Shadows at Heaton Chapel Station

A contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday.

W is for Wilf Wood

A plaque on the wall of the foyer at Stockport station reads:PRIVATE WILF WOOD V.C.

Remembering the life of railwayman Wilf Wood who was awarded the
Victoria Cross for an act of most conspicuous bravery and initiative
on 28 October 1918 near Casa Van in Italy.

A unit on the right flank having been held up by hostile machine gunners
and snipers, Private Wood worked forward with his Lewis gun, enfiladed
the enemy machine gun nest and caused 140 enemy to surrender. The advance
continued until a hidden machine gun opened fire at point blank range.
Without a moment's hesitation, Private Wood charged, firing his Lewis gun
from the hip, and enfiladed a ditch from which a further
160 men and 3 officers duly surrendered.

A cleaner at Stockport locomotive depot, Wilf survived the Great War
and spent his entire working life on the railways. He had the honour
of a steam locomotive being named after him and enjoyed a long
retirement before his death in January 1982 at the age of 84.

He is remembered in Hazel Grove by Wetherspoon's who named their Freehouse after the local hero. A plaque on the wall reads:THE
WILFRED
WOOD

These licensed premises stand on the site
of a Primitive Methodist Chapel (erected in 1897
and demolished in the 1960s) and are named after
Private Wilfred Wood V.C, who was awarded the Victoria
Cross "for conspicuous gallantry" in the First World
War. On his return home to Hazel Grove, Wood
was given a civic reception at the Mechanics
Institute, now the Civic Hall, next
door to this building.

These premises were refurbished
by J.D.Wetherspoon
in September 2010.

He is depicted on the inn sign.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday and signs, signs.

Architectural style in Stockport

The Three Shires on Great Underbank was built around 1580 as a half-timbered town house for the Leghs of Adlington Hall. A shopfront was inserted in 1824.

At various times it has housed a confectioners, bakehouse, surgery, solicitors, restaurant and wine bar. Since 2011 it has been Huffy's Cafe Bar & Restaurant.

The modern building on the left houses Prickett's solicitors.

Visit other contributions to the Style theme at City Daily Photo.

Weekend Reflections: Boarding the Manchester Train

Getting aboard the Manchester train at Reddish North.

A contribution to Weekend Reflections.

Reflections on the canal at Woodley

Last week we celebrated our son's 34th birthday and escaped the aftermath of the election by taking a trip down the Peak Forest Canal from Ashton to Romiley aboard Community Spirit, a narrowboat operated by the East Manchester Community Boat Project

Here we are approaching the railway viaduct at Woodley beyond which is the Woodley Tunnel.

You can see a map showing the location of 61 photographs I took that day and view them as a slideshow on Geo-trips.

A contribution to Weekend Reflections and Scenic Weekends.

St Mark's in the rain

I last featured the church of St Mark's, Bredbury and Woodley in June 2014. This time it was raining heavily and I got raindrops on the lens as I photographed the lych gate.

I used the shelter of the lych gate to photograph the church. St Mark's is a Grade II listed building which was built 1847-8 by Shellard for the Church Commissioners with dressed stone, ashlar and slate roofs.

Visit the Church website for details of its current activities.

A contribution to Inspired Sundays and Blue Monday.

Banner of the Industrial Revolution

Castle Yard was the "Motte" of a Norman castle and the castle "Bailey" the area which is now the Market Place. The castle walls were demolished in the 1770s when Castle Mill, the first water powered cotton mill in Stockport was constructed. The Mill was demolished in 1841 and from 1853 the area was used as a cattle market. Today Castle Yard forms a link between the outside market and the Courts shopping development created from the conversion of the adjacent former Magistrates Courts building.

21st century excavations revealed the wheelpit. In 2005 artist Mike Woods created a piece of public art designed on the water wheel which once powered Castle Mill. It consists of a banner that depicts workers caught up in a "mad whirl of machines and knotted tangled threads coupled with frenzied activity as they strive to adapt new technologies and the need to keep pace with the constantly changing new industrial age".

"The Banner of the Industrial Revolution" is wrapped around the outside of the ladies public convenience. Although the ironwork is still there the explanatory board has since been removed.

Visit other contributions to the Revolution theme at City Daily Photo.