St Mary's Church was founded in 1876, but Haughton Green is an ancient locality in South-east Lancashire. In 1894 it merged with neighbouring Denton.
Originally a rural area, with most of its built up areas along the main roads and in the old village, it became more built up when the Manchester (Beswick) overspill estate was located here in the late 50s behind existing housing on Two Trees Lane. There was also building of new middle class housing in and around the original village at the same time. This increased its size significantly as housing now extended down into the valley and next to wooded areas.
Here is a view of St Mary's from the other side. All these photographs are from a walk I took in February. I featured one from that day earlier in Skywatch Friday: Haughton Green.
Past the church and the houses is an area known as Hulmes/Hardy Wood and Lower Haughton Meadows Local Nature Reserve consisting of ancient woodlands and meadows that survived a 200-year history of coal mining and quarrying, which ended in the 1920s.
For more H posts visit ABC Wednesday.
Lovely shots, interesting post as always! Great for the H day!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day!
Sylvia
Great photos. This seems like a very nice area and I would love to see inside the church.
ReplyDeleteI feel I know your area better and better - thank you for guiding.
ReplyDeleteEvery corner has a story to tell. When travelling to the country one is torn as to what local history can be taken on board during a visit and how one might return again with more time to delve into the stories.
ReplyDeletethanks for that bit of history
ReplyDeleteThe local woodlands and the river below is a favourite place of mine Gearld.. Did you go down the river to see 'Robin Hoods Rock'?
ReplyDeleteRobinhood is supposed to have thrown it here from atop of Wernerth Low. ha!
Thanks for the lovely H photos - the woods look particularly inviting.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, especially of the woods.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful church. I would love to attend a service there. So pretty!
ReplyDeleteThe woods seem just the place to recharge the batteries.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post - and I love the second shot of St Mary's! Looks so peaceful and pretty.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a mish mash of housing styles over the years.Obvioulsy I was drawn to those more remote areas.
ReplyDeleteI can remember when we were in England and saw how the traditional English countryside gradually adapted to modern living and housing of post-WWII. Not always the prettiest, but fill the needs.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I lived on the Manchester council overflow housing estate in a 'maisonette' over the shops directly behind the block of flats. We arrived there from slum clearance in Gorton about 1967 or '68. Haughton Green was heaven by comparison. I went to HG Primary, one of my teachers was the wife of St Mary's vicar. Their house was just behind the church. St Marys was (and probably still is) lovely inside. I did a reading there one Christmas or Harvest Festival time. The pics of the church and the flats could be placed side by side (church on the left) for a panoramic view. The bus shelter was (is?) the terminus for all the services (127 and 128 to Hyde via Crown Point, 204 all the way to Manchester or catch a 127/128 and change to a 210 at Crown Point. Can't believe I remember...) The block of flats is one of 3 in a triangle layout round an open area and the shops. The 3 blocks created a wind vortex that would take people by surprise as they walked up from the bus stop. We'd sit in our kitchen window and sometimes see people coming from the bus stop lose their umbrellas or even get knocked off their feet. Meadow Lane to the left of the church led down to Haughton Dale. My best friend lived in a big old house down there and we played all summer long in the dale and along the river. I fell in there quite a few times! Thanks for the memories.
ReplyDelete