Construction & Demolition http://windybuild.fotopic.net/ 22 rows en-gb 60 Aldi, Ramsbottom Construction http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1767907.html After following the construction of the Lidl supermarket in Rawtenstall, I noticed that another German owned supermarket was to be built in nearby Ramsbottom, and I thought it might be interesting to see if the style of construction differed on this one. This collection shows a number of images taken at various times in recent months, showing the various stages of construction of the store. What was immediately noticable was that this store was built in a more 'english style' way, with a steel frame and brick walls, very different to the more continental wooden frame style of the Lidl store. Progress on this new store certainly seemed to be much faster too, with work taking far less time on getting the main structure erected. The store is due to open in November, so the entire project will only have taken around six months compared to the eleven months or so for the Lidl site. Tuesday 13 October 2009: After following the construction of the Lidl supermarket in Rawtenstall, I noticed that another German owned supermarket was to be built in nearby Ramsbottom, and I thought it might be interesting to see if the style of construction differed on this one. This collection shows a number of images taken at various times in recent months, showing the various stages of construction of the store. What was immediately noticable was that this store was built in a more 'english style' way, with a steel frame and brick walls, very different to the more continental wooden frame style of the Lidl store. Progress on this new store certainly seemed to be much faster too, with work taking far less time on getting the main structure erected. The store is due to open in November, so the entire project will only have taken around six months compared to the eleven months or so for the Lidl site.

21st June 2009 21st June 2009 21st June 2009 21st June 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 26th July 2009 26th July 2009 26th July 2009 5th August 2009 5th August 2009 5th August 2009 5th August 2009 5th August 2009 16th August 2009 16th August 2009 23rd August 2009 23rd August 2009 29th August 2009 29th August 2009 29th August 2009 29th August 2009 29th August 2009 20th September 2009 20th September 2009 20th September 2009 12th October 2009

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Tue Oct 13 2009 Rawtenstall Cricket Club Redevelopment http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1662085.html In early 2009 the old clubhouse at Rawtenstall Cricket Club, a club which plays in the Lancashire League, was demolished and replaced by a newer building. Since this site is almost across the road from the new Health Hub it seemed like a good idea to record this as well whilst I was in the area. After the snowy conditions in February, some of my visits to the site in March saw weather that looked almost good enough to play cricket in, and work now continues steadily on the new clubhouse unhampered by the conditions. Withe the improvement in the weather trhroughout April, May and June, work progressed quickly, and by early July the slates were being fitted to the roof, and the building was starting to look almost complete externally. Work will not be completed by the end of the 2009 season, but the building should be ready for the start of the 2010 season. Occasional visits during August, September and October didn't show too much change to the exterior of the building, as much of this was now completed, and most likely work on fitting out the inside of the building was taking place. Tuesday 3 March 2009: In early 2009 the old clubhouse at Rawtenstall Cricket Club, a club which plays in the Lancashire League, was demolished and replaced by a newer building. Since this site is almost across the road from the new Health Hub it seemed like a good idea to record this as well whilst I was in the area. After the snowy conditions in February, some of my visits to the site in March saw weather that looked almost good enough to play cricket in, and work now continues steadily on the new clubhouse unhampered by the conditions. Withe the improvement in the weather trhroughout April, May and June, work progressed quickly, and by early July the slates were being fitted to the roof, and the building was starting to look almost complete externally. Work will not be completed by the end of the 2009 season, but the building should be ready for the start of the 2010 season. Occasional visits during August, September and October didn't show too much change to the exterior of the building, as much of this was now completed, and most likely work on fitting out the inside of the building was taking place.

2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 2nd March 2009 2nd March 2009 2nd March 2009 2nd March 2009 2nd March 2009 10th March 2009 10th March 2009 10th March 2009 10th March 2009 10th March 2009 10th March 2009 22nd March 2009 22nd March 2009 4th May 2009 30th May 2009 7th June 2009 7th June 2009 7th June 2009 14th June 2009 21st June 2009 21st June 2009 24th June 2009 24th June 2009 9th July 2009 9th July 2009 12th July 2009 19th July 2009 19th July 2009 30th July 2009 3rd August 2009

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Tue Mar 3 2009 Rossendale Gas Explosion - December 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1644716.html I wasn't sure whether this should go into the Emergency Gallery or the Construction Gallery, since it features a bit of both, but the bulk of the images here cover the repair and temporary rebuilding work, so here is probably more appropriate. The event, as was widely featured on the national news and press at the time, took place on the 22nd of December, when a gas main exploded next to a sub-station at Townsend Fold in Rawtenstall, whilst it was in the process of being repaired. Repair crews were brought in from all over the country in an attempt to get gas and electricity supplies restored to the valley in time for Christmas, and they were largely successful with this. The blast had damaged some of the wires from the 132 kv pylon, and a number of wooden poles had to be erected to carry the replacement wires across the bypass, River Irwell and surrounding areas to the substation itself. A return visit in February still showed some traces of the charring effects on the wooden fence posts, but much of the damaged metal fencing had all been replaced. An area of ground close by had been cordoned off, very likely as the site of the replacement pylon, but I will have to keep checking this whenever possible to see if this is what does happen. Another visit on the 4th of May saw work starting on the assembly of the new pylon, it will be interesting to see exactly were this is situated, and if it is routed away from the gas main to avoid a repeat of the earlier problems. Monday 22 December 2008: I wasn't sure whether this should go into the Emergency Gallery or the Construction Gallery, since it features a bit of both, but the bulk of the images here cover the repair and temporary rebuilding work, so here is probably more appropriate. The event, as was widely featured on the national news and press at the time, took place on the 22nd of December, when a gas main exploded next to a sub-station at Townsend Fold in Rawtenstall, whilst it was in the process of being repaired. Repair crews were brought in from all over the country in an attempt to get gas and electricity supplies restored to the valley in time for Christmas, and they were largely successful with this. The blast had damaged some of the wires from the 132 kv pylon, and a number of wooden poles had to be erected to carry the replacement wires across the bypass, River Irwell and surrounding areas to the substation itself. A return visit in February still showed some traces of the charring effects on the wooden fence posts, but much of the damaged metal fencing had all been replaced. An area of ground close by had been cordoned off, very likely as the site of the replacement pylon, but I will have to keep checking this whenever possible to see if this is what does happen. Another visit on the 4th of May saw work starting on the assembly of the new pylon, it will be interesting to see exactly were this is situated, and if it is routed away from the gas main to avoid a repeat of the earlier problems.

22nd December 2008 22nd December 2008 22nd December 2008 22nd December 2008 22nd December 2008 22nd December 2008 22nd December 2008 22nd December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 27th December 2008 28th December 2008 28th December 2008 28th December 2008 28th December 2008 17th January 2009 17th January 2009 17th January 2009 17th January 2009 17th January 2009 17th January 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 7th February 2009 21st February 2009 21st February 2009 21st February 2009 21st February 2009

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Mon Dec 22 2008 Rawtenstall Health Hub http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1627396.html This gallery follows the progress of the new Health Hub, which is being built on the site of the former Albion Mill (check Albion Mill Demolition gallery for details of that). Work is taking place here from December 2008. By the 10th of January 2009 almost the whole of the site was now surrounded by a large wooden fence, so this may well make taking pictures a lot more difficult until the building starts to gain some height - anyone know where I can get a pair of stilts?:-) Forget the above comment, whilst visiting the site in February I noticed that they have now cut some observation holes in the fences on both sides of the site, so I now have a nice little spot to poke my camera through. I also discovered that the landing at the nearby 'Weaver's Cottage' also offers a nice aerial view of part of the site too. Work is progressing well, with a number of concrete constructions now appearing in the new floor, but sadly those nice little observation holes now have a yellow mesh across them, so not quite so useful now. By the 10th of March most of the main girderwork was in place, and we can now get a good idea of just how big this building will be. Sunday 21 December 2008: This gallery follows the progress of the new Health Hub, which is being built on the site of the former Albion Mill (check Albion Mill Demolition gallery for details of that). Work is taking place here from December 2008. By the 10th of January 2009 almost the whole of the site was now surrounded by a large wooden fence, so this may well make taking pictures a lot more difficult until the building starts to gain some height - anyone know where I can get a pair of stilts?:-) Forget the above comment, whilst visiting the site in February I noticed that they have now cut some observation holes in the fences on both sides of the site, so I now have a nice little spot to poke my camera through. I also discovered that the landing at the nearby 'Weaver's Cottage' also offers a nice aerial view of part of the site too. Work is progressing well, with a number of concrete constructions now appearing in the new floor, but sadly those nice little observation holes now have a yellow mesh across them, so not quite so useful now. By the 10th of March most of the main girderwork was in place, and we can now get a good idea of just how big this building will be.

