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New Year Pictures 2002

HEAVY snow between Christmas and New Year caused transport chaos and added to the hazards of taking one for the road before tottering home after celebrating with family and friends.

As luck would have it, we were plunged into sub-zero temperatures at home when our central heating and hot water system packed in on New Year's Eve. With no prospect of an engineer for a while, there was nothing for it on New Year's Day but to wrap up warm, venture out and bring you the seasonal sights of north Manchester.

This year we concentrated on the Crumpsall, Cheetham Hill and Blackley areas where we recorded some snow scenes as well as capturing some historic landmarks to bring back memories for north Manchester people at home and abroad.

We couldn't resist another visit to Boggart Hole Clough where we captured the antics of wildfowl waddling on the frozen lake and some picture postcard views.

Click on the small pictures to view them full-size.

King William Reservoir

From the high rise flats there are spectacular views across Blackley dip where the river Irk flows towards the former ICI Hexagon building now owned by Astra Zenica. In the opposite direction lies Heaton Park.

Our photograph shows the King William reservoir, known locally as 'the King Billy lake', which sits at the foot of the flats and is a popular location with anglers and dog walkers all year round.

After heading across Blackley dip we reached Herristone Park in Crumpsall. The park runs between Herristone Road and Brynorme Road. It is a narrow park with the rear gardens of quasi-semi houses (a posh term for terraced houses separated by ginnels) backing on to it. It is not a well known park as it is a fraction of the size of the much higher-profile Crumpsall Park and can barely be seen from the highway so is easily missed by passers by. We understand that the park was first opened about 30 years ago by the Manchester United football legend Sir Mat Busby. It was constructed over a stream which still runs beneath the footpath into the River Irk within the Mersey Valley. Despite its modest size, the park has a large variety of trees which look particularly spectacular during the autumn months when the park takes on a vivid array of rich colours. The undulating slopes make it ideal for sledging in the winter snow.

Herristone Park

Heading out of Crumpsall we made for Cheetham Hill which has undergone huge population and landscape changes as the area has been colonised by settlers from eastern Europe, Ireland, and Asia.

Since World War II much of the original housing has been cleared and the land developed as industrial zones but many of the original buildings still stand and housing renovation and building is encouraging residents to return.

One of the most striking landmarks is the former St Luke's Church. This stands in the Temple area of Cheetham Hill close to Temple Primary School.

Only the façade of this once-magnificent cathedral-style building remains as the church fell into decline as worshippers moved out of the area and lack of funding has led to the building crumbling to a ruin.

Funding is being sought to protect what remains of the structure and it is intended that the graveyard will be restored as parkland to serve the new communities springing up in the area.

Previously we stated that the graveyard was cleared of interred remains. Further enquiries have established that plots reserved at Blackley Cemetery for the transferred remains were never used. We have now learned that the clearance proposals were abandoned due to cost. We apologise for any distress our original report may have caused.

Further down Cheetham Hill towards Manchester city centre is the Manchester Jewish Museum which is a remnant of the days when the area supported a thriving Jewish community.

The building was once the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue but this was later replaced by a new synagogue further along the road which now houses one of the many warehouse businesses in the area.

As a museum, the original synagogue is a tourist attraction and educational resource providing guided tours and staging exhibitions of Jewish life past and present.

A few blocks down from the museum stands St Chad's RC Church. Like St Luke's, this church has suffered from the population shift reducing its congregation to just a handful but the building has been maintained to a high standard. A review of properties currently being undertaken by diocesan officials could see the church close in the not-too-distant future as a place of worship. If this happens it is likely to be converted into flats or offices. St Chad's Church

The following day we treated our dogs Paddy and Max to a long stroll in Boggart Hole Clough which is a wonderful wild place whatever the season but is particularly magical in the snow.

Ducks were left high and dry as all but a central section of the lake was frozen over and the creatures waddled in single file across the ice for a refreshing bath.

Meanwhile one swan took objection to a dog trying to share bread being thrown by children and gave it a carefully aimed whack on the head with its extended wing.

Snowfall on an alpine-style collection of trees in the centre of the clough gave it a look of the Austrian Tyrol. You could almost believe the Black Forest and ski slopes were around the corner.

Our final shot before leaving the clough is of Angel Hill. The bronze angel sits at the top of the stone memorial to the fallen of World War I and II where poppies are laid in tribute annually on Armistice day in November.

We hope you have enjoyed our pictures of north Manchester. If you have any comments, please feel free to email them to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .