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Sunday 28 July 2013

Lancashire - from the air July 2013

I'm not sure what is Lancashire is anymore - or rather what is not Lancashire, Bolton used to be Lancashire but now its Greater Manchester and has been for many years.

So before anyone shouts "that's not Lancashire" please bare in mind a lot of people who live in Greater Manchester quote their address as Lancashire.

On with some pictures from the plane (mostly taken July 2013 - a few are older shots).

First off a mill, Lancashire is full of mills, a lot have fallen into disrepair over the years, many demolished and a good few converted to apartments.

This first one is Lion Mill, Royton, Oldham - it featured in the TV drama series Life on Mars.
 IMGP8785_DxO

Grape Mill, Royton, Oldham
Grape Mill, Royton, Oldham

Whilst we are over Oldham, Oldham Athletic Football Club
Oldham Athletic Football Club

and another mill, Manor Mill, Oldham - the Oldham area used to have over 70 mills
Manor Mill, Oldham

Rochdale, another Lancashire cotton mill town, with its gas towers and ugly concrete housing
Rochdale Gas Towers

Rochdale

On the moors above the mill town of Darwen sits Darwen Tower or as its also known Jubilee Tower - built in 1898 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
Darwen Tower - Jubilee Tower tiltshift

Jubilee Tower, Darwen Tower

Thankfully its not all bleak industrial landscapes in Lancashire, plenty of greenery to see.
England's Springtime

 Rivington

Lever Castle, a folly of Lord Leverhulme, Rivington, near Chorley
 Lever Castle aka Liverpool Castle, Rivington

Moving towards Preston we have the wonderful Brockholes Nature Reserve (the nature reserve uses a few of my shots on its promotional literature).
Brockholes Nature Reserve, Preston

Brockholes Nature Reserve, Preston

Preston North End Football Club
  Preston North End Football Club

And so we come to Blackpool, once the play area for the workers of the Lancashire cotton mills, even when I was child a day out in Blackpool was something special, a few hours on the Pleasure Beach on the various roller coasters and a walk down the Golden Mile with a walk down one of the three piers. Not to mention a visit to the now closed  Doctor Who Exhibition . Blackpool in the 1970s even have Space City, an exhibition of everything Gerry Anderson from Thunderbirds to Space 1999. Them were the days.....

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

 Blackpool

Blackpool

 Blackpool

 Blackpool

Just down the sky/coast/road ? from Blackpool is the village of Pilling, with the wonderful windmill at Damside Mill.
Damside Mill, Pilling

Damside Mill, Pilling

Just outside of the main village, is the beach of Pilling Sands, where strangely in the this world of of health and safety your still allowed to land your plane of the beach and go for an ice cream.

Flight Design CTSW

Until next time.......


 View my photos at bighugelabs.com

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Bolton from the air, again - July 2013

Time to catch up with more aerial shots from around Bolton, following the last selection from January

Once again all pictures taken by myself, this time early July 2013 on a couple of trips out to other places.

This first picture ended up in our local newspaper, big mistake on my part with a lack of the story printed and parts of the article simply made up and the promises of a mention of the pilots charity webpage simply broken.

Bottom line, Saturday afternoon in Bolton Town Centre and the place is dead.

Bolton Town Hall

This next shot of Bolton, again showing Bolton Town Hall and was taken the weekend after, its a Sunday shot.

 Bolton Town Hall

Newport Street, Bolton, showing the Bolton Gateway Bridge in all its "glory" - on the bottom right hand side is the proposed area for the new Bolton transport hub or as some would call it a bus station or possibly escape.

Bolton Gateway Bridge, Newport Street, Bolton

The A666. St Peters Way, going under Bradford Street, you can see Shifnal Street in this shot, strangely if you use the words Shifnal Street, Bolton on any blog or photo it gets extra views due to Shifnal Street historically being the red light district of Bolton - this is pretty much not the case these days as the local police have cleaned up the area.