17th December 2008 17th December 2008 17th December 2008 17th December 2008 17th December 2008 20th December 2008 20th December 2008 20th December 2008 20th December 2008 20th December 2008 20th December 2008 20th December 2008 20th December 2008 10th January 2009 10th January 2009 10th January 2009 10th January 2009 10th January 2009 10th January 2009 10th January 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 8th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 18th February 2009 2nd March 2009 2nd March 2009

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Sun Dec 21 2008 Bury Town Centre Redevelopment http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1622625.html Since I spend a lot of time on the ELR, I occasionally head down to 'headquarters' at Bury and take a few pictures around the Bury Station area, also I often head up for the Heap Bridge/Pilsworth area to take shots of some of the locos passing over the motorway. During these visits it was hard not to notice that something major was going on near the centre of Bury, and the sight of a lot of tower cranes there caught both my eye and curiosity. During a visit in August 2008 I observed a lot of work taking place, on what I later discovered was a project known as the "Rock Triangle" (The Rock is the name of an area of central Bury), and research on the internet revealed that the eastern quarter of Bury town centre was undergoing a £300 million mixed-use development, which was expected to be completed in 2010. Amongst the users of this new complex will be around 60 shops, which will include a Debenhams store, a new 10 screen multiplex cinema, which will be run by 'Vue', who currently operate the 12 screen cinema at the Park 66 site at Pilsworth, which opened in 1990. There will also be a 1000 space multi-storey car park, a Tenpin Bowling Alley, around 10 Restaurants, a medical centre and several hundred apartments. The project is being jointly managed by Bury Council and Thornfield Properties. A return visit in early December noted that quite a lot of steelwork had gone up since my previous visit back in August, so I will try and visit at least once a month in the future, and record the development as it progresses. The project seems to be going on in spite of the credit crunch, so it will be nice to see at least one major project reach completion after all the many cancelled projects in other parts of the area. The next visit took place in late January 2009, and this time I also took a few shots of the 'Townside' development too, which is on the opposite side of Bury centre and next to the Town Hall, this is still pretty much just a steel frame, and not quite so easy to photograph as the Rock development. On the 7th of February I was travelling by train to Heywood, and as the line passes to the rear of the 'Townside' site I was able to get a few shots of the project from a different angle, this makes the site look a lot more impressive than it does from the Town Centre side. If this is a residential development some of the residents should get a nice view of the East Lancashire Railway and Metrolink anyway! On the 15th of March I was in Bury again and took the opportunity to get a few more shots of the new 'Townside' development, which borders on to the railway near to the 'ski jump' over the Metrolink line. This looks like being an even larger building than I first thought. Monthly visits in April and May 2009 saw much progress on the main metalwork structure, and this now seemed to be nearing it's completion. July 12th was my next visit, and the site had progressed well during the longer days of summer, and work now seemed to be going on 7 days a week, you can really see the progress on the site now. A visit on the 29th of August saw a big change on the site, all of the large tower cranes had now been removed, and the outside of the structure was mostly covered in scaffolding, and many of the walls and windows had now been installed, the building is really starting to take shape now. In early October the Townside development was starting to look like its exterior is nearing completion, with much of the brickwork now in place. Tuesday 9 December 2008: Since I spend a lot of time on the ELR, I occasionally head down to 'headquarters' at Bury and take a few pictures around the Bury Station area, also I often head up for the Heap Bridge/Pilsworth area to take shots of some of the locos passing over the motorway. During these visits it was hard not to notice that something major was going on near the centre of Bury, and the sight of a lot of tower cranes there caught both my eye and curiosity. During a visit in August 2008 I observed a lot of work taking place, on what I later discovered was a project known as the "Rock Triangle" (The Rock is the name of an area of central Bury), and research on the internet revealed that the eastern quarter of Bury town centre was undergoing a _300 million mixed-use development, which was expected to be completed in 2010. Amongst the users of this new complex will be around 60 shops, which will include a Debenhams store, a new 10 screen multiplex cinema, which will be run by 'Vue', who currently operate the 12 screen cinema at the Park 66 site at Pilsworth, which opened in 1990. There will also be a 1000 space multi-storey car park, a Tenpin Bowling Alley, around 10 Restaurants, a medical centre and several hundred apartments. The project is being jointly managed by Bury Council and Thornfield Properties. A return visit in early December noted that quite a lot of steelwork had gone up since my previous visit back in August, so I will try and visit at least once a month in the future, and record the development as it progresses. The project seems to be going on in spite of the credit crunch, so it will be nice to see at least one major project reach completion after all the many cancelled projects in other parts of the area. The next visit took place in late January 2009, and this time I also took a few shots of the 'Townside' development too, which is on the opposite side of Bury centre and next to the Town Hall, this is still pretty much just a steel frame, and not quite so easy to photograph as the Rock development. On the 7th of February I was travelling by train to Heywood, and as the line passes to the rear of the 'Townside' site I was able to get a few shots of the project from a different angle, this makes the site look a lot more impressive than it does from the Town Centre side. If this is a residential development some of the residents should get a nice view of the East Lancashire Railway and Metrolink anyway! On the 15th of March I was in Bury again and took the opportunity to get a few more shots of the new 'Townside' development, which borders on to the railway near to the 'ski jump' over the Metrolink line. This looks like being an even larger building than I first thought. Monthly visits in April and May 2009 saw much progress on the main metalwork structure, and this now seemed to be nearing it's completion. July 12th was my next visit, and the site had progressed well during the longer days of summer, and work now seemed to be going on 7 days a week, you can really see the progress on the site now. A visit on the 29th of August saw a big change on the site, all of the large tower cranes had now been removed, and the outside of the structure was mostly covered in scaffolding, and many of the walls and windows had now been installed, the building is really starting to take shape now. In early October the Townside development was starting to look like its exterior is nearing completion, with much of the brickwork now in place.

15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 15th August 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 25th January 2009 25th January 2009 25th January 2009 25th January 2009 25th January 2009

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Tue Dec 9 2008 Lidl, Rawtenstall Construction Project http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1619267.html Following the demolition of the old Rawtenstall Bus Depot (you can find a collection of images of the demolition elsewhere in this gallery), the site was then cleared, and work started on the construction of a new Lidl store on the site. This is a German owned company, and work was progressing well during November and December 2008, and in this gallery you will find a number of images of the construction works taken during regular visits to the site. Not much work took place over the Christmas and New Year period, but by late January things were moving again, and a few shots of the concrete pumping machine adding a new section to the floor were taken on the 28th of January. Back again in February, this time it was very cold and snowy, but there seemed to be plenty of activity taking place, and the walls were going up fast. March saw a big change in the weather and a rapid advance in the progress of this site, with large section of the roof, consisting mainly of prefabricated sections, being lifted into place by a mobile crane. As of March 10th it was possible to get some idea of just how big this building will be when completed. Work progressed very quickly throughout May and June, and the roof was soon on and completed. Next the walls and car park was quickly cleared and surfaced, and by early July the building was starting to look externally complete, with the sign and all windows installed, and work taking place indoors to fit out the store. It's now starting to look like the store may open sometime in August. One final point, take a look at the style of the stonework on the external walls and then compare it to the style of the stonework on the old bus depot - very similar aren't they? I assume this was done quite deliberately, which if so was a nice touch. Another batch of pictures were taken on the 12th of July, this was because the external structure of the building is now nearing completion, and it looks like the store will open on the 30th of the month, probably not too many more picture opportunities now before the site is completed. This time I've taken a few more shots of the rear and sides of the building, and from soem angles you can really see the similarities with the old bus depot's style of stonework. After a flurry of activity, and a lot of last minute work the store was finally ready for opening, and this it did at 8am on Thursday 30th of July 2009. The building is now complete and a large number of stones from the former bus depot that stood on this site now line the walls, and even have a similar style (check the bus depot demolition gallery and you'll see what I mean!). Thus completes this gallery, which started right after the demolition of the old depot in September 2008. Tuesday 2 December 2008: Following the demolition of the old Rawtenstall Bus Depot (you can find a collection of images of the demolition elsewhere in this gallery), the site was then cleared, and work started on the construction of a new Lidl store on the site. This is a German owned company, and work was progressing well during November and December 2008, and in this gallery you will find a number of images of the construction works taken during regular visits to the site. Not much work took place over the Christmas and New Year period, but by late January things were moving again, and a few shots of the concrete pumping machine adding a new section to the floor were taken on the 28th of January. Back again in February, this time it was very cold and snowy, but there seemed to be plenty of activity taking place, and the walls were going up fast. March saw a big change in the weather and a rapid advance in the progress of this site, with large section of the roof, consisting mainly of prefabricated sections, being lifted into place by a mobile crane. As of March 10th it was possible to get some idea of just how big this building will be when completed. Work progressed very quickly throughout May and June, and the roof was soon on and completed. Next the walls and car park was quickly cleared and surfaced, and by early July the building was starting to look externally complete, with the sign and all windows installed, and work taking place indoors to fit out the store. It's now starting to look like the store may open sometime in August. One final point, take a look at the style of the stonework on the external walls and then compare it to the style of the stonework on the old bus depot - very similar aren't they? I assume this was done quite deliberately, which if so was a nice touch. Another batch of pictures were taken on the 12th of July, this was because the external structure of the building is now nearing completion, and it looks like the store will open on the 30th of the month, probably not too many more picture opportunities now before the site is completed. This time I've taken a few more shots of the rear and sides of the building, and from soem angles you can really see the similarities with the old bus depot's style of stonework. After a flurry of activity, and a lot of last minute work the store was finally ready for opening, and this it did at 8am on Thursday 30th of July 2009. The building is now complete and a large number of stones from the former bus depot that stood on this site now line the walls, and even have a similar style (check the bus depot demolition gallery and you'll see what I mean!). Thus completes this gallery, which started right after the demolition of the old depot in September 2008.

