Ashton Moss

A round trip : down Rayner Lane, by the side of Albert Hulme's, towards the railway, under the barbed wire fence, across the level crossing, through the farmyard onto Lumb Lane, along Newmarket Road, down Patterdale Road, through Crowhill estate, back along Richmond Road, and on to Rayner Lane.

Weather unsettled. Bright sunny spells interspersed with dark clouds and rain. Infuriating trying to photograph in such conditions - sun darting in and out all the time.

Rayner Lane. Met the lad from the Italian estate. Once again he asked me the time. "3 o'clock", I replied. Motioning towards the estate he said it would be O.K. for me to photograph the area when the season began in late March. I said "thanks" and told him I'd call back then.

Walked along the lane, the "P.H. KELLY, MARKET GARDENER" sign had been flattened. The land nearby was neatly ploughed. Turned off the lane down past Albert Hulme's sheds. Stopped by the big one, set up the camera and waited for the sun to appear. It didn't and instead began raining. I desperately tried to cover the camera. I didn't want to put it away, knowing that when the sun did appear it would be a fleeting appearance and I would have to be ready to seize it.

1 - 18 The sun did eventually appear, the first few photographs being taken whilst it was also raining. A rainbow gathered in the distance. The sun disappeared again, then more rain, then a shaft of sunlight, and so the pattern was repeated again and again. A film was shot off between the rain and the clouds.

So why do I prefer shooting when the sun is out? Simply because it best reveals the form and detail of the buildings I photograph.

The lighting on this occasion (when the sun did come out) was a bit too harsh and contrasty. The clouds are a bit on the dramatic side too. Just look at them on neg. nos. 14-18. I changed the camera angle here and shot the shed side on. I've also got my long shadow creeping into the frame again.

A little further along the track met the man and his greyhounds. One of his dogs, a particularly thin one, looked translucent in the piercing sun.

Carried on towards the railway, my companion found a gap under the barbed wire fence which we were able to crawl through and then cross the railway (Manchester - Leeds line : via Stalybridge). The sign which advised you to "STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN" had now gone, just the post remained. It must be something about this area the way these signs disappear.

At the other side of the railway a path led through a farmyard and onto Lumb Lane. We turned right towards Daisy Nook, past a number of cottages along the road. I think this must be Littlemoss. A bit further along at a 3 way road junction we turned right onto Newmarket Road. The fields on either side of the road soon gave way to rows of old terraced houses, with cottages and newer houses sandwiched in between them.

At the junction with Patterdale Road we turned right and cut through Crowhill estate. A typical 30s estate built around the line of a crescent with the usual facilities and features : chippy, post office, newsagent, launderette, general store, pub, and stray dogs.

Eventually emerged near Richmond Road near a lopsided telephone box. Don't suppose that will last long.

The road rose up past Ashton Bowling Club. In the window of the clubhouse there was a picture of Bernard Manning holding a pint of (Lees) beer, underneath it the words "He knows more about good taste than you thought".

We crossed the railway and walked alongside the concrete wall which bordered the cricket club. The wall was daubed with crudely painted signs which advertised car boot sales and Xmas fairs long since gone. The wall gave way to a wire fence, which swung to the right, onto Rayner Lane, and back to where we'd started.

MIP Market, Moston 25 February 1989.

Visited Albert Hulme on his market stall to drop off some more photographs. "Hello, how are you doing?" he said. His bright ruddy face beaming. "O.K., I've brought you some photos to look at", I said. He motioned me over to his van. I showed him the prints. "They're good" he said. "How much do I owe you for them?" I explained I had been commissioned by the DPA to undertake this work and he didn't owe me anything.

"I didn't see you up there" he said, meaning on the Moss. I said I'd only seen him there once myself. On that occasion he was working in his shed, and I'd seen glimpses of him in the doorway (whilst I was talking to Adzad). I had intended to go over and have a word with him, but by the time I'd finished he'd gone.

Mr. Hulme said he'd nearly phoned me. He went on to explain that he'd been repairing some of the greenhouses (before the wind had stopped him) and would like me to take some photographs of them (a commission within a commission). I said, yes, sure I would.

"I might go over for an hour today". "You're going over today?" he asked. "Might do if the weather clears up" I answered. "Well if you do, would you take some photographs of the greenhouses around the back before I repair them?" "O.K." I said. "Don't worry about the dogs" he added, "they're locked up in the sheds and can't get out.

At this point one of his assistants came out and asked for some more peppers, Mr. Hulme reached into the back of the van and pulled out a tray of shiny red and green peppers and handed it to her.

"Recognise this?" Mr. Hulme said to his assistant, showing her a photograph of his estate. He flicked through the other photos. "They're good" she said, and then went back into the market. We contined talking for a while, but I could see he had work to do. I could also see that the weather was improving, so I excused myself and left.

Rolleiflex 3.5F.

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