streetsofbowdon.co.uk
About Ashley Road
Facts
Where is it?
- OS grid ref.: SJ766874
- what3words ref.: ///landed.deed.pumps
Tell me something about it
Ashley Road is the primary link between Bowdon and Altrincham. It runs from the junction with Lloyd Street, The Downs and Railway Street in Altrincham and continues through Hale to Ashley.
The main photo below shows the predominantly commercial establishments, including several restaurants, on both sides of the road at the Altrincham end. It becomes almost exclusively residential from the junction with St John's Road, featuring a mix of detached and semi-detached housing.
There is a large green space known as Spring Bank park at the junction with Stamford Road.
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History
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Ashley Road
Looking south along Ashley Road from the junction with Lloyd Street, The Downs and Railway Street.
Another view towards the junction in Altrincham from the junction with Peter Street (see below). Notice all the businesses shuttered by Covid-19.
October 2021 - Looking south along Ashley Road.
View north towards the main junction in Altrincham.
The junction with St John's Road, looking north towards the Hale Road roundabout.
The east side of the road, looking towards the Stamford Road/Langham Road crossroads.
The east side again, looking north.
Semi-detached housing on the west side.
Spring Bank residential home (overlooks the eponymous park).
Spring Bank park at the junction with Stamford Road.
House with pantiled façade close to the Stamford Road/Langham Road crossroads.
Two very short streets
Peter Street & John Street
Peter Street & John Street are two short stubs of former streets that were sacrificed to accommodate Sainsbury's. John Street (the northernmost stub) has no buildings on it anymore. Peter Street has a few.
OS grid ref.: SJ 7669 8752
what3words refs.: \\\slide.hoot.worm (John St.); \\\people.jobs.ashes (Peter St.)
Some views of Peter Street & John Street
Date of photography: March 2021. This tiny area of cobbled stones is all that remains of John Street. Sainsbury's car park is behind the wooden fence.
John Street: a "spa and clinic" at the junction with Oxford Road.
Peter Street: looking towards Oxford Road and Sainsbury's from the junction with Ashley Road. The Oxford Road Cafe is the white building on the right.
Peter Street: the view back towards Ashley Road from Oxford Road, with the Oxford Road Cafe now on the left.
Peter Street: This is taken from the bottom of the street, looking back towards Oxford Road. Turn around at this spot...
...and you'll find yourself very close to Sainsbury's. The building on the right houses the Altrincham Little Theatre.
Let's visit...
Hale Road
This is the A538 and, with my pedant hat on, is perhaps better named "Hale Barns Road", as it leads to Hale Barns, not Hale. At this end, it's a mixture of shops and residences, most of which are probably late C19.
OS map ref.: SJ 7681 8727
what3words ref.: ///tame.spice.dock
Date of photography: March 2021
Views of Hale Road
A cherry tree in blossom outside a modern office block.
An odd-looking turret on what were presumably once houses, now a parade of small shops (see next photo for a better impression).
Three buildings with matching turrets. This is normally a pretty busy road out of Altrincham towards the M56 and airport, so perhaps we can excuse the "parking"?
The view west along the road towards the Hale roundabout.
A pair of substantial, matching semis on the north side of the road. There seemed to be a lot of building going on in the one of the left on the day I visited.
Another large semi-detached property, which I believe has been converted into flats.
Yet another large semi, but this one still seems to be a private home.
The rendered front façade of a detached house on the south side of the road close to the junction with Ashley Road (see above). Not an attractive first impression in my opinion.
Say "Hello" to...
Lloyd Street
Some people will say this is in Altrincham, but one of the reasons I've included it in Bowdon is because it's NOT residential! All the take-aways along here seem to be fairly short-lived (even pre-Covid).
OS grid ref.: SJ 7677 8756
what3words ref.: \\\ranged.hired.parts
Date of photography: March 2021
Let's have a look at...
Oxford Road & Rigby Street
Oxford Road is one of the few roads in this collection that is not entirely residential. Most of the commercial properties (shops, restaurants) are towards the Ashley Road end. Rigby Street is all that is left of a road that was presumably truncated when Sainsbury's came on the scene.
Date of photography: March 2021
Where's this?
The Sainsbury's Quarter
This is what I've called the cluster of streets around the supermarket on Lloyd Street. It includes Armitage Road, Lloyd Gardens, Pownall Road, Rostherne Street (the unnamed road off Pownall), Tipping Street and Yarwood Street. If you know what was here before Sainsbury's, drop me a line using the button below.
Armitage Road
The approach to the Sainsbury's car park and entrance. The block of flats on the left is part of Lloyd Gardens (see next section).
The Sainsbury's supermarket as seen from Armitage Road.
Washing day
Lloyd Gardens
I'd never walked around here before, and I'm ashamed to say I found myself thinking that it reminded me of somewhere I'd visited in East Germany in the 1980s.
Taken from the footbridge over the railway.
OS grid ref.: SJ 7695 8743
what3words ref.: ///flight.fills.tries
Date of photography: 02 January 2021
Back at ground level, looking south. I believe all the properties in this area are owned by the council (please contact me if I'm mistaken).
This is where you could end up as the result of an "austerity" programme.
Pownall Road
Rostherne Street
Rostherne Street is not named on the map. It's a very short cul de sac of council-owned(?) properties off Pownall Road and is flanked on its western side by part of the Sainsbury's car park.
This shows the turning area at the end of the street and part of the hedge that separates Rostherne Street from Yarwood Street. The block of flats in the background is part of Lloyd Gardens.
Tipping Street
Tipping Street is only accessible from Hale Road. It's separated from every other street in this section, bar Yarwood Street - see below, by the same
"The Tatton Arms", a J W Lees pub that's reopened recently following the lockdown.
Some of the housing on the street with communal parking in an enclave called "Heath View".
The view along the street from the junction with Hale Road. The Tatton Arms pub (see above) is visible on the right.
Taken from in front of the Tatton Arms pub, looking back towards Hale Road.
Yarwood Street
Yarwood Street is unusual in that it nowadays has no properties on it. The houses on the right are part of a pedestrianised development called "William Walk", which is also bounded by Pownall Road and Rostherne Street. On the left are the backs of some Hale Road properties. Its main purpose appears to be to serve as a car park.
This photo
Yarwood Street is unusual in that it nowadays has no properties on it. The houses on the right are part of a pedestrianised development called "William Walk", which is also bounded by Pownall Road and Rostherne Street. On the left are the backs of some Hale Road properties. Its main purpose appears to be to serve as a car park.
This photo is taken from its eastern end, close to its junction with Tipping Street (see above).
Yarwood Street from its western end, looking towards Tipping Street.
Out of sight on the left (see below) is a short stub that would join up with Rostherne Street were it not for the paving and hedges across the road (cyclist/pedestrian access is still possible).
The short stub at the western end of the street, looking north towards Rostherne Street (beyond the hedge) and one of the blocks of flats in Lloyd Gardens.
Late 2024 Update
Unsurprisingly perhaps, there's been a flurry of new visitors to the site since my presentation to the Hale U3A History Group on October 21st. If you're one of them - welcome! I hope you found the site and the talk interesting.
Instead of scrolling through all that boasting on social media, why not spend some time scrolling around your local area?
Click on the button below to start your exploration!