Bury Ground

Opposite the Gigg Lane football stadium of Bury FC

- Emergency Rendezvous Point, Lord Street, Bury (opposite junction with Parker Street) "ERP 166" Emergency Rendezvous Points (ERP) were designated places in the locality for the coordination of ARP and emergency services during civil emergencies, particularly for those services arriving from outside the area. The signs appear in a variety of designs, but most are diamond shapes framing the ERP locality number. SD8110 : WWII Lancashire: Ghost Signs of the Home Front (9)

- Emergency Rendezvous Point, Lord Street, Bury (opposite junction with Parker Street) "ERP 166" Emergency Rendezvous Points (ERP) were designated places in the locality for the coordination of ARP and emergency services during civil emergencies, particularly for those services arriving from outside the area. The signs appear in a variety of designs, but most are diamond shapes framing the ERP locality number. SD8210 : WWII Lancashire: Ghost Signs of the Home Front (10)

Built in 1925 as a manager's house for the Star Bleaching Company by 1933 and the Great Depression it saw closure of the bleaching and dye works and former Burrs Mill. Formerly a Wilsons Brewery Ltd house the Garsdale first opened its doors in 1980.

Preserved former British Railways Bulleid 7P5FA 4-6-2 ‘West Country’ class locomotive number 34092 ‘City of Wells’ leaves Bolton Street Station with an East Lancashire Railway passenger train on the journey from Bury to Rawtenstall. One of the 4-6-2 Light Pacific steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by its Chief Mechanical Engineer Oliver Bulleid, 34092 was built at the Brighton Works in 1949, after the nationalisation of the railways in Britain; it was originally named “Wells” but was renamed “City of Wells” a year later. The engine was withdrawn in November 1964 and sold to the Woodham Bros scrapyard in South Wales, remaining there until being purchased by a group of individuals in 1971 who brought it to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in November of that year. It returned to service with KWVR in 1979 and worked on special charters all over the country. The locomotive was withdrawn in 1989 to begin, what turned out to be, a 25-year restoration back to running order and as-built appearance. It finally returned to service again in August 2014. Link SR West Country and Battle of Britain (Light Pacific) classes (Wikipedia) Link British Railways, Bulleid West Country Pacific 4-6-2 No. 34092 ‘City of Wells’ (KWVR)

The former St John's Church was located off The Rock, then named Stanley Street. The church closed in 1964 but the former graveyard remained. Now, this land forms a garden adjacent to the new Rock Triangle retail and entertainment development which opened in 2010. Several of the gravestones have been retained in the design of the garden alongside the paths.

The former St John's Church was located off The Rock, then named Stanley Street. The church closed in 1964 but the former graveyard remained. Now, this land forms a garden (SD8011 : St John's Gardens) adjacent to the new Rock Triangle retail and entertainment development which opened in 2010. Several of the gravestones have been retained in the design of the garden and lie flat alongside the paths. Most are worn to the point of being illegible but I was able to make out the wording on this one which relates the tragic story of Joseph and Jane Newbold who had 5 children, none of whom survived them. Two died in infancy (not uncommon at that time) and three died between 1830 and 1833 when a cholera pandemic caused 60,000 deaths amongst the population of 14 million in England. HERE Resteth the body of JOSEPH NEWBOLD Who departed this life August 20th 1839 in the 56th year of his Age. Also of JANE his Relict * who departed this life April 16th 1853 in the 68th year of her Age. Also of ANN their Daughter who departed this life September 1?th 1807 in the first year of her Age. Also of FRANCIS their Son who departed this life February 1826 in the 7th year of his Age. Also of SAMUEL their Son who departed this life May 27th 1830 in the 1st year of his Age. Also of JAMES their son who departed this life June 10th 1833 in the 17th year of his Age Also of MARY their Daughter who departed this life November 26th 1833 in the 11th year of her Age * I was unfamiliar with the term relict in this context. On looking it up, I found that it was a term from the 17th and 18th centuries that meant a woman who was the surviving spouse of the marriage and had not remarried (as today we would use the word widow).

