Every time I go to Crewe, I find myself looking out of the window of the train is we pull into the station wondering where the Class 89 is going to be. I have posted about it before, so I won’t waste your time repeating my reason for being interested in it. Instead, because it happened to be in a good spot to get a shot as I walked out of the station, here is another shot. That’s it! Nothing more…
If you saw the previous post about the locks on the canal in Chester, you will know I was in the dark along the water. While it was very dark down there, this was a pretty busy place with people out walking their dogs or pushing their pushchairs and purchases along after some shopping in the city. I decided to walk along the canal back in the direction of the centre of town. For quite a stretch of this part of the canal, there was no lighting. A sign warned about this as you entered the darkest spot.
There was some ambient light coming down from the streets above. However, the canal course was cut into the rock so the light from above was quite a way off and things were really dark down along the path. What was slightly more concerning was that the water level was almost the same as the bank and, in the low light, it was hard to see where one ended and the other started. I was pretty cautious as I walked along.
As before at the locks, the camera was able to pick up way more detail than my eyes were seeing. There was an old bridge across the canal. According to a sign I saw further up the path, this was to connect the old prison with the chapel on the opposite side. It has since been joined by a larger bridge that carries traffic and this bridge now seems to be out of use. I was soon back out into the (relatively) lighter area and back towards the middle of Chester. As with the locks, this is somewhere I wouldn’t mind exploring in the day so I can see what it actually looks like!
During my evening in Chester, I walked along the city walls until I came to a place where the walls met the railway and the canal. This is a place where the terrain drops off quite quickly and, in order for the canal to make the descent, there is a pair of locks with a very deep drop. It was very dark in this area at night and there was no lighting. Nor was there any fencing around the locks. Consequently, I was very cautious as I explored them.
This was where modern camera technology came to my aid. I could see very little of what was around me, even as my eyes had adjusted to the low light conditions. My phone, on the other hand, did a phenomenal job of picking up the faint light that there was and stabilising the image to build up a usable shot. I can see things in these shots that I had no sight of at the time. I would like to go back in the day to see the locks in more detail. I did figure that, given how deep they were, you could come a cropper in there really easily if you weren’t careful.
A work trip meant an overnight in Chester. I got there late in the afternoon as the light was already fading. By the time I had checked in and changed, it was dark. However, Chester is a picturesque place day or night. The many half-timbered buildings that still survive in the city centre are very attractive. Add to that the cathedral and the sculptures and you have plenty to see. I wander around taking a bunch of shots. I do think a visit again when I am free to explore will be worthwhile. In the meantime, here are some photos of the Chester by night.
I had an overnight in Chester as part of a work trip to the region. The hotel I was staying in was just outside the centre of the city and alongside the canal. A short distance away was a shot tower and I figured I had to take a look. Shot towers were used to make shot – who’d have thought? In order to get “perfect” spheres for the shot, the molten metal was pushed through fine mesh at the top of the tower, and the drops of metal would fall. They would form a sphere as they free fell and would also cool as they fell through the air. They would have solidified by the time they reached the bottom, and you would have your shot.
Production techniques evolved over time and towers like this became redundant. Fortunately, this one has not been demolished and now it looks over the new apartment developments along the canal. The inside is illuminated and, while there is a window looking in, there is not much to be seen. I hope it is well looked after and will remain for many years to come.
We took a walk through the grounds at Tatton Park while on our way to the Lake District. The park is known for its herds of deer, and we wanted to see some – well, I was particularly keen to see some and get some photos! It was the time for the rut and so it is wise to be more careful than usual around the deer. Signs warned everyone to stay at least 50m away from the deer. Sometimes that was harder than you might think.
Some of the males were off doing their own thing. That might include being on the ground watching things around you and, as you walk along, you didn’t always spot them quickly. Finding a large beast with extensive antlers staring at you can be quite startling. We did manage to stay out of the way, but it required attention.
When we came to the larger herds, the males were more active. As they asserted their dominance, there was much bellowing and pacing plus the occasional chase after a male that got too close. They would then start wandering towards us. I don’t think that they had read the signs about keeping a distance. We consequently were making an effort to keep our distance. I don’t know what the best behaviour is with deer. I’ve seen plenty about what to do with bears, but I don’t know what works for a deer. Fortunately, we didn’t have to find out. Our distance was sufficient.
I was walking back into Crewe Station on my way home after a work visit. Crewe was a major part of the UK rail industry at its peak and it still has many rail businesses. The station is sized for the significance that it once held. There are plenty of platforms. What I hadn’t noticed before is that there used to be more. As I approached the station, I saw these extra platforms that are now disused. Standing on what would be track level looking up at them, I wondered what things might have looked like when they were in use and things were really buzzing at this station.
The drive from the Lake District to Derbyshire provided an opportunity to check out a place that Nancy was interesting in visiting. Lyme Park is a country house not far from Stockport. It is a lovely looking estate but the reason is it well known is that it was used in the filming of Pride and Prejudice. The lake from which a damp Colin Firth emerged in the production is now even named on their map as Darcy’s Lake!
The area around the house has some beautifully landscaped areas and an impressive glasshouse. There is a lake in front of the house and a structured garden area to boot. Outside the house area is a far larger estate that covers much of the local area. Deer roam through much of this part of the property. We did our usual thing of checking out the outside area but skipping the interiors. Our National Trust membership got us wherever we want to go but the interiors usually leave me less inspired than the exteriors. We also had to keep an eye on the time.
It was a slightly overcast day – maybe not a huge surprise for the outskirts of Manchester – which made the stone of the buildings look a little subdued. Stone buildings with grey skies are a touch trickier to work with. However, sometimes excluding the sky is the way to go to try and make the building stand out more. Nice looking place and worth a visit if you are in the area.