26th October 2008 26th October 2008 26th October 2008 26th October 2008 26th October 2008 26th October 2008 26th October 2008 26th October 2008 16th November 2008 16th November 2008 16th November 2008 16th November 2008 16th November 2008 16th November 2008 16th November 2008 16th November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 23rd November 2008 23rd November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 1st December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 10th December 2008 10th December 2008 10th December 2008 10th December 2008 13th December 2008 17th December 2008 17th December 2008 28th January 2009 28th January 2009 28th January 2009 28th January 2009 28th January 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009 2nd February 2009

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Tue Dec 2 2008 Brookville Demolition & Reconstruction http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1619265.html This gallery covers the demolition of the old Brookville Sheltered accommodation in Whitworth, Lancashire, and the subsequent re-building, which started pretty much as soon as the old place had been cleared. Work was taking place through much of late 2008, and reconstruction will run into 2009. At the moment visits are roughly fortnightly, and the progress can be seen more clearly at these intervals. By the 31st of January construction of the walls walls was well under way, and quite a few bricks, or rather blocks had been laid since my previous visit on the 15th. As of the 1st of June work on the main structure of the building has progressed well, and the roof supports are now being put in place. The name of the new complex will change slightly, and I am told it will be called "Greenbrook Court" once completed. Tuesday 2 December 2008: This gallery covers the demolition of the old Brookville Sheltered accommodation in Whitworth, Lancashire, and the subsequent re-building, which started pretty much as soon as the old place had been cleared. Work was taking place through much of late 2008, and reconstruction will run into 2009. At the moment visits are roughly fortnightly, and the progress can be seen more clearly at these intervals. By the 31st of January construction of the walls walls was well under way, and quite a few bricks, or rather blocks had been laid since my previous visit on the 15th. As of the 1st of June work on the main structure of the building has progressed well, and the roof supports are now being put in place. The name of the new complex will change slightly, and I am told it will be called "Greenbrook Court" once completed.

3rd August 2008 3rd August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 26th August 2008 26th August 2008 26th August 2008 26th August 2008 26th August 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 14th September 2008 14th September 2008 14th September 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 9th October 2008 12th November 2008 12th November 2008 12th November 2008 12th November 2008 12th November 2008

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Tue Dec 2 2008 Facit Mill old Weaving Shed Demolition http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1618791.html The old former weaving shed next door to Facit Mill in Whitworth, latterly used by a sports company and now known as 'Alexander House', was flattened during the latter half of 2008, and in this gallery you will see a number of shots which were taken during this period and which record some of the demolition work that took place there. You may think that the main building is next on the list too, judging by the poor state that it is in, though it does still seem to be in use as a textile warehouse at the moment, even though a 'To Let/For sale' sign has recently appeared outside. Monday 1 December 2008: The old former weaving shed next door to Facit Mill in Whitworth, latterly used by a sports company and now known as 'Alexander House', was flattened during the latter half of 2008, and in this gallery you will see a number of shots which were taken during this period and which record some of the demolition work that took place there. You may think that the main building is next on the list too, judging by the poor state that it is in, though it does still seem to be in use as a textile warehouse at the moment, even though a 'To Let/For sale' sign has recently appeared outside.

10th July 2008 10th July 2008 10th July 2008 10th July 2008 10th July 2008 12th July 2008 12th July 2008 12th July 2008 12th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 27th July 2008 3rd August 2008 3rd August 2008 3rd August 2008 3rd August 2008 3rd August 2008 3rd August 2008 12th August 2008 12th August 2008 12th August 2008 12th August 2008 12th August 2008 12th August 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 30th October 2008 24th December 2008 24th December 2008 24th December 2008 24th December 2008 24th December 2008

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Mon Dec 1 2008 Albion Mill Demolition, Rawtenstall http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1618783.html The old Albion Mill in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, which was used by Tomlinson Footwear Ltd., was also getting flattened during November and December 2008, and in this gallery you can see a few images of the site and the demolition work taking place there. Monday 1 December 2008: The old Albion Mill in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, which was used by Tomlinson Footwear Ltd., was also getting flattened during November and December 2008, and in this gallery you can see a few images of the site and the demolition work taking place there.

22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 22nd November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 29th November 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 6th December 2008 10th December 2008 10th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008 13th December 2008

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Mon Dec 1 2008 Accrington & Rossendale College Demolition http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1618781.html This old college, which is situated just across the bypass from Rawtenstall Station, and not far from the centre of the town, was being demolished during August, September, October and November 2008, and as of early December was all but flattened, with just the crushing of the rubble and clearing up work still taking place on the site. Work was initially carried out by a company called 'Morgan Dismantling and Demolition', but all activity ceased for a while when the owner of the site, Hurstwood Developments, went into receivership with massive debts. In late November though work had restarted and the demolition work was then carried out by 'PGC Demolition', a Heywood based company famed for being the dismantlers of the 'Riverdance' ferry, which was washed ashore off the coast of Cleveleys (see the maritime gallery for a picture of this!). A rare bit of extra excitement occurred on the 22nd of November, when one of the excavators had a bit of a mishap, and went into a hole, in what I've heard was a collapsed cellar. This resulted in a large mobile crane having to be brought on site, and with a combination of that and some infilling by one of the other excavators, the machine was soon righted again, and only seemed to have suffered some minor damage to its bodywork. Work proceeded speedily during December, with rubble crushing and clean up taking place on the site, and by good luck I was up that way on the afternoon of Saturday 20th of December, when work was completed, and I managed to get a few shots of the excavators being removed on low loaders. The entrance was blocked with earth, and the gates sealed, and the last workmen left the site around 2.35pm. It remains to be seen how long this site will stay empty now before someone buys it and starts to develop it. With the current economic situation, and the collapse of the former developers who owned the site, things don't look too bright in the immediate future anyway. Monday 1 December 2008: This old college, which is situated just across the bypass from Rawtenstall Station, and not far from the centre of the town, was being demolished during August, September, October and November 2008, and as of early December was all but flattened, with just the crushing of the rubble and clearing up work still taking place on the site. Work was initially carried out by a company called 'Morgan Dismantling and Demolition', but all activity ceased for a while when the owner of the site, Hurstwood Developments, went into receivership with massive debts. In late November though work had restarted and the demolition work was then carried out by 'PGC Demolition', a Heywood based company famed for being the dismantlers of the 'Riverdance' ferry, which was washed ashore off the coast of Cleveleys (see the maritime gallery for a picture of this!). A rare bit of extra excitement occurred on the 22nd of November, when one of the excavators had a bit of a mishap, and went into a hole, in what I've heard was a collapsed cellar. This resulted in a large mobile crane having to be brought on site, and with a combination of that and some infilling by one of the other excavators, the machine was soon righted again, and only seemed to have suffered some minor damage to its bodywork. Work proceeded speedily during December, with rubble crushing and clean up taking place on the site, and by good luck I was up that way on the afternoon of Saturday 20th of December, when work was completed, and I managed to get a few shots of the excavators being removed on low loaders. The entrance was blocked with earth, and the gates sealed, and the last workmen left the site around 2.35pm. It remains to be seen how long this site will stay empty now before someone buys it and starts to develop it. With the current economic situation, and the collapse of the former developers who owned the site, things don't look too bright in the immediate future anyway.

13th August 2008 31st August 2008 1st September 2008 1st September 2008 1st September 2008 1st September 2008 1st September 2008 1st September 2008 1st September 2008 1st September 2008 6th September 2008 6th September 2008 6th September 2008 6th September 2008 6th September 2008 18th September 2008 18th September 2008 18th September 2008 18th September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 21st September 2008 27th September 2008 27th September 2008 27th September 2008 27th September 2008 27th September 2008 27th September 2008 27th September 2008

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Mon Dec 1 2008 Naden Valley Reservoirs November 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1611934.html A long overdue return visit to the Naden Valley saw construction work nearing completion, and a number of the cabins now removed from the site. The newly rebuilt lower Naden was now filled with water, and there were also signs of the Middle Naden starting to fill up again. These shots show the current state of the work, which looks like it might be finished by the end of the year. Sunday 16 November 2008: A long overdue return visit to the Naden Valley saw construction work nearing completion, and a number of the cabins now removed from the site. The newly rebuilt lower Naden was now filled with water, and there were also signs of the Middle Naden starting to fill up again. These shots show the current state of the work, which looks like it might be finished by the end of the year.