The Portland stone dome of the Kay monument (SD8010 : Kay Monument, Bury) is surmounted by the bronze figure of Fame.

This imposing structure, an ornate, Italianate domed octagon standing more than ten metres in height, is a memorial to John Kay. It stands in the centre of Kay Gardens, an open space created from the former market place when a new market hall was built in 1901. The gardens and this memorial were commissioned and paid for by Henry Whitehead, a local mill owner. John Kay was born in Bury in 1704. He was a prolific inventor, most famous in Lancashire as the 'Inventor of the flying shuttle' - a mechanism for speeding up the production of cloth on a hand-operated loom. Although he left Bury, emigrating to France in 1747, he has long been regarded as a celebrated son of the town and one of the men responsible for Lancashire's success in the cotton industry. An inscription on one side of the monument reads: THE GIFT OF HENRY WHITEHEAD OF HASLEM HEY TO HIS NATIVE TOWN TO PERPETUATE THE NAME AND FAME OF JOHN KAY OF BURY. WHOSE INVENTION IN THE YEAR 1733 OF THE FLY SHUTTLE QUADRUPLED HUMAN POWER IN WEAVING & PLACED ENGLAND IN THE FRONT RANK AS THE BEST MARKET IN THE WORLD FOR TEXTILE MANUFACTURES. HE WAS BORN IN BURY IN 1704, AND DIED IN EXILE AND POVERTY IN FRANCE, WHERE HE LIES IN AN UNKNOWN GRAVE. Kay Gardens and the Kay Monument were opened in April 1908. Mrs Henry Whitehead opened the gardens and the Earl of Derby unveiled the monument. The monument, which was cleaned and refurbished in 2011, is a Grade II listed structure (List Entry Number: 1163636 Link Historic England). . (see also SD8010 : Kay Monument - Relief Portrait, SD8010 : Kay Monument, Inscription, SD8010 : Kay Monument (detail) and SD8010 : Fame on the Kay Monument). Link - John Cassidy, Manchester Sculpture Link - Cotton Times, The Life of John Kay SD8010 : Monument to John Kay Kay Gardens, Bury Town Centre and SD8010 : The John Kay Memorial show the monument before it was cleaned and refurbished).

An East Lancashire Railway train hauled by 50015, ex-British Rail Co-Co Class 50 ‘Valiant' diesel locomotive, arrives at Burrs Country Park Halt. One of 18 preserved Class 50 locomotives, Valiant was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry. It entered service with British Rail in 1968. It was withdrawn from service in 1992 (Link East Lancashire Railway Diesel Group).

9pm on a Sunday evening, the bus station is almost deserted; only a few all-night services are running at this time.

Sunday evening, 9.05pm. No passengers in view as only a few all-night services are running at this time.

The 135 service to Manchester leaving Bury Interchange.

One of Bulleid's light Pacific 4-6-2 locomotives in unrebuilt (spam can) form. I recall it was getting rather gloomy at that time of year. Approaching the platforms at Bury Bolton Street Station.

Ex-Northern Rail 144009 was one of 23 class 144 Pacer Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) built for British Rail between 1986 and 1987; all were withdrawn by May 2020 as they did not meet new disability regulations (Link The Railway Magazine 19 April 2017). 144009 was acquired by Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) and moved to the East Lancashire Railway by road in September 2020 for temporary storage at the Buckley Wells yard awaiting its final movement to the GMFRS Bury Training and Safety Centre nearby (SD7910 : GMFRS Training and Safety Centre, Wellington Street). 144009 is currently fully operational and the fire service agreed for it to operate a few services at the East Lancashire Railway’s 2020 railcar gala. This event was cancelled due to Covid-19 so the runs did not take place but the set did appear in passenger service during the ELR Diesel Gala event in summer 2021. Recently repainted in the fictitious livery of “Great Midlands Trains” for a filming contract, it is expected that 144009 will be used by GMFRS as a training aid for staff and so operation as a train again will be extremely unlikely once it has been transferred to the fire service.