Crown Theatre, Eccles - May 2016

A very early start brought myself, Tbolt and the hobbit like creature know as only Zer081 out for this meet up on a rather rare and warm sunny spring morning.

Eccles, a small town which sits of the edge of the cities of Salford and Manchester and is a shadow of its former self, sadly.

The Crown Theatre opened in 1899 as The Lyceum, a luxury venue for Shakespeare productions, converted in 1932 into a cinema and further converted in 1963 into a Bingo hall.

Since closure in the 1980s this Grade II listed building has fallen into major disrepair, partially demolished with a gaping hole in the rear of the property and little or no roof.

 

This building is hanging on for dear life, with rough sleepers on the upper tiers sheltering under the remaining last parts of the roof structure.

Sadly with the owners pushing for demolition, the future looks grim for this once grand building.

I rather liked this place for some reason, but I'm a sucker for old cinemas and theatres and thus biased  with 5/10 - although I'm sure Tbolt and Zer081 would give it a 2/10 or possibly a 1.

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Coronation Street - April 2014

School holidays, time out from derping for a quick drive to Salford with Mrs Hunter and the Fraglets.
 

Well what can I say, first off I haven't watched Corrie for years, secondly I rather enjoyed it as did the rest of the gang.

A 45 minute tour of some of the old interior sets, make up areas and the dressing rooms followed by an as long as you want to potter around the cobbles of the famous street.

 

- The street itself is not very big and with the crowds you do have to have the patience of a saint to get your clear shots.

 

 





Took me 15 minutes to get this clear-ish shot.



 

Over all I would have give it 7/10 for a trip out, but given how much Mrs Hunter and the Fraglets loved it giving me some major Brownie Points, the final points come in at 10/10.

Agecroft Mortuary Chapel, Salford - January 2014

Back in October 2012 I popped round to Agecroft Mortuary Chapel, to have a look at what is officially in the UK top twenty of historical properties at risk - Urban Spaceman and I en-route to his first flight with Captain Pugwash, dropped in for another look see.

On the previous visit the building was slowly being enveloped by triffid, thankfully someone has got the beanstalk trimmers out and hacked away at the foliage.

 

Its still overgrown, but a least you can see the building now, with its darting tree rats.

 



Out of respect to a graveyard of busy mourners (and our lack of Ninja like "Powers") we didn't pop over the rather spikey fence, but peered thru the windows at the fallen floors, ceilings and pigeon poo.

 

Sadly merely trimming your bush will not save a hole









No doubt we will pop back at some point, hopefully somebody will save this wonderful building before it falls down.

Anyway on to the airport, for Urban Spaceman had an unexpected flight to catch, but that is another story for another day.....

Heritage at Risk 2012 - Agecroft Chapel

Another sad and decaying Grade II listed property, again just 10 minutes drive from me. Agecroft Cemetery lies in the city of Salford, about 4 miles from the centre of Manchester.

The Agecroft Mortuary Chapel was built in 1903 by Sharpe and Foster in a Gothic style with Art Nouveau stained glass windows, this once grand building is now being enveloped by the plant life.







 Listed on the Heritage at Risk report again this year, the Victorian Society has now listed the building in its Top Ten most endangered buildings in England.