tarboat's photos

In 1942 Liverpool had suffered heavy bombing and large amounts of material from both housing and docks had to be cleared up quickly. It was decided to take the rubble to Crosby where it was tipped along the beach as coastal protection. Subsequently more tipping has taken place to form a brick beach of well over a mile in length. This is a fascinating place to wander about with plenty of opportunity to find the products of long forgotten brickworks across north-west England and north Wales.

After dark at Cheddleton during the Winter steam gala.

The gasworks may have gone but the gasholders continue in use at Meadowhall.

A retrospective on the now lost "Tinsley Two". The M1 will never be the same again. :-(

Black Five hauled train leaving Froghall. The Thomas Bolton copperworks chimney peeps above the trees behind.

Fellow Flickrite Pitheadgear sits on a pile of fallen coal to give scale to this view inside nineteenth century pillar and stall workings exposed at the Cutacre opencast mine. This tunnel is in the Rams seam which is about 6ft thick and was operated until 1879. A significant amount of coal was left in the roof as support.

The long curved viaduct at Simingyi will always be an icon for the Jinpeng section of the Jitong Railway. An eastbound freight is seen on the climb towards the summit at Shangdian.

A few of the Anthony Gormley "Another Place" cast iron statues on Crosby beach. Seen on a trip to look at the brick rubble bank along the coastline just north of here.

4F and 3F Tank in full cry at the winter steam gala on the Churnet Valley Railway.

44422 simmers quietly in the shed yard at Cheddleton after finishing work for the day.

I attended the Churnet Valley Railway winter steam gala today and it was certainly wintry. After overnight temperatures of -10C numerous points froze up and the morning freight did not run. However, the loco for the freight (4F 44422) of which I own a very small share, did make the run, and it is seen here climbing the bank between Consall and Cheddleton.

Gleaning the ashes at the servicing area of the Donghaikuang mine.

A look at some of the fine decorative terracotta work on the St Helens Hippodrome of 1903. Terracotta by the Bispham Hall Terracotta Company of Orrell and the brickwork were by the Withnell Brick Company of Chorley.

The St Helens Hippodrome was opened in 1902 as the Empire Palace Variety Theatre, on the site of the 1893 People’s Palace. The architect was J A Brown from St Helens, and the terracotta work is by the Bispham Hall Terracotta Company of Orrell. The bricks were supplied by the Withnell Brick Company of Chorley. Converted to a cinema in the 1930s, the building is now in use for bingo.

In 1893 chemical manufacturer Sir David Gamble offered a plot of land plus £20,000 with which to build a library and technical school in St Helens. Designed by architects Briggs and Wolstenholme the Institute's foundation stone was laid in 1894. The building was formally opened by the Earl of Derby on 5 November 1896. It now houses the town's Central Library.

Soon to be dug up, washed, and the coal left within extracted. The Cutacre Tip at Little Hulton is thought to contain 850,000 tonnes of reclaimable coal.

The first loop eastwards from Lindong on the Jitong line is at Yamenmiao where a pair of QJs start their train after passing a westbound freight. There was a wicked northern wind whipping around that morning and I sheltered in a crossing keeper's hut before nipping out at the last minute to take this shot. The lady there thought I was completely mad! Looking at this scene it is hard to believe that the line had been open for less than ten years at this time.

Another shot from a day out walking with Eagle1942. Shutlingsloe seen from below Shining Tor after we climbed up the valley from Thursbitch.