Mundane pictures of the North

[Shirl]

Cheers, I'm enjoying taking them! I can see why you feel glad you got away, I don't mind it that much but then again I rarely venture into the town centre. I do love how close the countryside is though, there's plenty to do within a short drive so at least we have that!

Anywhere in Burnley is only a short walk from countryside. I grew up in a terraced house in Stoneyholme and we had fields and a farm at the bottom of our street. I really enjoyed my childhood there

There's now a housing estate behind the Tim Bobbin Pub on Padiham Road. I think that's where the bluebell wood was where I used to walk with my dad on Sunday afternoons

 

[Redeyes]

Anywhere in Burnley is only a short walk from countryside. I grew up in a terraced house in Stoneyholme and we had fields and a farm at the bottom of our street. I really enjoyed my childhood there

There's now a housing estate behind the Tim Bobbin Pub on Padiham Road. I think that's where the bluebell wood was where I used to walk with my dad on Sunday afternoons

I'll have a wander up Gannow top next time I'm out and have a look around and take some photos!

 

[Shirl]

I've not heard "Gannow Top" for years. Did you move to Burnley or were you born there?
My mum's in a care home on Kiddrow Lane and I went to the Girls High School there too.

I'm getting a bit nostalgic now

 

[Redeyes]

I've not heard "Gannow Top" for years. Did you move to Burnley or were you born there?

Born here, lived here all my life. Went to secondary school in north Yorkshire but been here before and after that.

 

[Shirl]

Born here, lived here all my life. Went to secondary school in north Yorkshire but been here before and after that.

You should have joined us at the Hebden meet the other week Frances Lengel and farmerbarleymow could have talked photos with you

 

[Redeyes]

You should have joined us at the Hebden meet the other week Frances Lengel and farmerbarleymow could have talked photos with you

I have a few mates in Hebden, was there a couple of weeks ago for a friends birthday at Nelsons. Next time there's a meet I'll try and attend.

 

[Shirl]

I have a few mates in Hebden, was there a couple of weeks ago for a friends birthday at Nelsons. Next time there's a meet I'll try and attend.

My friend Lou owns Nelsons. We probably know a few people in common. The next meet is Manchester in December, look up the thread and come along

 

[Redeyes]

My friend Lou owns Nelsons. We probably know a few people in common. The next meet is Manchester in December, look up the thread and come along

I know Annie who owns/runs the Hole in the wall too if you know her?

 

[Shirl]

I know Annie who owns/runs the Hole in the wall too if you know her?

haha, Annie and Fraser, both good friends do you know Lindsey and Peach too? Fraser is DJing at Nelson's on Saturday.We may go. If we carry on like this, we may end up related

 

[Redeyes]

haha, Annie and Fraser, both good friends do you know Lindsey and Peach too? Fraser is DJing at Nelson's on Saturday.We may go. If we carry on like this, we may end up related

I don't think I know Lindsey and Peach, I know Annie from way back when she was going out with a good friend of mine, they were involved in a mad car accident, they split up after that and we didn't see each other until last year when I was at the pub. I know Brodie Doyle who DJ's with Fraser - Vinyl Miners...

 

[Shirl]

I don't think I know Lindsey and Peach, I know Annie from way back when she was going out with a good friend of mine, they were involved in a mad car accident, they split up after that and we didn't see each other until last year when I was at the pub. I know Brodie Doyle who DJ's with Fraser - Vinyl Miners...

I also know Brodie.... you're not my cousin from Burnley are you

 

[farmerbarleymow]

View attachment 40665 Pear Tree Court - Closed down now but once was the scene of this...



Six floors up, he is.

Jesus, what a loon! I guess he was a bit unhinged as that just isn't normal behaviour.

Its painful to watch as he is bouncing his weight up and down on the window, and you see it flexing. I hope the council rehomed him in a ground floor flat after he was released by the mental hospital!

I lived in the precinct for a year or so and yes, it certainly had its moments!