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Sun Nov 16 2008 Orama Mill, Whitworth Demolition http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1594674.html This gallery documents the demolition of one of the former local industrial landmarks in this area, and one of the few remaining examples of our industrial heritage. Orama Mill was once a woollen mill and employed a large number of people, and later, after the textile industry had been all but destroyed in the major recession of the early eighties, became the home of a large fitted Kitchen manufacturer, and later a number of smaller industrial units. Badly neglected and poorly maintained, the building had become surplus to requirements, and demolition work on the site had commenced in September 2008. On the 4th of September a fire broke out on the top floor of the mill, whether this was accidental or deliberate I never did find out, but thankfully Lancashire County Fire Brigade arrived quickly and were able to extinguish it before it did too much damage. It did look impressive with all the smoke though, and with darkness just falling, would certainly have lit the sky up if it hadn't been brought under control. In October things started moving very fast, and rather than just at the rear (and less accessible part of the building - there is a school there, and you can't hang around schools with a camera these days!), work now started at the front and on the roof of the building. By the 15th of October a large chunk at the back end of the building had gone, and most of the windows been removed. The Orange telephone antennas are still on top of the tower yet, but some of their engineers moved the feeder cables to a new location, and with planning permission now having been granted for a new mast in another part of the valley, these will probably stay in use and the tower will likely be the last part of the building to get the chop. As of the 18th of October the section of the mill at the northern end had been removed, and by the 21st of October almost half of the northern end had now been brought down. Work moved swiftly after that, and by the end of October most of the main building had been flattened and was now a part of a very large spoil heap reaching up to the old first floor. When I took my usual daily pictures on the morning of Saturday 1st of November I had little idea of just how much of the remaining part of the main building would be torn down that day, or I would have stayed around to record it. The scene at 4pm looked very different, with very little of the main building left standing, and lots of angry looking homeless pigeons flying around wondering where their roost for the night had gone! By Thursday 20th of November the main part of the demolition work seemed to be complete, with all girders now removed, and with the exception of one wall, and the tower, which is still carrying the Orange mobile phone masts until the replacement is built (currently undergoing a planning appeal). The 'Monster Muncher' which had done the bulk of the demolition, was taken away from the site mid-afternoon, and I was fortunate enough to catch it leaving (and causing a little traffic gridlock) the area. By the 11th of December, work was continuing to salvage the metal from the debris, and the main tower was still standing. It looks like it could now be some time before the tower is dropped, as planning permission for a replacement mast at a local beauty spot was recently thrown out after an appeal, reports now say that it could be up to 6 months before a new site is in operation, so that might well mean that the site will be left incomplete for some time to come. Towards the end of February 2009 work on clearing the site was continuing, with most of the recyclable metalwork now having been removed from the site, and some of the brickwork put through the crusher, but in early March the contractors had vacated the site, and with the replacement telephone mast still not having been constructed yet, no telling how long it will be before the tower is finally dropped. It was noted that the company carrying out the demolition were selling quite a lot of their plant, so whether this early abandonment from the site with so much spoil still remaining is due to more serious problems, or problems with the housing company that were hoping to build on there I'm not yet sure. If this is the case it could be quite some time before the clearance is finally completed on this site. Monday 13 October 2008: This gallery documents the demolition of one of the former local industrial landmarks in this area, and one of the few remaining examples of our industrial heritage. Orama Mill was once a woollen mill and employed a large number of people, and later, after the textile industry had been all but destroyed in the major recession of the early eighties, became the home of a large fitted Kitchen manufacturer, and later a number of smaller industrial units. Badly neglected and poorly maintained, the building had become surplus to requirements, and demolition work on the site had commenced in September 2008. On the 4th of September a fire broke out on the top floor of the mill, whether this was accidental or deliberate I never did find out, but thankfully Lancashire County Fire Brigade arrived quickly and were able to extinguish it before it did too much damage. It did look impressive with all the smoke though, and with darkness just falling, would certainly have lit the sky up if it hadn't been brought under control. In October things started moving very fast, and rather than just at the rear (and less accessible part of the building - there is a school there, and you can't hang around schools with a camera these days!), work now started at the front and on the roof of the building. By the 15th of October a large chunk at the back end of the building had gone, and most of the windows been removed. The Orange telephone antennas are still on top of the tower yet, but some of their engineers moved the feeder cables to a new location, and with planning permission now having been granted for a new mast in another part of the valley, these will probably stay in use and the tower will likely be the last part of the building to get the chop. As of the 18th of October the section of the mill at the northern end had been removed, and by the 21st of October almost half of the northern end had now been brought down. Work moved swiftly after that, and by the end of October most of the main building had been flattened and was now a part of a very large spoil heap reaching up to the old first floor. When I took my usual daily pictures on the morning of Saturday 1st of November I had little idea of just how much of the remaining part of the main building would be torn down that day, or I would have stayed around to record it. The scene at 4pm looked very different, with very little of the main building left standing, and lots of angry looking homeless pigeons flying around wondering where their roost for the night had gone! By Thursday 20th of November the main part of the demolition work seemed to be complete, with all girders now removed, and with the exception of one wall, and the tower, which is still carrying the Orange mobile phone masts until the replacement is built (currently undergoing a planning appeal). The 'Monster Muncher' which had done the bulk of the demolition, was taken away from the site mid-afternoon, and I was fortunate enough to catch it leaving (and causing a little traffic gridlock) the area. By the 11th of December, work was continuing to salvage the metal from the debris, and the main tower was still standing. It looks like it could now be some time before the tower is dropped, as planning permission for a replacement mast at a local beauty spot was recently thrown out after an appeal, reports now say that it could be up to 6 months before a new site is in operation, so that might well mean that the site will be left incomplete for some time to come. Towards the end of February 2009 work on clearing the site was continuing, with most of the recyclable metalwork now having been removed from the site, and some of the brickwork put through the crusher, but in early March the contractors had vacated the site, and with the replacement telephone mast still not having been constructed yet, no telling how long it will be before the tower is finally dropped. It was noted that the company carrying out the demolition were selling quite a lot of their plant, so whether this early abandonment from the site with so much spoil still remaining is due to more serious problems, or problems with the housing company that were hoping to build on there I'm not yet sure. If this is the case it could be quite some time before the clearance is finally completed on this site.

3rd August 2008 3rd August 2008 17th August 2008 17th August 2008 17th August 2008 17th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 19th August 2008 26th August 2008 26th August 2008 26th August 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 4th September 2008 21st September 2008 25th September 2008 25th September 2008 25th September 2008 1st October 2008 1st October 2008 1st October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 2nd October 2008 3rd October 2008 3rd October 2008 3rd October 2008 4th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 5th October 2008 6th October 2008 6th October 2008

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Mon Oct 13 2008 Rawtenstall Bus Depot Demolition http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1574607.html This gallery shows a number of pictures of the demolition of the Rawtenstall Bus Depot, which commenced in September 2008. The depot was in use by Rossendale Transport right up until the 31st of August, and demolition work started almost immediately after that. Many of the images in this gallery show the progress of the demolition, as different parts of the building were brought down, and these are listed by the dates they were taken. Judging by the amount of bus drivers watching and taking pictures of the work, they must be finding it a bit strange to see a place that they had been using until very recently, and in many cases for a good many years, brought crashing to the ground in such a short space of time. The demolition work itself has been very efficiently done by the 'Manchester Tippers' <http://www.manchester-tippers.co.uk>, and apart from taking photographs, it was amazing to see the speed and skill with which much of the roof was removed by those powerful machines. After the roof was removed the walls came down next, and the main front wall had one section that needed careful removal - it had a stone four section plaque with the words "Rawtenstall Corporation Motors 1938", which was being removed and re-located at the bus company's new depot at Helmshore. This was quite a tricky process, and required many of the surrounding stonework to be removed manually a stone at a time. Another interesting feature was the removal of the floor, which revealed four sets of tram tracks from the original Tramway Depot that had stood on the site before the bus depot was built. As the concrete was removed the tracks could be clearly seen, along with the large service pit underneath it, so I'm at least glad I was able to get a lot of pictures of this before it was removed forever. The tracks had been covered for nearly 80 years, so it provided us with a rare opportunity to see and record these for posterity. Work is now almost complete, with just the removal of the large pile of crushed rubble now remaining, and no doubt it won't be too long before work begins on the construction of the new Lidl store on the site. Saturday 6 September 2008: This gallery shows a number of pictures of the demolition of the Rawtenstall Bus Depot, which commenced in September 2008. The depot was in use by Rossendale Transport right up until the 31st of August, and demolition work started almost immediately after that. Many of the images in this gallery show the progress of the demolition, as different parts of the building were brought down, and these are listed by the dates they were taken. Judging by the amount of bus drivers watching and taking pictures of the work, they must be finding it a bit strange to see a place that they had been using until very recently, and in many cases for a good many years, brought crashing to the ground in such a short space of time. The demolition work itself has been very efficiently done by the 'Manchester Tippers' <http://www.manchester-tippers.co.uk>, and apart from taking photographs, it was amazing to see the speed and skill with which much of the roof was removed by those powerful machines. After the roof was removed the walls came down next, and the main front wall had one section that needed careful removal - it had a stone four section plaque with the words "Rawtenstall Corporation Motors 1938", which was being removed and re-located at the bus company's new depot at Helmshore. This was quite a tricky process, and required many of the surrounding stonework to be removed manually a stone at a time. Another interesting feature was the removal of the floor, which revealed four sets of tram tracks from the original Tramway Depot that had stood on the site before the bus depot was built. As the concrete was removed the tracks could be clearly seen, along with the large service pit underneath it, so I'm at least glad I was able to get a lot of pictures of this before it was removed forever. The tracks had been covered for nearly 80 years, so it provided us with a rare opportunity to see and record these for posterity. Work is now almost complete, with just the removal of the large pile of crushed rubble now remaining, and no doubt it won't be too long before work begins on the construction of the new Lidl store on the site.

August 31st 2008 August 31st 2008 August 31st 2008 August 31st 2008 August 31st 2008 September 6th 2008 September 26th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 6th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008 September 10th 2008

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Sat Sep 6 2008 Naden Valley Reservoirs July 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1565618.html Another visit to the Naden Valley Reservoir reconstruction project in July saw a lot of work completed on the new embankment, and things taking shape of the breakwater which is replacing the old embankment between Greenbooth and the Lower Naden Reservoirs. Difficult to say how close to completion this project now is, there is still a great deal of work going on in the bottom of the Lower Naden basin. Monday 28 July 2008: Another visit to the Naden Valley Reservoir reconstruction project in July saw a lot of work completed on the new embankment, and things taking shape of the breakwater which is replacing the old embankment between Greenbooth and the Lower Naden Reservoirs. Difficult to say how close to completion this project now is, there is still a great deal of work going on in the bottom of the Lower Naden basin.

