Father Christmas

Father Christmas presides over the goings on at the annual Christmas market in Albert Square, Manchester.

Wedding Car.

Spotted by St Teresa's Church in Irlam.

Barton Bridge

The swing bridge spanning the Manchester Ship Canal at Barton swings back into position after being opened to allow passage of a ship carrying tourists on a sightseeing cruise of the canal from its beginning in Salford to its end at Eastham where it enters the estuary of the River Mersey.
In its heyday this bridge would open many times each day to allow the passage large ocean going vessels carrying raw materials for, and produce of, the industry of Manchester and the industrial north west of England.

Sir Charles Halle

The grave of Sir Charles Halle (1819-1895) in Weaste Cemetery, Salford. Halle founded the Halle Orchestra, Britain's longest established professional symphony orchestra, in Manchester in 1858.

Beetles

A few of many of this attractive beetle that appear to be devouring the leaves of bushes at my local Tesco supermarket.

Lego man

An oversize Lego figure outside a traditional toyshop in Llangefni town centre. Llangefni is the administrative centre of the Isle of Anglesey.

Parish boundary stone

Old parish boundary stone marking the boundary between Beaumaris and Llanfaes, Anglesey.

Lligwy Burial Chamber

Situated close to Moelfre on the island of Anglesey. This impressive neolithic burial chamber dates from about 5000BC. The capstone is roughly 5m x 6m and weighs over 20 tonnes. Taken as the light was fading.

Violette Szabo

Half British, half French, Violette Szabo volunteered to spy for the British Special Operations Executive in occupied France in 1942, following the death of her husband at El Alamein. She was 21 years old. Captured by the Germans on her second mission in 1944 she was imprisoned at Limoges, tortured, then transferred to Ravensbruck concentration camp where she was executed sometime in early February 1945. This memorial, near la Croisille-sur-Briance, is located by the field into which she parachuted to start her final mission. Fresh flowers appear to supplied constantly.

Look to the heavens.

An astronomer and his equipment fashioned from small succulent plants attached to a framework. Situated outside the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

Ammonite

Fossil ammonite in building stone near doorway of 55 Princess Street, Manchester. Ammonites were early molluscs that evolved in the Devonian Period about 400 million years ago. They flourished for many millions of years until they became extinct, along with the Dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.

Early Computing

A couple of posts earlier I posted a picture from the other side of this building, the Coupland Building of Manchester University. That detailed Rutherford and his work that led to the splitting of the atom. On this side we have the windows of the laboratory where, in June 1948, Profs, Williams and Kilburn ran the world's first stored program computer. Not a bad record for a provincial city. Proud to be a Manc!

The Gang!

Group of wooden cowboys in the quadrangle of the Lymm service area on the M6 Motorway.

Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937)

Blue plaque on the wall of the Coupland Building of Manchester University. It commemorates Rutherford's time at this laboratory and his work which led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus and the splitting of the atom.

London 182 1/2 Miles

Old style signpost located on the A6 in central Stockport, close to the Town Hall.

Seen better days!

In the latter part of the 1980s unemployed youths of the Irlam area were drafted onto youth 'employment' schemes. One of these was the making of Irlam Linear Park, a few hundred metres of path beside a railway embankment. Access points at each end and here, about midway, close to a Tesco hypermarket. A good idea and a pleasant walk when new but no effort applied to maintain it afterwards. Now overgrown and littered.

Medieval stonework

The rear of Chetham's School and Library, Manchester from Walker's Croft. Buildings here date from the second quarter of the fifteenth century.

A wet Manchester

Looking along London Road towards Piccadilly from the Manchester Curve footbridge.

Alan Turing Building

A view of the recently completed Alan Turing Building of the University of Manchester.

Hardman Square

Located in the Spinningfields development to the west of Deansgate, Manchester.

Manchester weather!

The morning started off bright and sunny. Good enough to persuade the catering staff of University Place to put these tables and chairs outside. Ah, well! Photographed on Oxford Rd. Manchester.

Garden of Remembrance

Another view of the Baby Memorial Garden at Salford Royal Hospital, formerly Hope Hospital.

Baby Memorial

A piece of sculpture in the Baby Memorial Garden of Salford Royal Hospital (formerly Hope Hospital).

Lady Godiva, Coventry

Lady Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. Sometime around 1050 AD she is reputed to have ridden naked through the streets of Coventry to persuade her husband to remove an oppressive tax. The legend has it that the townspeople were forewarned and were asked to stay indoors to preserve her modesty. All complied save one, a tailor named Tom whose punishment for looking at her was to be struck blind. This gave rise to the expression "Peeping Tom" to describe one who looks where one shouldn't!