 

[Frances Lengel]

Those type of windows have a little switch on them that fixes them open at however wide you want them to stop the wind blowing them closed. That's what's holding him up, not the pans and whatever that he's ballasted himself with.

I remember hearing about a guy who jumped off one of the precinct blocks in a suicide attempt but landed on the roof of a parked car which absorbed enough of the impact for him to walk away unscathed. Word has it the owner wasn't best pleased as he only had third party insurance.

 

[Fez909]

Few pictures from a drizzly walk near Armley today

 

[Fez909]

So grey. So Northern.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Those type of windows have a little switch on them that fixes them open at however wide you want them to stop the wind blowing them closed. That's what's holding him up, not the pans and whatever that he's ballasted himself with.

I vaguely remember those switches from when I used to live on the 21st floor of one of the blocks. And no, I didn't carry out the experiment to see if they'd hold my weight!

I remember hearing about a guy who jumped off one of the precinct blocks in a suicide attempt but landed on the roof of a parked car which absorbed enough of the impact for him to walk away unscathed. Word has it the owner wasn't best pleased as he only had third party insurance.

I heard about something similar - possibly the same incident? The one I heard was the same landing on the car thing, but that the person was done for criminal damage for trashing the roof of the car. Now that would piss you off if you'd tried to top yourself!

The usual other stories of fridges/cookers being hoyed out the windows, often the higher floors, by various people, leading to the police to never park at the foot of a block. Sensible really.

 

[Frances Lengel]

Back in the eighties those blocks near the precinct had quite bad reputations - Most of them had no security/concierges so anyone could gain access and some of the blocks were two thirds empty. The council tried to employ security guards but they were lucky if they lasted hours in the job coz they got terrorised mercilessly. In those days, that part of Salford had the highest concentration of tower blocks in Europe and I heard somewhere that they somehow affected the clouds/weather causing it to rain in Manchester even more than it otherwise would've done. That sounds like it could be bullshit though.

 

[Fez909]

View attachment 40592 The only way is Harpurhey.

Love that colourful sign on that weird structure. WTF is it? Looks worthy of Mundane Hall of Fame, along with Shipley clock tower.

Also that old police station and the Salford education buildings are well nice. And a couple of pubs you've posted, too. Sad to see Salford the way it is

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Love that colourful sign on that weird structure. WTF is it? Looks worthy of Mundane Hall of Fame, along with Shipley clock tower.

Also that old police station and the Salford education buildings are well nice. And a couple of pubs you've posted, too. Sad to see Salford the way it is

Harpurhey district centre looks more well-looked after than many district centres, although it is looks fairly new. I used to bob off the bus home to use the loo in Asda after a drinking session in town.

The Salford education offices are on the same row as the catholic cathedral and old town hall/mags court, so the buildings on that street were quite nice - and luckily some have survived.

There was news the other day of a contract being signed (PFI - will they ever learn?) to tart up the precinct, and extend the dire Salford Shopping City. It should improve the area a bit which is good, and that shopping centre really needs improving. Possibly one of the most depressing shopping centres I've been into - but 'depressing shopping centres' is a whole new thread!

 

[Fez909]

but 'depressing shopping centres' is a whole new thread!

Stretford Mall?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Stretford Mall?

Oh shit I forgot about that! Only been to it once I think, and yes, depressing!

Merrion Centre in Leeds was grim when I used to live there, but they might have tarted it up since.

 

[Fez909]

Oh shit I forgot about that! Only been to it once I think, and yes, depressing!

Merrion Centre in Leeds was grim when I used to live there, but they might have tarted it up since.

They shut down the depressing bits in the merrion centre, and the bits that are left are due a facelift - this year or next it'll happen, apparently.

 

[Fez909]

Oh shit, I nearly forgot: The Dundas Arcade!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

They shut down the depressing bits in the merrion centre, and the bits that are left are due a facelift - this year or next it'll happen, apparently.

I take it that meant they shut the entire place?

Do they still have the mouldy escalators outside? That always astonished me - who in their right mind thought it is a good idea to install escalators outside a shopping centre, exposed to the good old Northern weather. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh shit, I nearly forgot: The Dundas Arcade!

