Stalybridge
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Template:GBdot Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester.
Stalybridge is a small town in the north-west of England. It lies at the foothills of the Pennines, which are also known as the backbone of Britain, 8 miles east of Manchester.
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal passes through the town, and in the library there is the Astley Cheetham Art Gallery. Near the Hartshead Power Station in the urban part Heyrod, Huddersfield Narrow Canal runs under the legs of an electricity pylon.
A former nineteenth century industrial town, Stalybridge is now in the midst of a multi-million pound refurbishment programme. The canal, which was once filled in and made into a car park, has been completely restored with new cafés along the banks and boat trips running. Stalybridge has over 30 pubs. One quirky statistic is that it has the pub with the longest name in the United Kingdom, The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn, as well as the shortest in the U.K., Q, and the Buffet Bar which until recently was the only licensed bar on a railway platform.
Stalybridge has become known as 'Little Venice' because the River Tame runs through the centre as does the canal – and also as 'Stalyvegas' due to all the new clubs, bars and public houses opening up in the area. The surrounding towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Dukinfield, Droylsden, Hyde, Longdendale, and Mossley form the collective borough known as Tameside.
The football team in Stalybridge is called Stalybridge Celtic. They are one of four FIFA recognised teams to be called Celtic. Usually based in non-league football, they are consistently the best team in Stalybridge.
There is a tradition of musical dynasty. The first ever brass band was created in Stalybridge. Also, the song "It's A Long Way To Tipperary" was written there, after composer Jack Judge was was challenged by a friend to write, compose and produce a song in just one night. This was despite the writer having never visited the Irish village. The most famous band to have been founded in Stalybridge was The Fivepenny Piece who sung traditional Northern music in the 1970s. They were particularly noted for taking the work of a local poet and putting it to music. Their most famous song is arguably "In Bowton's Yard". A more modern musical example is David Bates who currently lives there.
Stalybridge also has a world famous artist who lived in the area. Many of the paintings by L.S.Lowry (noted for his matchstick man and cats and dogs) were of the people and factories of Stalybridge.
The children's novelist Beatrix Potter lived there for many years before moving to Cumbria.
External Links
- Stalybridge Weather Center (http://www.c.c.bates.btinternet.co.uk) - Recent weather statistics in this town
- Stalybridge Online (http://www.stalybridge.org.uk/)
- "The life and soul of StalyVegas" (http://www.stalybridge.com)
- Stalybridge Webcam (http://www.tameside.gov.uk/corpgen/stalywebcam.htm) - providing current view from the market clock tower
- Stalybridge section of Tameside MBC website (http://www.tameside.gov.uk/corpgen/new/stalymenu.html)
- Stalybridge Centic (http://www.stalybridgeceltic.co.uk/index.php) - Town's football team
- Stalypubs.com (http://www.stalypubs.com/) - Guide to the town's considerable number of pubs/clubs/restaurants