Not Around Preston

Bootle is in Liverpool, north of the centre. Originally for the wealthy to avoid the masses in Liverpool, it was later popular with Irish dock workers. The docks lie to the west of the town. Arguably a less attractive area, there is not much you can see of them as access is restricted. Back from the docks is the north-south running Derby Road, A565. I assume the road is named after the Earl of Derby, and not because it goes to the city - he will crop up again. This is a major service road for the docks, and there are some examples of the office buildings of the old dock companies. As well as facilities for the dock workers.... Many now closed. I also found the Garden of Rest. This was the site of St Mary's Church, which had its own graveyard. I think the church was bombed during the war, and there is nothing of it now, but apparently the graves are still there. Note how brown the grass is; we have not had rain for several weeks. Behind Derby Road is the Leeds Liverpool canal. I was...

This in a National Trust property, but a rather unusual one because it is a viaduct. Built in 1892 by Heenan and Froude - also responsible for Blackpool Tower - it carried passenger traffic in and out of Manchester Central Station and freight in and out of the Great Northern Warehouse. The railway was closed in 1969, but still maintained, I guess for safety reasons, though it is listed. It was recently adopted by the National Trust for a two year period, and turned into a "garden in the sky". Only about half the viaduct is in use, this is the view beyond and shows what it all looked like two years ago. Much of the garden is a walkway between flower bed. While other parts are more formally laid out in planters. Got to be honest, I am more interested in bridges than plants...  The viaduct is made up of sections, and this photo shows where bridges sections meet. Note that they do not actually join, to allow for expansion. On the north side, you look down on the existing railway....

Manchester is not known for its rivers; most are hidden away. However, it was the rivers that provided power for the waterwheels of the mills originally, and later supplied the steam engines. The most important is the Irwell, which nowadays flows into the ship canal. The River Irk rises near Royton, which is just north of Oldham, about 7 miles northeast on Manchester. I walked a short bit of its length. It is not a walk I would recommend for others, but it has a number of sights that I found interesting. The river flows into the Irwell behind the cathedral. In the image, the Irwell is flowing from left to right, and the tunnel in the centre is the Irk. To the bridge to the left is the railway as it approaches Manchester Victoria Station... The river flows under the station, which was built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 1844. It became seriously run down from the middle of the last century, but was renovated when Metrolink arrived. Today the interior is a bizarre mishmash of t...