STEPPING INTO CHESHIRE

 Our first stop today is Hazel Grove, still in Greater Manchester. There's a good Robinson's house here, the Grapes.

There's also a Wetherspoons, the Wilfred Wood.

We follow the LNWR line towards High Lane, finding a train at Norbury Crossing.

At High Lane, there is a former Burtonwood house, the Royal Oak.

Nearby is Middlewood, where the CLC met the LNWR. We're now in Cheshire.

If you follow the map (here) you'll find us in Poynton, where the Royal British Legion Club has some good real ales.

Next stop is Woodford (back in Greater Manchester) and the Davenport Arms.

Just to the north is Bramhall station, photographed by Ben Brooksbank in 1966.

Back into Cheshire and the village of Styal, home of the Ship Inn.

The commuter town of Wilmslow comes next. Here's the exterior of the railway station in LNWR times.

The line through Wilmslow is electrified these days. This is 1986.

Now it's 1995.

Grove Street, Wilmslow town centre (Creative Commons License).

St Batholomew's church (Creative Commons License).

The Coach & Four in Wilmslow is a historic Hyde's pub.

Sadly, the Rifleman's Arms is no longer a pub.

To the west of Wilmslow is the village of Mobberley. Here, one can find the Bull's Head.

There's also the Roebuck.

Mobberley railway station is a good distance from the village. The signal box was still in use in 2003.

Next stop on that line is Knutsford station. 142067 calls in 2003.

Star Line Coaches had a depot outside Knutsford station.

There's some decent pubs in Knutsford. First stop is the Cross Keys.

The Angel comes next.

As darkness falls, we conclude this post at the Lord Eldon.

Next time, further into deepest Cheshire.

HYDE & SEEK

First stop out of Glassop is Dinting station.

 

Here are the Glossop line platforms in 1969, with an EMU calling.

A GCR designed signal box sits on the Woodhead main line westbound platform.

Various railtours have called here.

Back in the early 1980s, most through traffic was class 76 hauled freight.

The former GCR loco shed and yard was once in the hands of a preservation society. EM1 no. 26020 makes a fine sight in 1982.

Some 1969 residents of Dinting Railway Centre. All gone now, sadly.

Just to the west of Dinting station is the viaduct, strengthened by the GCR.

A local EMU crosses the valley.

Further towards Manchester is Broadbottom station (Ben Brooksbank - Creative Commons License).

Into what is now Greater Manchester and here is the GCR signal box at Godley Junction.

LNER 4-6-0 no. 5037 with a freight at Godley Junction in 1939.

We leave the Woodhead route at Newton for Hyde and close to the station was the Railway Inn, a Boddington's house. It's recently reopened, but no real ale.

Here's a postcard of our next destination - Hyde Town Hall and Market (from my collection).

The Peak Forest Canal once served Hyde. Here, it's passing a yard full of buses.

Talking of buses, Greater Manchester South was once the main operator.

A local independent, Stuart's, also ran buses in Hyde.

Another operator, albeit short lived, Mybus.

The Commercial Inn, seen in 1976, as a Marston's house. It's long gone now.

The White Lion, in the Market Place, a Robinson's house.

For our last photo in Hyde, we're at Hyde Central station, with a Strathclyde liveried DMU in 2003.

On a different route, owned once by the Chesire Lines Committee, at Woodley Junction.

Another station in the area, on one of the lines to Romiley, is Bredbury, seen in 1965 (Ben Brooksbank - Creative Commons License).

Indeed, Romiley is our next stop. This signal box controls the junction.

Close to the station, a small pub called Platform One.

Opposite the station is a Greene King pub, the Romiley Arms (Creative Commons License).

Here is St Chad's church in Romiley (Creative Commons License).

Stockport Road, Romiley - bit of suburbia (Creative Commons License).

The Peak Forest Canal finds its way through Romiley (Creative Commons License).

We could take a short walk, or hop on a Stagecoach bus to our next stop.

We soon find the Duke of York on the edge of Romiley.

That's a good free house at which to end this post. Next time, we're heading west, but avoiding the big towns or cities for now. Follow the route here.