Is that the Boro? Name rings a bell, and I'm thinking of a crappy centre towards the border.

Castle Centre in Stockton is just as bad, even though they tried to tart it up.

 

[Fez909]

I take it that meant they shut the entire place?

Do they still have the mouldy escalators outside? That always astonished me - who in their right mind thought it is a good idea to install escalators outside a shopping centre, exposed to the good old Northern weather. What could possibly go wrong?



Is that the Boro? Name rings a bell, and I'm thinking of a crappy centre towards the border.

Castle Centre in Stockton is just as bad, even though they tried to tart it up.

Yep, I believe the escalator is still there. I'll try to get a pic next time I'm nearby. Fucking weird!

And yep, the Dundas is the one right next to the A66/the border. It got rebranded as Dundas St Shopping a few years ago but it seems to have gone back to lowly Dundas Arcade? Obviously got a bit above its station. I worked in there for a few year: firstly in Potter's Bar, the snooker n pool place, then for BT (which is the high-rise building above it and where my pics a few pages ago were taken from).

Grim

 

[Frances Lengel]

Harpurhey district centre looks more well-looked after than many district centres, although it is looks fairly new. I used to bob off the bus home to use the loo in Asda after a drinking session in town.

The Salford education offices are on the same row as the catholic cathedral and old town hall/mags court, so the buildings on that street were quite nice - and luckily some have survived.

There was news the other day of a contract being signed (PFI - will they ever learn?) to tart up the precinct, and extend the dire Salford Shopping City. It should improve the area a bit which is good, and that shopping centre really needs improving. Possibly one of the most depressing shopping centres I've been into - but 'depressing shopping centres' is a whole new thread!

I'm not so sure about that.

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=1953

Throughout Salford, one and two bedroom social homes that could re-house those who might want to downsize are being demolished. This week there has been much lauding of the £650million Government approved Pendleton PFI regeneration, being created by the Pendleton Together consortium, which includes the Together Housing Group and Keepmoat, in partnership with Salford City Council. The scheme will see the demolition of more social housing properties than will be built.

In the Pendleton PFI scheme, 1,600 new homes will be built – but only 500 of those will be affordable. Meanwhile, 885, mainly social housing properties, will be demolished

And I'm guessing affordable means 80% of market rent.

E2a, asdas bogs are metal. I hate metal toilets.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I'm not so sure about that.

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=1953



And I'm guessing affordable means 80% of market rent.

E2a, asdas bogs are metal. I hate metal toilets.

I've not seen that - that sounds downright stupid. Well done Salford City Council.

It would be interesting to know the rationale for demolishing those three blocks - as far as I know they are fine (I had friends living in one of them), and unless there is a damn good reason for knocking them down (structural problems and the like), this doesn't make sense.

Yes - metal bogs are awful. Too much noise and splashback.

 

[Frances Lengel]

I doubt it's anything structural - There's other blocks of the same design still being lived in. I'm sure I read somewhere that when Lower Broughton was demolished there was nothing wrong with the houses but the brief was to reduce the amount of affordable housing in the area, so I'm guessing it's something like that - Trying to change the character of the area by ousting as many of the locals out as possible. That's just my opinion though.

Anyway, more pics tomorrow - Salford's far too big to even begin to do justice to in one mission.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Let me know if you want a photo companion as I can get to Salford easily and am off work. Not sure whether you are doing your trips on a bike though - and I'm not bloody running to keep up!

 

[Frances Lengel]

Yeah I am on a bike - Buses and that are a bit out of my price range most of the time I'm afraid - I'd be sunk without the iron horse.

Fez909 That Harpurhey centre - The side on the right of the pic with the coloured writing and the gregs and that has been there years (though the writing itself is a fairly recent addition), I remember it being there when I was a very young kid, so I reckon it was built at the same time as the asda which would've been late 70's/maybe early 80's. The bit on the right side of the pic is a lot more recent - The market used to occupy that space along with some bogs and a police station, I can't remember when that all changed late 90's/2000's sometime though.