Isn't that Bob the Builder in that white hat?

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Mon Jul 28 2008 Scout Moor Wind Farm June 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1523068.html The beginning of June saw just two turbines remaining to be built, Turbine 17 and the unfinished Turbine 23. A trip over to Edenfield (finally) gave me the chance to catch one of the few remaining convoys of rotor blades as it passed through the town centre. The 5th of June saw the column of Turbine 23 constructed, and just awaiting the Nacelle, Generator, Hub and Blades. On Saturday 7th of June it was back up to the Wind Farm again, this time via Ewood Bridge, where I went to catch some shots of the very last convoy of blades arriving. The blades arrived around 10.15am, though I didn't pick the best of places to take my shots, and the wagons were a bit dark due to the shade from the trees. Anyway, after getting the best shots that I could it was then time for yet another lengthy walk back up to Scout Moor to catch them being installed on the final turbine (with just a minor stop to photograph the Deltic loco 55022, Royal Scots Grey as it passed through Ewood Bridge on its way to Rawtenstall - well what could I do, the railway enthusiast in me just took over!). On arriving at Scout Moor the first blade had just been lifted, and I stayed on site to see the final two blades unloaded and craned up to the top of the turbine. Work was completed just after 1pm, and I must admit that I was quite sorry to see the main construction phase come to and end. The weather stayed fine and the winds were fairly low, but it was dull and overcast, and apart from a few minutes of blue sky as the final blade slipped into place, it wasn't the best of conditions for taking pictures. I stayed on site to get some shots of the mobile cranes being dismantled and departing, but only the small red crane would depart that day, so that meant yet another long trek over the hills again on the 8th if I was to try and get a shot of the large yellow crane it as it departed as well. Sunday the 8th was a beautiful sunny day, with the light the best I'd seen it in ages, just perfect for photography. One small fly in the ointment though, by the time I arrived on site the big crane had already departed, and that left me feeling really annoyed with myself for not setting off much earlier in the day. After sulking for a while, and not wanting to waste such a sunny day, I dragged my aching legs and rapidly disintegrating boots over to the sub-station at Ashworth to see how work was progressing there instead. Since my last visit several months previously, work had been completed on a new concrete bridge, and the cables from the wind farm had been laid down the fields and across the A680 to the sub-station. This hadn't produced too much damage to the meadows, and wasn't too noticeable unless you were looking for it. The sub-station isn't quite finished yet, but doesn't look like it will be too long before work is completed. NOTE# 12th of June - would you believe it - whilst travelling on the bus into Bury (a place I don't visit very often), what should I see parked on Walmersely Road but the big yellow crane! Unfortunately I didn't have my SLR with me, but did have my old Fuji DSC camera in my bag, and this usually goes everywhere with me 'just in case'. I quickly jumped off the bus and managed to get a few shots of it before it departed. What it was doing there, and where it had been for the past four days I'm not sure, but I'm certainly not complaining. Not great quality images, but "owt is better than nowt" as they say in these parts. To quote comedian Harry Hill "What are the chances of that happening?". It certainly cheered me up no end, and after feeling pig sick at myself for missing a shot of it when it left the site, at least a little honour has now been restored again. Think I'd better buy myself a lottery ticket whilst my good luck is still in!:-) I will miss my regular visits to the site, but will still go up there from time to time to check things out. It did seem eerily quiet up there with so little activity to be seen now, especially after the many months of busy construction up there. Testing and commissioning will now take place on the turbines, and no doubt we shall see them all up and running and in full production before too long. I regret not having spent more time photographing the convoys, it was always exciting to see these pass by, especially in a narrow road and in a built up environment, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch a bunch of highly skilled engineers at work, and see how these 'Monsters on the Moorland' (with apologies to Mick & The Moonshiners for pinching their song title), were built, and see a unique piece of local history as it actually happened. If only digital cameras had been around when the railways and canals were built in the 19th century, what a treat that would have been to photograph...... Tuesday 3 June 2008: The beginning of June saw just two turbines remaining to be built, Turbine 17 and the unfinished Turbine 23. A trip over to Edenfield (finally) gave me the chance to catch one of the few remaining convoys of rotor blades as it passed through the town centre. The 5th of June saw the column of Turbine 23 constructed, and just awaiting the Nacelle, Generator, Hub and Blades. On Saturday 7th of June it was back up to the Wind Farm again, this time via Ewood Bridge, where I went to catch some shots of the very last convoy of blades arriving. The blades arrived around 10.15am, though I didn't pick the best of places to take my shots, and the wagons were a bit dark due to the shade from the trees. Anyway, after getting the best shots that I could it was then time for yet another lengthy walk back up to Scout Moor to catch them being installed on the final turbine (with just a minor stop to photograph the Deltic loco 55022, Royal Scots Grey as it passed through Ewood Bridge on its way to Rawtenstall - well what could I do, the railway enthusiast in me just took over!). On arriving at Scout Moor the first blade had just been lifted, and I stayed on site to see the final two blades unloaded and craned up to the top of the turbine. Work was completed just after 1pm, and I must admit that I was quite sorry to see the main construction phase come to and end. The weather stayed fine and the winds were fairly low, but it was dull and overcast, and apart from a few minutes of blue sky as the final blade slipped into place, it wasn't the best of conditions for taking pictures. I stayed on site to get some shots of the mobile cranes being dismantled and departing, but only the small red crane would depart that day, so that meant yet another long trek over the hills again on the 8th if I was to try and get a shot of the large yellow crane it as it departed as well. Sunday the 8th was a beautiful sunny day, with the light the best I'd seen it in ages, just perfect for photography. One small fly in the ointment though, by the time I arrived on site the big crane had already departed, and that left me feeling really annoyed with myself for not setting off much earlier in the day. After sulking for a while, and not wanting to waste such a sunny day, I dragged my aching legs and rapidly disintegrating boots over to the sub-station at Ashworth to see how work was progressing there instead. Since my last visit several months previously, work had been completed on a new concrete bridge, and the cables from the wind farm had been laid down the fields and across the A680 to the sub-station. This hadn't produced too much damage to the meadows, and wasn't too noticeable unless you were looking for it. The sub-station isn't quite finished yet, but doesn't look like it will be too long before work is completed. NOTE# 12th of June - would you believe it - whilst travelling on the bus into Bury (a place I don't visit very often), what should I see parked on Walmersely Road but the big yellow crane! Unfortunately I didn't have my SLR with me, but did have my old Fuji DSC camera in my bag, and this usually goes everywhere with me 'just in case'. I quickly jumped off the bus and managed to get a few shots of it before it departed. What it was doing there, and where it had been for the past four days I'm not sure, but I'm certainly not complaining. Not great quality images, but "owt is better than nowt" as they say in these parts. To quote comedian Harry Hill "What are the chances of that happening?". It certainly cheered me up no end, and after feeling pig sick at myself for missing a shot of it when it left the site, at least a little honour has now been restored again. Think I'd better buy myself a lottery ticket whilst my good luck is still in!:-) I will miss my regular visits to the site, but will still go up there from time to time to check things out. It did seem eerily quiet up there with so little activity to be seen now, especially after the many months of busy construction up there. Testing and commissioning will now take place on the turbines, and no doubt we shall see them all up and running and in full production before too long. I regret not having spent more time photographing the convoys, it was always exciting to see these pass by, especially in a narrow road and in a built up environment, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch a bunch of highly skilled engineers at work, and see how these 'Monsters on the Moorland' (with apologies to Mick & The Moonshiners for pinching their song title), were built, and see a unique piece of local history as it actually happened. If only digital cameras had been around when the railways and canals were built in the 19th century, what a treat that would have been to photograph......

The big crane, seen here in Bury on the 12th of June The convoy approaches the centre of Edenfield Turbines 17 and 23 Taking the empties back! Coming back for more bits and pieces The final turbine is under construction Turbine 23 The weather mast on Higher Hill can be seen in the background Another piece of equipment is returned The last two to be built, Turbine 17 (foreground), and Turbine 23 (part completed) The final convoy comes up the Edenfield-Rawtenstall bypass The convoy passes over the River Irwell This Police motorcyclist cheks the route is clear The convoy escort vehicle Going round the bend at Ewood Bridge The first blade on the final turbine is fitted THat is what you call a long load! Unloading blade number two

