Friday Alley 2

This one is not really an 'alley' as such. Northcroft Lane leads all the way from Northbrook Street (our High Street) down to Northcroft Park and our local leisure centre, but this part has no vehicular entry, which is why I think of it as an alleyway.

I chose to use sepia in these shots, and they are slightly boosted as its a dark alley.
Also, I felt I needed both these because it is quite a long lane. The first shot is the white painted building and the second the brick buildings.

Northcroft runs to the north of the Kennet and Avon Canal and the west of Northbrook street.

The name 'Northcroft Lane' first appeared in a 15th Century rent roll. Apparently at the time agriculture was very much the interest in the area. There was the election of a 'hayward'.

I looked up the term 'hayward' and discovered that this was an officer who was in charge of hedges and fences around a town common, especially to keep cattle from breaking through and to impound stray cattle(obviously obsolete these days)!

In this area there were some almshouses founded in 1754 for poor weavers. I don't think they exist any longer (not as almshouses anyway).

Northcroft Lane has an 'Accessorize' shop to the left and a 'Starbucks' on the right adjacent to the entrance on Northbrook Street.

Further down on the image on the left you will just see a sign. Its a small French bakery. Strange place to have a small shop in the middle of all those walls!

Further down the lane (on the same side) from there is a large Salvation Army hall and a doctors' surgery. On the left the much overflowing (and very fast at the moment) Kennet and Avon Canal passes on its way to Hungerford.

There are various collections of houses, offices and car parks as you walk much further down away from the town.

I understand that at one time there was also a(nother) small Baptist chapel of which there were at one time several in the town. I'm not sure whether the building still exists now.

Right at the other end of Northcroft Lane is the Northcroft Park and Leisure Centre. Just in the local paper this week are photographs of the park which has been extremely flooded and people are warned not to walk through there especially at night!

That's rather a lengthy tirade, but hope you enjoy reading it :)

Positives of the day:

Its my day off, phew! Its been a bit of a week....

Had a lovely cuppa with a friend after taking my pictures.

Saw a beautiful swan on the much flooded steps leading down to the canal (through the bridge railings, on the way into town). You can see ithere ...bit of a fuzzy picture though :)

Negatives:

Too much to do at home, its already lunchtime and I've done nothing except a washload!

Now I need to write a list, get on and stop procrastinating :)

I've tried to link this to the one street project, but for some reason it won't let me. FINALLY I've managed to link it to the One Street Project! that has taken some finding!!!!

Here is last Friday!

Have a great day blippers!