit on. At 10.45 I gave up and went to catch a bus.

I posted details of the individual panels of the mural in June 2013.

  © Copyright Peter Whatley and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

This is how the station looked in 1989.

A contribution to
Shadow Shot Sunday;
Blue Monday;
Monday Murals;
Our World Tuesday;
signs, signs;
Good Fences.

Sky over the Bear Pit

The Bear Pit is currently closed for Deck Fill Reduction.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Deck Fill Reduction at the Bear Pit

On Saturday I showed you the bottom of a pillar by the Bear Pit.

A council notice strapped to the pillar reads:

DECK FILL REDUCTION

"This project involves the reduction of the overburden load on the deck of the Mersey Bridge structure.

Recent assessments have identified that the bridge is overloaded in the North West corner due to the existing build-up of materials forming the steps. This load is being removed and the fill material is being replaced by polystyrene lightweight fill material. This will reduce the loading on the deck of the bridge by over 600t.

Access into the Bear Pit will not be possible during the works. We apologise for any inconvenience."

A contribution to Our World Tuesday and Good Fences.

Tiviot Way Bridge again

I posted a view of Tiviot Way Bridge on 2nd February 2014.

This is from the opposite direction from the bottom of a greasy footpath down from Rose Street shown in my post of 29th March 2014.

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

South of Stockport Station

From the top of Shaw Heath looking over the lines to the south of Stockport (formerly Edgeley) Station. The end of the middle platforms are just visible under the footbridge that connects King Street West to Thomson Street. On the right are buildings belonging to the Territorial Army Centre.

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

Bottom Lock Bridge

Following on from our recent photograph of Engineer Wharf viewed from a train on the railway viaduct between Romiley and Marple, is Bottom Lock Change Bridge.

From here the Peak Forest Canal, having been carried over the valley of the river Goyt on an aqueduct, progresses through the Marple Locks, a series of 16 locks and one of the steepest flights in the country.

Note: this photograph was taken in 2009.

A contribution to Weekend Reflections,
Scenic Weekends
and Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Tiviot Way Bridge

This modern bridge takes Tiviot Way, the A626 Heaton Chapel to Dinting Junction road, over Penny Lane.

Penny Lane is cut off for through traffic just below the bridge to prevent it being used as a rat-run for drivers trying to avoid the main road from Reddish to Lancashire Hill.

A full account of the route of the A626 is on the Sabre website.

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

River Goyt at Howard Street Bridge

The last bridge over the river Goyt is Howard Street bridge. A small island has built up between the flow through the two arches. A man can be seen on the island but how he managed to gain access I couldn't say.

Someone had tweeted earlier that day, "Why is the Goyt orange this morning?" A few hours later I took several photos of the river here. I posted three of them yesterday. The river as can be seen from this closer crop is indeed coloured orange. It is probably due a seepage or iron ore but where from I don't know and I've not seen news reports about it.

I do not know how this man, with an e-cigarette in his mouth, got onto the island nor what he is collecting in the plastic bag.

A contribution to Scenic Weekends and Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

The Orange Goyt

On Tuesday morning someone tweeted "Why is the Goyt orange this morning?"

A few hours later I took this photo of the river looking upstream from Howard Street bridge. I haven't discovered the reason for the colouration, but it looks like a seepage of iron-ore into the river.

Downstream of the bridge the Goyt flows over a weir and the river Tame joins it from underneath the M60 motorway to form the river Mersey. Note the darker colour of the emerging, converging Tame.

This is a closer view of the water flower over the weir from the other direction. I'll post some more photographs from this point tomorrow.

A contribution to Orange You Glad It's Friday and Weekend Reflections.