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Tue Jun 3 2008 Scout Moor Wind Farm Images May 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1508925.html My first visit of May was on the 3rd, when I could see that the first three sections of Turbine 13 had been completed. I thought that this would mean that I would finally get a chance to photograph one of the nacelles being fitted, and I made plans to visit again on the next working day. Because of the Bank Holiday this was on the 6th of May, and with an early start, I was soon over at the site and all set up ready to get my shot. Yet again it wasn't to be, and in spite of it being a lovely sunny day, the strong east wind prevented any lifting from being done, and yet again my efforts to get this shot was thwarted. With all the work now taking place at the western side of the site near to Edenfield this means a very long walk from here, and I wasn't able to get over again until Saturday the 10th. On Saturdays I often visit Irwell Vale and Ewood Bridge on the East Lancashire Railway, and since they are only a couple of miles from where the site is, it allowed me to kill two birds with one stone and visit both of them. This time I could see that work was now completed on Turbine 13, and construction had moved on to the site of Turbine 24. I was hoping that I might get another chance with this one weather permitting, and hopefully would finally succeed before I managed to burn out yet another pair of walking boots!:-) Well I was wrong, yet again the wind ruined my plans, and on a visit on May 12th I saw the work on Turbine 24 held up by the strong east wind. This wasn't helped by a problem with the large crane, which kept it out of action for most of the morning, with the winds worsening as the day progressed. The trip wasn't a total loss though, and I got some nice shots of the crane being repaired. An added bonus was seeing an erection team arrive with the two weather masts for the site, and I was able to get some shots of these being unloaded. The one near the top of the site was left on the ground in sections, but the one at the lower end was put together, but remained in one piece on the ground when the team finished for the day. Another mobile crane was brought into unload and erect the sections of the lattice tower, and this belonged to a company called John Sutch Cranes. The tower sections arrived in a juggernaut with DSV on the side, the original trailer showing a German registration number. Another visit on the 16th of May saw the winds finally drop, and the weather mast at the bottom of the site erected, and also the blades fitted to Turbine 24. Unfortunately I missed some of the lifting of the weather mast, as the crane was initially parked up at the site of the upper mast, and when it suddenly departed for the one at the bottom of the site I found myself facing a two mile walk to get there. The mast was already in the vertical position by the time I arrived on scene, but I will hopefully do better when the upper one is raised. The next visit was on the 19th of May when at long last I was finally able to get some shots of a Nacelle being lifted and fitted. These shots are numbered in the range Scout732 to Scout 813. The east winds continue to cause problems, but in spite of being breezy that day, the winds were just low enough for the cranes to still operate safely. 22nd of May saw yet another visit, and this time it was to see the remaining weather mast erected. This time two cranes arrived on site, and duly unloaded a replacement section for the mast at the southern end of the site to replace one that had been damaged during the lifting. In spite of the bright sunny day, the strong east wind just continued to blow hard all day, and no lifting was possible unfortunately. This was doubly annoying after yet another five mile hike, and as yet I have no idea when another attempt will be made. Image numbers scout814 to scout855 show the cranes and vehicles used during the abortive attempt. Along came the late May Bank Holiday, and thanks to an illegal rave held at the nearby disused Ding Quarry, some of the morons attending decided it would be a good idea to break into Turbine 19 and use it as a toilet. This resulted in a police raid and a lot of publicity in the local newspaper and TV news, and the following week security grills were noted being fitted to all of the doors (scout869/870.jpg). After several days of poor weather and high winds the engineers returned again to finish the weather masts on the 30th of May, and after another early start and long trek, work began on fitting the mast at Higher Hill (scout887-scout895.jpg). After this was completed (and the lift went very smoothly this time with the two cranes on site), the original mast down at the Knowl Moor end of the site was lowered so that the damaged section could be replaced. The work went well, and in spite of the grey, wet and miserable conditions I was able to get some interesting shots of proceedings (about 250 in all, but don't worry I've only posted a few of them here! scout871-scout886.jpg). Sunday 11 May 2008: My first visit of May was on the 3rd, when I could see that the first three sections of Turbine 13 had been completed. I thought that this would mean that I would finally get a chance to photograph one of the nacelles being fitted, and I made plans to visit again on the next working day. Because of the Bank Holiday this was on the 6th of May, and with an early start, I was soon over at the site and all set up ready to get my shot. Yet again it wasn't to be, and in spite of it being a lovely sunny day, the strong east wind prevented any lifting from being done, and yet again my efforts to get this shot was thwarted. With all the work now taking place at the western side of the site near to Edenfield this means a very long walk from here, and I wasn't able to get over again until Saturday the 10th. On Saturdays I often visit Irwell Vale and Ewood Bridge on the East Lancashire Railway, and since they are only a couple of miles from where the site is, it allowed me to kill two birds with one stone and visit both of them. This time I could see that work was now completed on Turbine 13, and construction had moved on to the site of Turbine 24. I was hoping that I might get another chance with this one weather permitting, and hopefully would finally succeed before I managed to burn out yet another pair of walking boots!:-) Well I was wrong, yet again the wind ruined my plans, and on a visit on May 12th I saw the work on Turbine 24 held up by the strong east wind. This wasn't helped by a problem with the large crane, which kept it out of action for most of the morning, with the winds worsening as the day progressed. The trip wasn't a total loss though, and I got some nice shots of the crane being repaired. An added bonus was seeing an erection team arrive with the two weather masts for the site, and I was able to get some shots of these being unloaded. The one near the top of the site was left on the ground in sections, but the one at the lower end was put together, but remained in one piece on the ground when the team finished for the day. Another mobile crane was brought into unload and erect the sections of the lattice tower, and this belonged to a company called John Sutch Cranes. The tower sections arrived in a juggernaut with DSV on the side, the original trailer showing a German registration number. Another visit on the 16th of May saw the winds finally drop, and the weather mast at the bottom of the site erected, and also the blades fitted to Turbine 24. Unfortunately I missed some of the lifting of the weather mast, as the crane was initially parked up at the site of the upper mast, and when it suddenly departed for the one at the bottom of the site I found myself facing a two mile walk to get there. The mast was already in the vertical position by the time I arrived on scene, but I will hopefully do better when the upper one is raised. The next visit was on the 19th of May when at long last I was finally able to get some shots of a Nacelle being lifted and fitted. These shots are numbered in the range Scout732 to Scout 813. The east winds continue to cause problems, but in spite of being breezy that day, the winds were just low enough for the cranes to still operate safely. 22nd of May saw yet another visit, and this time it was to see the remaining weather mast erected. This time two cranes arrived on site, and duly unloaded a replacement section for the mast at the southern end of the site to replace one that had been damaged during the lifting. In spite of the bright sunny day, the strong east wind just continued to blow hard all day, and no lifting was possible unfortunately. This was doubly annoying after yet another five mile hike, and as yet I have no idea when another attempt will be made. Image numbers scout814 to scout855 show the cranes and vehicles used during the abortive attempt. Along came the late May Bank Holiday, and thanks to an illegal rave held at the nearby disused Ding Quarry, some of the morons attending decided it would be a good idea to break into Turbine 19 and use it as a toilet. This resulted in a police raid and a lot of publicity in the local newspaper and TV news, and the following week security grills were noted being fitted to all of the doors (scout869/870.jpg). After several days of poor weather and high winds the engineers returned again to finish the weather masts on the 30th of May, and after another early start and long trek, work began on fitting the mast at Higher Hill (scout887-scout895.jpg). After this was completed (and the lift went very smoothly this time with the two cranes on site), the original mast down at the Knowl Moor end of the site was lowered so that the damaged section could be replaced. The work went well, and in spite of the grey, wet and miserable conditions I was able to get some interesting shots of proceedings (about 250 in all, but don't worry I've only posted a few of them here! scout871-scout886.jpg).

Earth plate These brackets supported the blades on the transporters Collett escort vehicle The hub arrives

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Sun May 11 2008 Various Excavators & Construction Vehicles http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1501918.html This gallery contains a number of 'odd' images, which don't really fit into a category of their own, or just consist of the odd image. Details are given below each image where known. Tuesday 29 April 2008: This gallery contains a number of 'odd' images, which don't really fit into a category of their own, or just consist of the odd image. Details are given below each image where known.

Preston Docks These vehicles were seen at Preston Docks Preston Docks Preston Docks Preston Docks Preston Docks This JCB was seen in a builder's yard JCB JCB River Irwell Irwell bank renewal River Irwell River Irwell River Irwell River Irwell River Irwell This Road Plane was seen in Rawtenstall in April 2008 Road Plane This is a Wirtgen W2100 Road Plane Road Plane Road Plane Road Plane Road Plane THis Komatsu excavator was at work in centre Manchester Central Manchester - more Yuppie flats perhaps? This excavator was working on stabilizing the banks of the River Irwell River Irwell This crane was seen in central manchester River Irwell This Komatsu excavator was seen in central Manchester Cable Layer Cable Laying vehicle

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Tue Apr 29 2008 Naden Valley Reservoirs April 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1498808.html Another visit to the Naden Valley Reservoir reconstruction project in April saw lots of activity, and work progressing well on the area between Greenbooth and the Middle Naden. The new concrete slipway is coming along well, and there was also a great deal of activity on the old embankment at the bottom of Lower naden, which saw a lot of the earth being removed and transported up to the rebuilt embankment on the Middle Naden reservoir. Wednesday 16 April 2008: Another visit to the Naden Valley Reservoir reconstruction project in April saw lots of activity, and work progressing well on the area between Greenbooth and the Middle Naden. The new concrete slipway is coming along well, and there was also a great deal of activity on the old embankment at the bottom of Lower naden, which saw a lot of the earth being removed and transported up to the rebuilt embankment on the Middle Naden reservoir.

