tarboat's photos

George Hargreaves & Co sank the shaft of Grimebridge Colliery in 1851 and soon after a 'ginny road' was built across the moors to transport the coal tubs to the road up the valley from Waterfoot. The line operated for at least 90 years before the coal was routed through the hill to a wharf near Old Meadows on the Bacup to Burnley road. There were three tunnels on the line and this is the interior of one of these. It is about four feet high and would have held a double track plateway for the tubs.

The interleaved tracks remain at the top of the East Buxton kilns along with a single tipping skip wagon. The two pots had tracks around them which allowed tipping of limestone and coal from either back or front set of rails for more acurate placement in the kiln.

First steam departure of the day from the interchange platform at Quedlinburg. The link to this town from Gernrode along the trackbed of the former standard gauge line was completed in 2006.

The house have been cleared from around, but the Britannia still stands proud. The quality of the building will have significantly exceeded that of the terraces whose inhabitants it once served. The terracotta decoration can be seen here in close up .

The impressive Facit Ring Mill was built 1904-05 by the Facit Mill Company Limited. Architect was Sidney Stott and Jonathan Partington of Middleton the main contractor.In 1910 a total of 56,000 ring spindles were running , and this increased to 60,776 by 1918. Power was provided by a 1500hp McNaught horizontal cross-compound engine until 1958 when the machinery was electrified. Cotton spinning ended in February 1967 and subsequently the mill has seen a variety of industrial uses. It is currently disused and to let.

Today I took a stroll with the dogs along the banks of the River Weaver from Town Bridge in Winsford downstream to the Meadowbank Mine. As you walk through the parkland that runs along the eastern bank it is difficult to envisage just how industrialised it once was, with saltworks crowded upon each other right down to the water on both sides. Apart from the former Colin Stewart works there is little industry until you begin to approach Newbridge and the Meadowbank Salt Mine appears. It appeared that no salt was being raised as redevelopment work was being undertaken on the conveyor from the skip shaft, seen here in the background, to the cone on the left. A new lorry loading point is being constructed in the white building seen just to the right of the cone. Meanwhile, a number of machines were moving rock salt about on the much depleted stockpiles along the riverside.

Whilst out and about one evening the light caught this old graffiti carved into a coping stone on Victoria Bridge over the quarry inclined plane at Kerridge. There is only one family called Jardine listed in the census as living in this area in the late 19th century and the likely culprits are Mary Jardine (born 1879) or Margaret Jardine (born 1874).

The Palace Cinema on Dingle Lane, Winsford, was originally built as the Drill Hall which was opened by Lord Dundonald of Gwrych Castle on 26th June 1901. I have been unable to find a defintive date for it being converted to a cinema, but by 1935 it was definitely open as the Palace. Films were shown until the early 1970's after which it became a bingo hall, a use which continues today.

The use of smoke deflectors on the SY class locomotives was uncommon and completely changed their look. SY 1416 is seen at Jalainur washery, the only locomotive so fitted on this system.

Difficult light but a little bit of glint from Deltic 55 022 as it rumbles slowly along the branch out of Middlewich with the Ribble Lune Railtour.

Male Migrant Hawker ( aeshna mixta ). Once absent in Cheshire but now the commonest hawker dragonfly towards the end of the flying season.

The last rays of the sun catch Clayton's chimney on Windmill Lane, Kerridge, after one the the finest October days I can remember.

55 022 Royal Scots Grey crosses the Weaver Viaduct at Hunt's Lock, Northwich on the already very late running Ribble Lune Railtour . The train had just reversed at Lostock having traversed the branch between Sandbach and Northwich.

North Staffordshire Railway Dividend Warrant , 1867. I wouldn't mind achieving that sort of return at the moment!

The Skelton Park mine was sunk by Bell Brothers in 1872 with two shafts of 378 ft (upcast) and 384 ft (downcast), both 14ft in diameter. Bell Brothers were taken over by Dorman Long and Co Ltd in 1923 and that company operated the mine until closure in 1938. It is reckoned that the mine produced in excess of 18.5 million tons of ironstone. This is the top of the upcast shaft and fan house although initially ventilation was by a furnace at the bottom of the shaft. In November 1882 a 12ft 1½ins diameter Schiele fan was installed in a concrete house with a steam engine to drive it. The shaft top brickwork was raised by 8ft to allow cross girders to be installed to carry a pulley wheel for winding in the shaft. The concrete structure on top of the building is the evasee for the fan.

Moravian School, Main Road, Oldham. Designed by architect CT Taylor and completed in 1906. The building is listed Grade II.

Maple No.2 Mill at Hathershaw, Oldham, was completed in 1915 adjacent to the 1904 built No.1 Mill. By 2009 the No.2 Mill was occupied by a kitchen furniture business and on 21st April of that year a disastrous fire occured which destroyed the whole building apart from the tower and one end wall. The site is slowly being reclaimed with thousands of top qualitry bricks being recycled by the demolition contractors.

Another example of terracotta and stone decoration in High St, Winsford. Griffiths Villas date from 1897. The stonework has darkened in the polluted atmosphere when this town was based around open pan salt production, whereas the terracotta and brick has survived well.