Friday Bench (32):Audenshaw Trough

This week's bench is a circular bench wrapped around the concrete base of a transformer pillar built about 1900.

It stands behind the Audenshaw Trough on the junction of Manchester Road and Audenshaw Road. It is of cast iron and consists of a circular pillar on a 20th century concrete base topped by a street lamp. The face is split vertically into panels and horizontally into three stages. On the front it bears the Manchester coat-of-arms and a plate records the maker: the British Electric Transformer Company. Another plate records the restoration by Norweb in 1983. Enriched cast iron panels are on the top stage. The conical top is above a bead and reel band. The structure is topped by a hexagonal lamp on a decorative spindle. At one time it had three lamps which used to the light the way for trams.


You can see the full pillar in all its glory on sithenah, or in the opposite direction on Geograph.

My favourite benches discovered recently include Mo's lichen-covered seat in London, Aileni's at Newport Beach, Kitty's in Prospect Park and Aonghais's in Brooklyn.