ABC Wednesday: A is for Abel Heywood

  © Copyright Gerald England and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Abel Heywood is a Hydes pub, restaurant and boutique hotel on the corner of Turner Street and Red Lion Street which opened in December 2014 after conversion from a semi-derelict building.

  © Copyright Gerald England and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

It is named after Abel Heywood (1810 – 1893) who set up a penny reading room in 1831 and had a bookselling business in Oldham Street. An active Chartist, his business published much of the reading material of the town's movement, including the Northern Star. In 1841, he was elected treasurer of the National Charter Association, as well as sitting on the executive committee. At the same time he campaigned actively for the incorporation of the city and, once this was achieved, was elected to the council in 1843. Heywood served as alderman in 1853 and in 1859 stood unsuccessfully as a Radical Liberal candidate for Manchester. His first term as Mayor was in 1862–1863, during the cotton famine. He became Mayor again in 1876–1877. A major achievement was his role in guiding Manchester Town Hall to its completion; the clock bell of the Town Hall, "Great Abel", is named after him.

  © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

His son, also named Abel continued the business after his death and the gable end of the building carries the words "Abel Heywood and Son".

  © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

According to Pubs of Manchester The Red Lion stood here from the early 19th century until the early to mid 20th century. It seems probable that the pub occupied only that part on the corner of Red Lion Street and Catlow Lane. The section to the right was once a gallery, where it exhibited sets from the BBC series, Cutting It. Catlow Lane was originally Church Lane.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday and signs, signs.

ABC Wednesday: R is forRoad Train at Rest And Be Thankful

From Llandudno there is a Road Train you can catch that will take you on a tour of the Marine Drive a road that goes around the side of the promontory known as the Great Orme. At the top it breaks the journey with a 15-20 minutes stop at "Rest and be thankful" where there is a small café.

The view looking west ranges towards the island of Anglesey with the smaller Puffin Island visible just off shore.

Looking slightly east of north the view shows the top of a former lighthouse that has since been converted into a guesthouse.

Looking east rain can be seen coming over the wind turbines in Liverpool Bay whilst on the right is the Little Orme.

This shows the rear of the Rest and be Thankful where most people from the road train and the red car in the car park are partaking of some refreshments.

And finally a look at the road and two riders tackling the climb on their cycles.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday
and Wednesday Waters.

Signs on Station Road, Betws-y-Coed

Coffee or ice-cream? Mind the hump!

A contribution to signs, signs.

Koffee Pot

I took this photograph of the artwork on the roller-blind at the Koffee Pot in Stevenson Square, 24th July 2013.

I recently learnt that it closed on Friday 19 December 2014 but will be re-opening in new premises on Oldham Street shortly.

Hatters Hostel, owners of the Stevenson Square site where the cafe has stood for decades, are looking to expand and the Koffee Pot is well in the way.

For more information visit the Koffee Pot website.

A contribution to
Monday Murals;
Blue Monday;
Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors;
Ruby Tuesday;
Our World Tuesday.

Edwards of Conwy

This is part of the façade of Edwards of Conwy, a traditional Welsh, British and European award winning Master Butcher and Sausage and Pie maker located on High Street, Conwy.

For a fuller view of the front of the shop see my photograph on Geograph.

The frontage has had a makeover since Jo Turner photographed the shop in 2011.

The bike shows up in Jo's photograph but wasn't there when Richard Hoare photographed the former bank building in 2009.

And, for the record, I went in and bought a quiche to have later for supper and it was delicious.

I thought it was a mural but have bee informed by marketing manager Laura Baker "The bike is in fact a genuine butchers bike that belongs to Mr Edwards himself. The bike is attached to the wall rather than a mural and has appeared/disappeared as it is sometimes taken down to be re painted."

A contribution to Monday Murals.

Locked in a Lavatory

Anyone remember the song about two old ladies locked in a lavatory?

It was what came to mind when I saw this sign on the back of the door in a toilet at a café in Cleveleys near Blackpool.

A contribution to signs, signs.

Church of the Nazarene

Shadows across the lawn of the Church of the Nazarene on Stamford Street, Ashton under Lyne.

Ashton Church of the Nazarene started out as The Ashton Evangelical Mission in 1865 and later The Old Cross Mission. It moved to its present location in 1981.

This photo features the coffee lounge rather than the church itself. It is open Thursdays and Fridays from 10am till 3pm and I can attest to the tastiness of their toasted teacakes.

More information can be found on the church website

A contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday and Inspired Sundays.

Blackpool Illuminations: Brilliance

West street is a pedestrianised access from the Promenade leading into the town centre and is all lit up for the annual illuminations.

A contribution to signs, signs.