Bradford Street/A666 St Peters Way, Bolton

 Arrrrrrr, the Jumbles Reservoir, when I was a school lad they used to make run round this in the snow, ice and Lancashire's torrential rain as part of a torture regime codenamed cross country - bastards !!

Jumbles Reservoir

Over to Harwood, bordering Breightmet, off Stitch Mi Lane is the new school St Catherine's Academy which replaced the now demolished Withins School or as previously known County Grammar School.

St Catherine's Academy, Bolton

Harwood Quarry, Brookfold Lane.

Harwood Quarry, Bolton

Falcon Mill, Halliwell, one of the remaining dark satanic mills of Bolton

Falcon Mill, Halliwell, Bolton

Swan Lane Mill, Great Lever, Bolton

Swan Lane Mill, Bolton

Then back towards Bolton Town Centre, Bolton Parish Church and Churchgate

Churchgate, Bolton and Bolton Parish Church

Bolton Parish Church

Finally two shots of Bolton Town Centre, Bolton Town Hall and Le Mans Crescent.

Bolton Town Hall

Bolton Town Hall and Bolton Town Centre

More to follow....

Copyright 2013 Fragglehunter/Sleepyg Photography
Do not reproduce in whole or part without permission of the Copyright holder.

View my photos at bighugelabs.com

Meh to the Royal baby - Urbex in the papers June/July 2013

Royal baby overload ??? Lets have a round up of some recent mildly interesting urbex reads in the papers.

First off America in Ruins in the Guardian, States Of Decay, confirming that its not just Detroit that has all the derp of America

Another link this time from Denver confirming again that its not just Detroit sitting rotting, in this article about a disused airport.

Oh dear Detroit time again - after the recent location filming for the new Robocop film property developers are now looking to purchase the old Packard Plant

America scores again with this article in the Daily Mail, an old spooky asylum in New York, well not that spooky to be honest but the Daily Mail seems to be strangely addicted to urban exploration at the moment.

Urban Exploration goes legit - so it says here, I got bored reading this one.

Haunted ghost hotel, oh my !! Japan - we don't get to hear enough about Japan.

Blimey, its back to the Daily Mail again using fancy mildly titillating words such as top secret, hidden, codenamed - its Nazi bunker time !!!

Shanghai and rooftop stuff - not for me to be honest.

Finally, local news, late news (you have missed the shows) but Massive Attack and Adam Curtis staged shows in Manchester's long disused Mayfield Railway Station.

- The Guardian have 360 degree spinny thingy thing here of part of the Mayfield building

Hope that distracted you from this Prince Thingy story for a few moments relief.

View my photos at bighugelabs.com

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Lascar Works, Bury - Demolition July 2013


Back in August 2012, myself and Jdub visited this under photographed derp of a building, Lascar Works of Bury.

Lascar, Bury

This place had been somewhat under the radar on the Urbex scene for many years and had some wonderful street art.

Lascar, Bury

Well I have to report that whilst overhead Bury, the place is currently being demolished - another hidden gem bites the dust.

 Demolition of Lascar, Bury


View my photos at bighugelabs.com





Monday 8 July 2013

Duke of Lancaster, from the air - July 2013

Summer is here at last, so a quick spin down to Mostyn, North Wales - a return to the ghost ship that is slowly being turned into an art canvas - The Duke of Lancaster.

As always my pilot was Captain Pugwash and we flew in via Liverpool from our top secret underground hanger, otherwise known as the Batcave.

Not that much had changed from my last visit, but with the improved weather it was time to get some much improved photographs.


 Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

IMGP8450_DxO

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

Duke of Lancaster

So if your a fan of the old ship take a look at my Flickr set, with photos of the art, shots pre-artwork and any many more aerial shots of the beast or take a look thru my blogs on the Duke of Lancaster.


View my photos at bighugelabs.com

Copyright 2013 Fragglehunter
Do not reproduce in whole or part without permission of the Copyright holder.