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Wednesday 31 March 2010

Header Challenge & Canal Views 7

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Urban Decay
My header this week shows the result of what we call 'Fly Tipping'..... for what ever reason some folks think it is perfectly acceptable to blight our towns and countryside with their discarded rubbish. This is not just unsightly but a danger to man and beast.


Our town came about through the cotton boom, large mills went up all over the place and folks moved here to work in them.


The mill workers needed homes, and the mill owners provided basic housing, most of this was cleared in the 1960s and 70s... as most of these homes had outside loo's and no bathrooms.


Now the mills are going to, as cheep imports have put paid to these once great industries. Some mills have been left to rot and have been empty for years, while others are rented out to lots of small company's... either way they soon show signs of decay.

I myself worked here in the 1980s, as well as another long gone mill further down the canal. I can remember lots of the mills that were about when I grew up..... and I recall watching them being slowly wreaked by vandals and the weather once closed. Some would be set alight by arsonist, others became 'drug dens' all were stripped of any metal and things that could be sold. Windows smashed, slates ripped off and sold.

I am happy to report that the above mill known as Throstle Bank as now been demolished after many years of being a blot on the landscape. The area is in the process of renewal... which hopefully is what will eventually happen to all our country's Urban Decay.


Join in with all the Head Bangers as we go 'Head 2 Head' in this weeks Header Challenge. This week sees Fishing Guy on his travels, Darla busy busy busy with family matters, and Imac is visiting his dear Mother In Law who is not to well at the moment. Imac as posted for the theme and as also asked my dear Jane to use vote on his behalf, and help to pick this weeks winner. The theme this week was picked by Gailsman and is Urban Decay.

Darla

Fishing Guy

Gailsman

Imac

Martha

8 comments:

Darla said...

Good ones...wonderful but not so wonderful header...what's wrong with people? Mine is similar.

Unknown said...

A good variation of the theme. I'm posting something similar tomorrow, only with a comic twist.

A shame that these old mills have been left to rot. They could have been done up and would have made lovely canalside apartments.

Anonymous said...

It is a shame about the mills. We have lots of decay here in the states but not much around our city. Some of the buildings downtown look pretty bad and now and then a whole wall will fall out and land in the street and so far nobody has been killed.

Gerald (SK14) said...

I see those two tanks are still there.

Martha said...

Great post for the theme this week Tom and excellent header too. Sorry I wasn't able to play along this week.

Lew said...

You have captured the mood of disuse and despair in those old buildings! But it also happens to new buildings. BP Solar built a new facility here to build solar panels, but now is moving manufacturing to China and willdsimantle the new building and sell the parts.

EG CameraGirl said...

How interesting to see the urban decay in England. I thought you Brits were better than that! I thought it was just the ancient Europeans and modern-day North Americans who let let buildings fall into ruins.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Tom: Great shots of the urban decay, sadly you were able to capture. Loved the reflection.