Higher Ardwick 1990/2012: From Union to Spicy Grill

In May 2010 I published some photographs of the Dukinfield Arms on Old Hyde. They were taken by Alan Young, a guitarist with the classic rock band, Par Avion from Charleston, WV, who came over in June 1990, together with Tim Thompson (manager & bass guitarist), Brian Young (drummer), Tena Hall (vocalist and now his wife) and Dennis Loudermilk (sound technician). They stayed at the Dukinfield Arms while doing a number of gigs in the area.

He sent me several photos which I matched with modern views. However I was unable at the time to place these photographs of The Union. Recently, though, I discovered an entry in the Pubs of Manchester blog, which places it in Higher Ardwick.

Alan's photograph, featuring Dennis, Brian and Tena, shows that is was then a Wilson's pub. It later changed to the Burtonwood brewery before closing down in 2009.

(Click on image to view full-size version)
A week ago I went to check it out for myself. I found it on the corner of Union Street and Higher Ardwick. It has been converted into the "Spicy Grill", a tandoori takeaway which still advertises a "A Warm & Friendly Welcome".

(Click on image to view full-size version)
On the opposite side of Higher Ardwick is the former Ardwick Conservative Club which was built in 1878. That is now occupied by the "Bead Shop" which offers a range of jewellery making classes.

A contribution to Our World Tuesday.

Monday Murals/Doorways: The Thirsty Scholar

The Thirsty Scholar is a bar and night club situated under one of the railway arches by Oxford Road station. The area around New Wakefield Street has a lot of graffiti/street art. The council are threatening to remove it, hence the "Save our Street Art" posters.

Chrissy Brand featured one of the New Wakefield Street murals last Monday on Mancunian Wave.

This is one of a series of photographs I took on a walk last Monday around the route of the viaduct linking Piccadilly to Oxford Road making some interesting discoveries along the way. An illustrated account of that walk can be found on the Geograph blog.

A contribution to Monday Murals.

ABC Wednesday: F is for Fishcakes

I was just rummaging through my drawers and came across a little book entitled "Good Things made, said and done, for every Home & Household 9th edition". Published in Leeds, 1883 by Goodall, Backhouse & Co of White Horse Street.

So I thought I'd share with you this recipe for fishcakes. You'll probably need to click on the image in order to read it properly.

For more "F" posts visit ABC Wednesday.

My best birthday ever

It is less than a week since I had my gall bladder removed. Although I'm not feeling anywhere near 100% yet, I am getting there. Wednesday was my birthday and I had a big party for around 50 people. Steve and Steph from our local butty shop "The Hot Crumpet" provided individual beef hotpots and my friend Mary Goodliffe made me a cake.


Mary also took these two photographs. I think I've had about three real birthday parties in my life. Usually I get only two or three cards as most people are just too busy to bother about someone's birthday when it is so near Christmas.


This year was therefore very special as I now live in a community full of friendly folk who'll lay on a party at the drop of a hat. Not since I was teenager (and maybe not even then) have I had as many as 27 birthday cards to blue-tack to the wall. Now I can start to look forward to Christmas and the New Year.

ABC Wednesday: C is forChocolate, Cucumber or Cherries

I didn't know what to post this week - I decided that my first thought just wasn't suitable for a family audience, so I looked in the fridge.

Chocolate, cucumber or cherries.

Which would you choose?

For more C posts visit ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday: L is for The Ladysmith

The Ladysmith public house on Wellington Road, Ashton under Lyne, opened in 1860 as a beerhouse named the Railway Tavern. It became fully licensed in 1865 as the Railway Hotel. In 1983 it was renamed the Ladysmith after the former barracks in the town.



For more L posts visit ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday: Q is for the Queens Arms at Kirkham

For the third week in a row my contribution to ABC Wednesday is a pub and like last week we are in Kirkham.

Although I'm a teetotaller, it appears that I take more photos of Public Houses than anything else (but it is still only just under 4% of the subjects I photograph).

My excuse is that so many pubs are disappearing that I want to record as many as possible while they still remain. This one looks to be still open although seeking a new landlord.

It is on what was the main road from Preston to Blackpool and Fleetwood. Where the car is parked looks like the entrance to stables and so this was probably a coaching inn originally.

I've aged and tinkered slightly with the perspective to produce this image.

You can see the original photograph of Poulson Street with the Queens Arms lying next to Xtreme Dry Cleaning on Geograph.

For more Q posts visit ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday:O is for the Orion

After I'd taken some photographs the other week near Christie Hospital, I walked towards Withington looking for further photo opportunites and came across The Orion.


From its sign it would appear to have been named after a ship.

If the uboat.net site is to be believed, "HMS Orion" was a light cruiser of the Leander class, launched in 1932 and scrapped in 1949.

According to another website it was part of the British West Indies squadron based in Kingston, Jamaica.

