Ashton Moss

The Moss early Sunday morning about 9 a.m. Passed by Ashton Cricket Club, the ground cleaned up, sightscreens upright, grass neatly cut, a sign to the spectators car park which read "Specs Car Park".

The Lane dusty and bumpy. The car rolling from side to side in and out of potholes. Fields covered with yellow flowers. Further down, near Albert Hulme's, clay pigeon shooting. Not very good, the shooting that is, not the sport.

On the Moss lorries and tractors moving about, men working, shouting to each other in the fields, and the noise of the clay pigeon shooters. Newly planted crops now coming through. The Moss beginning to come to life.

5 - 17 Shot the old light coloured shed and Lomas's (again). They looked great in the early morning sun, particularly Lomas's. In both cases I wanted to use the lighting to emphasise the form of the building. This I tried to highlight through the viewpoints I chose. I wanted a simple straightforward images of these buildings and was therefore careful to omit any features I considered distracting - hence the complete isolation of Gordon Lomas's shed in the landscape.

I took four photographs of the shed and then walked back along Moss Lodge Lane. There was white stuff sprinkled on some of the fields, lime?, potash?, I don't know. Turned right onto Rayner Lane and met Mr. Hulme. He stopped his van (this time an Escort) and got out to talk. He said he was going to water his greenhouses (all of which he said he used). Told me the yellow crop in his fields was sage which had gone to seed. He was going to kill it off and replant it. I remarked about his signboard and said I'd noticed it was signed at the bottom "W.E. Hulme 1961". He explained that his family had worked the Moss for over 100 years and that Albert Hulme was his father, who was now 82. He was W.E. Hulme i.e. Bill Hulme. I had wrongfully assumed he was Albert Hulme.

Our conversation moved onto his landowner, now Lord Derrimore (not Stamford Estate) according to Mr. Hulme, although Cordingley's of Ashton (who ever they are) manage it on his behalf. He said the Pakistanis and Italians who worked the land adjoining his owned part of their land, which they had bought off the people who had bought up the land to erect the radio masts. I don't think I'll ever unravel this landownership business.

Rolleiflex 3.5F.

Agfapan 100 (80 ASA) Rodinal 1:60. 10 mins @ 68°F.

<span class="wrapper"><p>Work Prints</p> <p>Negative c7/1/21/8</p> <p>Work Print c7/3/21/8</p> <p>CH : 525mm</p> <p>Exposure : F22 @ 15s</p> <p>Paper : Gr 2 (G)</p> <p>Comments : This is the side of the shed I was first attracted to and to which I keep returning. I don't know whether I've done it justice in this shot. It looks very big and dominant (perhaps too big). I like the odd arrangement of the window frames and the striped panels. Pity the shadowed area to the right is so dense.</p> <p>Straight print.</p> <p>Work Print</p> <p>Negative c7/1/21/13</p> <p>Work Print c7/3/21/13</p> <p>CH : 570mm</p> <p>Exposure : F22 @ 15s</p> <p>Paper : Gr 2 (G)</p> <p>Comments : Personally I find this a very satisfying print. Once again the area in shadow may be a bit dense, but this can be lightened, otherwise it's O.K.</p> <p>I've achieved what I set out to do : isolate the building in the landscape, and emphasise its shape. I don't know what the building is used for.</p> <p>Straight print.</p></span>