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Wed Apr 16 2008 Scout Moor Wind Farm April 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1488712.html I made my first visit of April to the Wind Farm on the 3rd of the month, and what a change in the weather when compared to February's Sunny outings. The BBC Weather forecast said it would be cloudy, but would be warm in the afternoon, and me like a silly fool believed them. They didn't say that the cloud would be very low though, and as you can see from most of the images at the top of the gallery, visibility was not great to say the least! Having managed to find my way to the site of Turbine number 3 in spite of the low cloud, I decided to take a number of shots anyway, and the results, whilst not particularly great, do look a bit 'different' and somewhat 'atmospheric', so I thought I would use them anyway. Thankfully the cloud did clear for a little while later on, but not until after work had stopped for the day, and after a short respite the cloud rolled in once again and that was that. A short walk down to Ashworth Reservoir allowed me to photograph another couple of Telephone masts for my Aerial Gallery (these will be uploaded shortly), but it was still a bit frustrating after making the 10 mile round trip on foot and expecting better things. Luckily I like a good walk, and even if I couldn't take the pictures that I'd planned I still enjoyed the day out anyway. Before my next visit I will be sure check the aeronautical cloud ceiling predictions, even if the BBC assure me that it won't be a problem that day!:-) It was back up again on Monday 7th of April, this time on a very cold and frosty morning, and with lots of snow on the moor. The reason for the early start this time was my determination (obsession) to finally get some shots of the blades being fitted in daylight. After a number of frustratingly close misses in previous three months, this time I was fortunate enough to arrive at the right time and see all three blades being fitted to turbine number 3. The photographs taken that day are numbers scout360 to scout464. By the end of the day much of the snow had gone, and the Sun had come out once again, but for a while during the morning period, the icy roads looked like preventing the large transporters that carry the blades from reaching the site. I was greatly relieved when the weather warmed up slightly and the roads cleared up just in time. Photographs aside, it was very interesting to watch how the blades were fitted, and the very efficient and professional manner in which the engineers and crane drivers went about their tasks. My third visit of the month was on the 16th, when I went along to see how work was progressing on Turbine number Four. This is on a section of the site that is much easier to walk to from where I live, but after the base section had been delivered and installed, work was curtailed for the day due to the increasing (and very cold) easterly wind, which also managed to slow down work for the remainder of the week. Still, it was well worth the trip, and fascinating to see how the base section was fitted. The pictures taken during this visit are numbered scout465 to scout521. Another visit was made on the 22nd of April, probably the final one for this month. After the poor weather of the previous days, the Sun came out, and work resumed on fitting the Nacelle, Hub and Blades to Turbine number Four. Work was completed very speedily and efficiently, and then the cranes were all moved down to the final site on this eastern part of the wind farm - Turbine Number Two. With the prospect of getting a few shots of the cranes being moved and the light and weather both favourable, I had to hang around for several hours longer than planned, but it was well worth the effort (and the hunger) and my patience was well rewarded!:-) The photographs from this latest visit are numbered Scout 522 to Scout 570. Thursday 3 April 2008: I made my first visit of April to the Wind Farm on the 3rd of the month, and what a change in the weather when compared to February's Sunny outings. The BBC Weather forecast said it would be cloudy, but would be warm in the afternoon, and me like a silly fool believed them. They didn't say that the cloud would be very low though, and as you can see from most of the images at the top of the gallery, visibility was not great to say the least! Having managed to find my way to the site of Turbine number 3 in spite of the low cloud, I decided to take a number of shots anyway, and the results, whilst not particularly great, do look a bit 'different' and somewhat 'atmospheric', so I thought I would use them anyway. Thankfully the cloud did clear for a little while later on, but not until after work had stopped for the day, and after a short respite the cloud rolled in once again and that was that. A short walk down to Ashworth Reservoir allowed me to photograph another couple of Telephone masts for my Aerial Gallery (these will be uploaded shortly), but it was still a bit frustrating after making the 10 mile round trip on foot and expecting better things. Luckily I like a good walk, and even if I couldn't take the pictures that I'd planned I still enjoyed the day out anyway. Before my next visit I will be sure check the aeronautical cloud ceiling predictions, even if the BBC assure me that it won't be a problem that day!:-) It was back up again on Monday 7th of April, this time on a very cold and frosty morning, and with lots of snow on the moor. The reason for the early start this time was my determination (obsession) to finally get some shots of the blades being fitted in daylight. After a number of frustratingly close misses in previous three months, this time I was fortunate enough to arrive at the right time and see all three blades being fitted to turbine number 3. The photographs taken that day are numbers scout360 to scout464. By the end of the day much of the snow had gone, and the Sun had come out once again, but for a while during the morning period, the icy roads looked like preventing the large transporters that carry the blades from reaching the site. I was greatly relieved when the weather warmed up slightly and the roads cleared up just in time. Photographs aside, it was very interesting to watch how the blades were fitted, and the very efficient and professional manner in which the engineers and crane drivers went about their tasks. My third visit of the month was on the 16th, when I went along to see how work was progressing on Turbine number Four. This is on a section of the site that is much easier to walk to from where I live, but after the base section had been delivered and installed, work was curtailed for the day due to the increasing (and very cold) easterly wind, which also managed to slow down work for the remainder of the week. Still, it was well worth the trip, and fascinating to see how the base section was fitted. The pictures taken during this visit are numbered scout465 to scout521. Another visit was made on the 22nd of April, probably the final one for this month. After the poor weather of the previous days, the Sun came out, and work resumed on fitting the Nacelle, Hub and Blades to Turbine number Four. Work was completed very speedily and efficiently, and then the cranes were all moved down to the final site on this eastern part of the wind farm - Turbine Number Two. With the prospect of getting a few shots of the cranes being moved and the light and weather both favourable, I had to hang around for several hours longer than planned, but it was well worth the effort (and the hunger) and my patience was well rewarded!:-) The photographs from this latest visit are numbered Scout 522 to Scout 570.

Where?

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Thu Apr 3 2008 Scout Moor Wind Farm March 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1472399.html After the nice weather in February, March has proved a lot more unsettled, and it was a bit cold up in them there hills when that North wind was blowing. In spite of that I managed a couple of visits, and below are a number of shots showing how work is progressing with the turbines, and also at the sub-station at Ashworth. Newspaper reports say that the turbines that are finished (eight were completed on my last visit) may well be switched on during the middle of March. Work on the site is a bit behind schedule due to the problems caused by the weather, it does get very wild up on the moor, and it's easy to see why this site was chosen for the Wind Farm. Sunday 9 March 2008: After the nice weather in February, March has proved a lot more unsettled, and it was a bit cold up in them there hills when that North wind was blowing. In spite of that I managed a couple of visits, and below are a number of shots showing how work is progressing with the turbines, and also at the sub-station at Ashworth. Newspaper reports say that the turbines that are finished (eight were completed on my last visit) may well be switched on during the middle of March. Work on the site is a bit behind schedule due to the problems caused by the weather, it does get very wild up on the moor, and it's easy to see why this site was chosen for the Wind Farm.