The Clock Tower

The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower is situated in Chancellor's Court at the University of Birmingham, UK. Named after the University's first Chancellor. It is, reputedly, the world's tallest free-standing clock tower at 110m tall.

Anglesey

Puffin Island and lighthouse at Penmon Point.

Llanddona

The vast expanse of sand forming the beach at Llanddona, Anglesey. This is the long, eastward coastline of Red Wharf Bay.

Clogwyn Du'r Arddu

The walls of 'Cloggy', Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, tower over Llyn Du'r Arddu on the flanks of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. Cloggy is a famous rock climbing venue and provides hard routes in an alpine setting.

Caravans

Holiday caravans at Glan Gors Caravan Park, Brynteg, Anglesey. Fine weather on a Bank Holiday Monday.

Hawthorn

Red/pink Hawthorn flowers in bloom on Irlam Moss.

Ballot

Envelopes, postal voting statement and ballot paper for England's North West region for the forthcoming European Parliamentary election. Voting day is June 4th and the paper lists 94 candidates. One Independent and twelve Parties, several of which I know nothing about- yet! I have one vote.

Geological Garden

Situated by Manchester Museum near the corner of Oxford Road and Bridgeford Street, Manchester Geological Garden is planted with rock specimens mainly originating from the north of England.

Ardwick entrance to Manchester bunker

Situated in Lockton Close near the junction of Downing Street, London Road and the Mancunian Way this is the Ardwick entrance to the Guardian Exchange Cold War bunker. See also

Salford entrance

Secure behind a double fence, here is the Salford entry point to the Guardian Exchange, the Cold War communication bunker built under central Manchester in the 1950s. This structure is located about half a mile away from the central Manchester entry point, pictured on Apr. 30th, and is close to Salford Cathedral.

Flood Obelisk

Located in Peel Park, Salford. This obelisk was erected in 1870 and bears marks showing the depth of floodwater here when the adjacent River Irwell broke its banks on Nov 16th, 1866. A depth of 8ft. 6in. is recorded.

The Blue Lion

The bar of the Blue Lion, a reconstruction of a Victorian public house dating from around 1870. Built from items salvaged from similar pubs of the period when they were demolished during the slum clearances of the 1950s and 60s. This is situated in Lark Hill Place, a re-creation of a Victorian Salford street, located in Salford Museum and Art Gallery, The Crescent, Salford.

A plane, a train and a bus station

A Jumbo jet banks after taking off from Manchester Airport while a Virgin Trains inter-city train waits at signals on Stockport Viaduct. The roofs of Stockport bus station appear below the viaduct.

Arum maculatum

Commonly called "Cuckoo-pint", "Lords and Ladies" and "Jack-in-the-pulpit". The central spadix bears the flowers which emit a smell of carrion. This attracts the flies needed for pollination. Photographed near Brynteg, Anglesey.

Bluebells

A carpet of bluebells in woodland at Menai Bridge, Anglesey.

A legacy of the Cold War

This austere structure is located in central Manchester between George St and St James St. I believe it to be an entrance to the Guardian Exchange. This underground communications bunker was built in the 1950s and was designed to withstand atomic attack on Manchester and preserve regional and national communications links. The development of the H bomb reputedly led to its security being compromised. The bunker and its tunnels are still used to route telecommunications cables under the city. A fire in such a tunnel in 2004 put parts of the telephone network out of action for several days.

Whitworth Park, Manchester

An entrance to the park from Denmark Road. The park is owned by Manchester University and leased to the City Council who maintain it. Set by Oxford Road in a now very busy location the park provides an area of tranquillity. The park and adjacent Whitworth Art Gallery were established by Joseph Whitworth a local industrialist and inventor in 1890.

A glacial erratic

A boulder in the quadrangle of the University of Manchester. Found nearby about 30 feet below the surface during an excavation. Carried here by ice during the Ice Age from its origin in the Lake District about 100 miles distant.

Blackthorn

Flowers of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) on trees near Brynteg, Anglesey. The flowers are about 1.5cm across and appear before the leaves, unlike the similarly flowered Hawthorn whose leaves appear before it flowers.

Easter Monday tea

Peter enjoying his Toffee Sundae!

Spring

Wood Anenome and Celandine, Lon y Glyn, Benllech.

Llynnon Mill and Celtic Roundhouses

Llanddeusant, Anglesey. A working windmill flanked by reconstructions of communal dwellings that were used by local people in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, approx 3000 years ago.