Roads and artifacts: 2014

Milestones, Boundary Markers, Historical Artifacts, Street Furniture, lost roads and buildings.

There are many traces of our ancestors scattered around our landscape. Mile Markers and Boundary stones are there too. The Milestone Society believes that there are approximately 9000 left in the United Kingdom. Some are cherished but others are hidden in hedgerows, some have been unwittingly destroyed by crashes, road equipment or even stolen. Roads have been straightened to make them safer. There are old gateposts still left in place, old buildings, and place names that declare an evocative past. The aim is to capture some of this information at least photographically before it disappears.

Although the Fylde Coast does not have ancient history, the Romans apparently struggled to Kirkham. There have been huge changes in the last two centuries from literally a a few fishermans' and agricultural dwellings, to a full blown tourist and light engineering industry.

More historical information can be found here about the Fylde coast.

It also seems that time has marched on and left what appears to be some very respectable buildings... which just should be used, but seem to have no worth.

Links from this Blog

Nearly-Midnight The genealogy website relating to the family. A tangled web of people all related to one another, explore!
Memorials Website dedicated to War Memorials - The majority in the North of England. Visits to churches, but also memorials in out of the way places.
Robert Clark The Father of Henry Martyn-Clark - A missionary out in the North-West Frontier of India. One of the first Europeans to set foot in Afganistan
Affetside Census A small village north of Bury, Lancashire, I can trace many of my immediate ancesters from there. On the Roman Road, Watling Street
Andrew Martyn-Clark My Father and his part in my World. Also my mother and his parents too.
Henry Martyn-Clark My Great Grandfather, his roots and his achievements. Discusses malaria but also his confrontations with Islam.

Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Aughton or Holt Green Coronation Cross

Aughton lies to the south of Ormskirk. This is agricultural land. I had the greatest pleasure of attending a wedding here and I couldn’t resist the chance of photographing this very nicely proportioned cross. It commemorates the coronation of George the fifth and Queen Mary in 1911. I cannot recall many coronation crosses, especially George and Mary. He seemed a popular KIng. coming to the throne after his father Edward the Seventh. George was the grandson of Queen Victoria.

This photo is dated soon after the cross was built. As you can see from the photos below, not much has changed!

I liked Aughton!

Monday, 24 March 2014

Turton Tower Pill box

Slap bang on the Two Crosses route is the Turton Tower Pillbox. It is difficult to see what it protected, or even how effective they have been. However it has stood the march of time and remains quite spooky in the half light and early in the morning. I've been past it several times. It remains quite graffiti free and seems quite uncared for. World War II Pillbox near Turton Tower on Chapeltown Road, near Edgworth. This Pillbox is of type FW3/24. During World War II, these bunkers were used for the defense of the United Kingdom against a possible enemy invasion, and there are examples all over the country. They were built in 1940 and into 1941.
The map references are 53° 37′ 58.16″ N 2° 24′ 14.90″ W

53.63282 -2.40414

Approaching from the reservoir and heading towards Hoghton tower.
There is a railway line in the dip at Hoghton Tower.
The Chapeltown road is behind the pillbox.

Stuck my head inside - Graffiti free - well almost

Looking back into the sunrise!

There really is not much else to say about it! 75 years old and still surviving!

Thursday, 9 January 2014

Queens Park, Layton

"Demolition teams have moved on to a high rise housing estate to begin its transformation into a £22m development.
Workmen and diggers have begun to take down maisonette flats on Healey Street as part of redevelopment work on Queens Park estate in Layton.
The scheme will change Blackpool’s skyline forever as the first two towers, Charles Court and Ashworth Court, will come down in the coming weeks."

This is the report from the Evening Gazette in November 2013.

I have been in these flats and although the actual flat I visited was really good inside, the tenant hated going back there. It is an Iconic landscape. It also overshadows much of North Shore.

View from East - Collingwood Avenue

I have a collection of photos on my datastore page here. I will continue to add and update the page as I get the opportunity to.

Heyhouses School St Annes

Heyhouses school is being rebuilt, these are pictures of the old school together with the framework to the rear of the school. Maybe I will get inside before they flatten it!

Panorama from the rear of the school.
The old school is visible through the framework.

The entrance

The pictures were taken during the Christmas break in 2013.