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Sun Mar 9 2008 Bacup Irwell Culvert Reconstruction http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1462717.html This gallery shows a number of images of the work that has been taking place in the Town centre of Bacup, Lancashire. The covering over the River Irwell, which runs through a culvert underneath the centre, was removed whilst the support structure was rebuilt. Since events like this don't take place very often, and I have a big interest in local history, I thought it might be well worth making a photographic record of the project. Work appears to have started around October 2007, but I didn't start following the project until I first became aware of it in January of 2008. During my first visit the initial nine images (Bacup1 to Bacup9) were taken, and then as I started to take an interest in what was going on, a return visit was made in mid-February, when images Bacup10 to Bacup15 were taken. As you can see from those images, work was progressing well, and I was quite impressed at the level of strengthening that was taking place there. If anyone is planning to run a convoy of armoured tanks through the centre of the town they should have no fears about them falling into the river below anyway!:-) A third visit in Mid-March saw the workings virtually covered over with concrete along a large stretch of the opening, and a week later some of the concrete had been covered over with some sort of red covering/membrane, which I couldn't identify. I hadn't planned to make another visit until April, but on the 30th of March, and whilst passing the site whilst a passenger on a passing bus, I noticed that some tarmac had been laid, and decided to jump off and take a few more shots. It was late in the day and getting a bit gloomy, but I never was one to miss an opportunity if it presents itself, and I thought that a few more shots wouldn't go amiss. April the 13th was my next visit, but thanks to a heavy shower it wasn't possible to take any pictures whilst the light was in the right direction. This meant that I had to return later in the day and shoot towards the Sun, which made some of the images a little too bright. Work had progressed quite a bit since my previous visit, and a team of engineers from National Grid Gas were there working on re-installing some of the Gas services on the section over South Street which was still waiting to be covered. A visit was also made a week later on the 20th of April, and with the work now nearing completion a weekly visit seemed like a good idea. The last remaining open stretch had now been covered with concrete blocks, whilst the areas that were already covered over were now having the walls and pavements re-instated. I believe that a meeting was held in the Bacup Library in late April to allow the public to offer their opinions about what should go there, but as is often the case, these things have already been decided by know-it-all councillors and these consultations are often just cosmetic. Another short visit was made whilst I was passing by on April the 26th, mainly because I'd noticed that the last section - the area over the bottom end of South Street, had now been concreted over. Work continued to progress at the other end of the site, where some of the pavements and stonework were being laid. Spring finally seemed to have arrived on the first May Bank Holiday weekend, and a visit there on a Sunny Saturday evening saw that a number of the old wooden barriers around the town centre side of the compound had now been removed, and some buses were using one of the restored 'temporary' laybys. A number of barriers also appeared to be blocking off a part of the main road. Image numbers Bacup90 to Bacup 103 were all taken on Saturday the 3rd of May. All of the river is now re-covered, and the project looks like it isn't too far from completion now, with stonework progressing well at the Library end and the South Street opening now sealed over. May 10th saw South Street now completely covered, and a lot of the larger plant has now departed from the site. Work progresses with the laying of the stone pavings, and the main road has been re-surfaced and partially marked. The project looks like it will be pretty close to complete by the time of my next visit. Pictures taken on this visit are Bacup104 to Bacup110. On May 18th a team of Lancashire County Council workmen were busy laying tarmac and painting lines on the roads, so I had to return later to take my pictures. Yet again I was shooting into the Sun for much of the time, but didn't have any choice at that time of day. More of the pavements and part of South Street are now covered with tarmac, and the road paving machines and rollers were all parked up by the side of the main road, so all surfaces will very likely have been laid by the time of my next visit there. Work will likely be completed on this project very soon. Pictures taken this time are numbered Bacup111 to Bacup 132. The next visit on May 24th saw big changes, the main road through the centre of Bacup (Rochdale Road) had now been re-surfaced and had new road markings applied, and for the first time since the project began traffic was now running in both directions again. The diversion along Union Street had also been removed, and South Street had re-opened to traffic once again. The new bus bays now have markings painted on them, but no shelters have yet been erected, though they are now is use. Work still continues on finishing off the pavings and walkways, and I still have no idea what will replace the former grassed areas as yet. The images in this latest batch are numbered Bacup 133 to Bacup 142. For my next visit I waited until the 29th of June, this was mainly because there wasn't any major visible progress due to the intricate nature of installing all of the many sets and flags, all of which are very time comsuming to do. The shots shown from this latest visit are numbered Bacup 143 to Bacup 149. Another visit was made a week later on the 4th of July, this time because the flagging and stonework now seemed to be almost complete in many areas, and buses are now using the new laybys, though the new bus shelters haven't yet been fitted. Street lighting has been installed at the rear of the paved area, and lamposts erected at the front of the area. Images taken during this visit are numbered Bacup 150 to Bacup 153. Another visit on the 27th of July saw that the fences had all been removed and most of the area now open to the public once again. Some of the new lamp posts were still awaiting light fittings, and still no sign of any new bus shelters appearing as yet, though a number of 'planters' have been added to add a little colour to the area. Images bacup154 to 156 were taken during this visit. Just when all looked to be completed the streetlighting department returned and removed the existing lamps and lamp standards, and replaced them all with some nicer looking 'victorian' types ones. These look like they're yet to be painted, and still no sign of any new bus shelters or stops appearing yet, but other than that work is pretty much completed now. The latest images, numbers 157 to 160, were taken on the 2nd of August. After a period of nothing much happening, in mid September the council finally got around to installing the new bus shelters, and a new notice board. This consisted of three new shelters, one for buses going towards Accrington, one for services to Rochdale, and the other for local services. Images number 169 to 173 show some of the installation work taking place. Still no sign of any litter bins though, and the amounts of chewing gum stuck to the new stonework, and the piles of dog ends seem to get larger every time I go there. Sunday 27 January 2008: This gallery shows a number of images of the work that has been taking place in the Town centre of Bacup, Lancashire. The covering over the River Irwell, which runs through a culvert underneath the centre, was removed whilst the support structure was rebuilt. Since events like this don't take place very often, and I have a big interest in local history, I thought it might be well worth making a photographic record of the project. Work appears to have started around October 2007, but I didn't start following the project until I first became aware of it in January of 2008. During my first visit the initial nine images (Bacup1 to Bacup9) were taken, and then as I started to take an interest in what was going on, a return visit was made in mid-February, when images Bacup10 to Bacup15 were taken. As you can see from those images, work was progressing well, and I was quite impressed at the level of strengthening that was taking place there. If anyone is planning to run a convoy of armoured tanks through the centre of the town they should have no fears about them falling into the river below anyway!:-) A third visit in Mid-March saw the workings virtually covered over with concrete along a large stretch of the opening, and a week later some of the concrete had been covered over with some sort of red covering/membrane, which I couldn't identify. I hadn't planned to make another visit until April, but on the 30th of March, and whilst passing the site whilst a passenger on a passing bus, I noticed that some tarmac had been laid, and decided to jump off and take a few more shots. It was late in the day and getting a bit gloomy, but I never was one to miss an opportunity if it presents itself, and I thought that a few more shots wouldn't go amiss. April the 13th was my next visit, but thanks to a heavy shower it wasn't possible to take any pictures whilst the light was in the right direction. This meant that I had to return later in the day and shoot towards the Sun, which made some of the images a little too bright. Work had progressed quite a bit since my previous visit, and a team of engineers from National Grid Gas were there working on re-installing some of the Gas services on the section over South Street which was still waiting to be covered. A visit was also made a week later on the 20th of April, and with the work now nearing completion a weekly visit seemed like a good idea. The last remaining open stretch had now been covered with concrete blocks, whilst the areas that were already covered over were now having the walls and pavements re-instated. I believe that a meeting was held in the Bacup Library in late April to allow the public to offer their opinions about what should go there, but as is often the case, these things have already been decided by know-it-all councillors and these consultations are often just cosmetic. Another short visit was made whilst I was passing by on April the 26th, mainly because I'd noticed that the last section - the area over the bottom end of South Street, had now been concreted over. Work continued to progress at the other end of the site, where some of the pavements and stonework were being laid. Spring finally seemed to have arrived on the first May Bank Holiday weekend, and a visit there on a Sunny Saturday evening saw that a number of the old wooden barriers around the town centre side of the compound had now been removed, and some buses were using one of the restored 'temporary' laybys. A number of barriers also appeared to be blocking off a part of the main road. Image numbers Bacup90 to Bacup 103 were all taken on Saturday the 3rd of May. All of the river is now re-covered, and the project looks like it isn't too far from completion now, with stonework progressing well at the Library end and the South Street opening now sealed over. May 10th saw South Street now completely covered, and a lot of the larger plant has now departed from the site. Work progresses with the laying of the stone pavings, and the main road has been re-surfaced and partially marked. The project looks like it will be pretty close to complete by the time of my next visit. Pictures taken on this visit are Bacup104 to Bacup110. On May 18th a team of Lancashire County Council workmen were busy laying tarmac and painting lines on the roads, so I had to return later to take my pictures. Yet again I was shooting into the Sun for much of the time, but didn't have any choice at that time of day. More of the pavements and part of South Street are now covered with tarmac, and the road paving machines and rollers were all parked up by the side of the main road, so all surfaces will very likely have been laid by the time of my next visit there. Work will likely be completed on this project very soon. Pictures taken this time are numbered Bacup111 to Bacup 132. The next visit on May 24th saw big changes, the main road through the centre of Bacup (Rochdale Road) had now been re-surfaced and had new road markings applied, and for the first time since the project began traffic was now running in both directions again. The diversion along Union Street had also been removed, and South Street had re-opened to traffic once again. The new bus bays now have markings painted on them, but no shelters have yet been erected, though they are now is use. Work still continues on finishing off the pavings and walkways, and I still have no idea what will replace the former grassed areas as yet. The images in this latest batch are numbered Bacup 133 to Bacup 142. For my next visit I waited until the 29th of June, this was mainly because there wasn't any major visible progress due to the intricate nature of installing all of the many sets and flags, all of which are very time comsuming to do. The shots shown from this latest visit are numbered Bacup 143 to Bacup 149. Another visit was made a week later on the 4th of July, this time because the flagging and stonework now seemed to be almost complete in many areas, and buses are now using the new laybys, though the new bus shelters haven't yet been fitted. Street lighting has been installed at the rear of the paved area, and lamposts erected at the front of the area. Images taken during this visit are numbered Bacup 150 to Bacup 153. Another visit on the 27th of July saw that the fences had all been removed and most of the area now open to the public once again. Some of the new lamp posts were still awaiting light fittings, and still no sign of any new bus shelters appearing as yet, though a number of 'planters' have been added to add a little colour to the area. Images bacup154 to 156 were taken during this visit. Just when all looked to be completed the streetlighting department returned and removed the existing lamps and lamp standards, and replaced them all with some nicer looking 'victorian' types ones. These look like they're yet to be painted, and still no sign of any new bus shelters or stops appearing yet, but other than that work is pretty much completed now. The latest images, numbers 157 to 160, were taken on the 2nd of August. After a period of nothing much happening, in mid September the council finally got around to installing the new bus shelters, and a new notice board. This consisted of three new shelters, one for buses going towards Accrington, one for services to Rochdale, and the other for local services. Images number 169 to 173 show some of the installation work taking place. Still no sign of any litter bins though, and the amounts of chewing gum stuck to the new stonework, and the piles of dog ends seem to get larger every time I go there.

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Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Sun Jan 27 2008 Scout Moor Wind Farm February 2008 http://windybuild.fotopic.net/c1462349.html The weather was unusually warm and Sunny for early February, so it was back up to the Wind Farm again to see how work was progressing. At this stage six of the wind generators were in place, but only two had the blades fitted, and none were producing electricity at that time. The cranes were unloading several wagon loads of equipment at the site of an unbuilt generator. Several other visits, this time in less pleasant weather have produced a number of new images, all taken during the last week in February, easy to see just how much the weather had changed, and it was very cold up there at times in those northerly winds. It's easy to see why they chose this site for a wind farm anyway. Wednesday 13 February 2008: The weather was unusually warm and Sunny for early February, so it was back up to the Wind Farm again to see how work was progressing. At this stage six of the wind generators were in place, but only two had the blades fitted, and none were producing electricity at that time. The cranes were unloading several wagon loads of equipment at the site of an unbuilt generator. Several other visits, this time in less pleasant weather have produced a number of new images, all taken during the last week in February, easy to see just how much the weather had changed, and it was very cold up there at times in those northerly winds. It's easy to see why they chose this site for a wind farm anyway.

Published in Construction & Demolition

]]> Wed Feb 13 2008