In trying to find out what the connection might be with this South Manchester pub, all I managed to come across was a posting on the Curious Fox website where someone asks

Any information or pictures sought on the ORION INN on Burton Road, Withington, a public house that is still standing today. The inn is still standing today, and my 2x Gt grandfather John Norbury was landlord there in the 1870s/1880s along with his father George Norbury. John was apparently also the parish clerk, and served in the navy on the HMS Orion, which is presumably how the inn first got its name. Would be interested in contact with anyone with a connection to the pub past and present, and especially of any old photos of the Orion Inn around the turn of the century (1900) or earlier. Would also like to talk to anyone who has a Norbury connection in Withington during this period as John and his wife Martha had a number of children.

which rather begs the question - was the pub still called the Orion in the 1870s?

Edit: Since first posting this I've been sent this link to the full history of HMS Orion on the Naval History website.

For more O posts visit ABC Wednesday.

ABC WednesdayF is for Füssen

We visted Füssen in 2002 on our 9-day tour of Europe by coach.


Day 6 was an included tour to Germany and Neuschwanstein Castle. Along with the Glacier Express, this was one of the things that had attracted us to this particular tour. Christine was familiar with the castle via a 3D computer jigsaw puzzle. Having spent many hours completing the jigsaw and exploring the inside of it in virtual reality, we were anxious to view it in actual reality. We were aware that the castle was accessible only via numerous steps, so we didn't expect to take the grand tour. Nonetheless we had expected to see the outside of the building and its grounds. It turns out that you cannot visit the castle at all except on the guided tour. Those of us who elected therefore not to go to the castle, spent five hours free time in the relatively flat town of Füssen.


We were dropped off on the outskirts of the town by the bus and railway station. We walked down two streets and crossed over the main road. An alleyway led into the old-town. At the end we found the Café Rosengärten. A sign outside proclaimed the availability of menus in English, French, Italian and Spanish. It sounded welcoming. We ventured inside. For a nice mid-morning snack we decided to try the pancakes. They were like Dutch pancakes — full plate size, topped with fruit, syrup and ice-cream — filling and delicious.


The old town consists of two or three long pedestrianised streets. It was thronged with people; not just tourists but also older locals walking their dogs. There were benches at regular intervals so we could take our time and wander around slowly, stopping frequently. Many of the buildings are four or five storeys high, brightly painted and often ornately decorated.


By the time we'd wandered around the streets and shops for a couple of hours we were ready for something to eat and sat down at one of the pavement cafés. We tried to order one pizza between the two of us, but the waitress was reluctant. So we went back for the second time to Café Rosengärten, where we were welcomed. I had a sausage and potato salad. Germany has a reputation for sausages. This was slightly larger than what passed at home for a "jumbo sausage". It was perfectly cooked and tasted gorgeous — even better than some of the best Cumberland sausages I've ever consumed. The salad was full of a variety of vegetables and was a super accompaniment. Christine had a different salad and Swiss sausages which came sliced. The café toilets were downstairs but spotlessly clean.

For more F posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Sunday: Half a Swede

I was waiting for our transport home to arrive when I noticed something in the road. I think it is half a swede. How it got there I don't know. It possibly fell out of someone's shopping bag as they were crossing the road. I fully expected it to get squashed by the tyre of a car, but several passed by and it survived. The shadow of a bus stop sign and a hanging basket were prominent so I thought I'd photograph it for today's post and here is the result. Our transport arrived very shortly afterwards and what happened to it later is something I don't know.

Visit Hey Harriet to discover more contributions to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Cow Heel and Tripe

Today's post is a complementary to the one on Hyde Daily Photo where you'll find a close-up of the cow heels seen here.

It was taken recently at the tripe stall belonging to Jack Curvis.

Jack, now in his 70s has been running the stall on Hyde's indoor market for nearly 20 years.

His customers from all over - Buxton, Macclesfield - and even from France. There are very few tripe places left now but the ones that are left, people travel to.

Jam & Scones

I happened to mention the word scone on Facebook recently and a New Yorker asked if English scones were similar to American scones.

A mutual friend from Sydney chipped in with

I seem to remember American scones being a bit hard and a good English scone is light and fluffy

to which New Yorker replied

our scones here are crusty and sprinkled with lots of sugar on top. And they are usually the size of a muffin.

and when our Australian sheila linked to a photo of a scone, the American said they called such items biscuits.

Well here is the scone I ate earlier this afternoon. It is cut in half and spread with butter (well low-fat spread actually) and jam. The top half has got strawberry jam on and since that was last in the jar, I had to open a new jar of apricot jam to spread on the bottom half.

Top left is the scone I'll be munching tomorrow - it is a cherry scone and I get them from the market - £1.50 for a packet of six - they do currant scones too.

Just for the record, top right are couple of biscuits - plain digestives as it happens; it seems Americans call them cookies!

I'm not sure that other scone is going to last till tomorrow.