Eccles, like nearby Salford and Manchester, is part of the historic Lancashire boundaries and is the final Historic Lancashire place we have been so far so it will round off my posts for today on new Lancashire places.
Eccles:
Status: City of Salford District, Greater Manchester (Historically Lancashire), Town, England
Date: 03/10/2013
Travel: Metrolink (Anchorage – Eccles), Metrolink (Eccles – Deansgate)
Eating & Sleeping: N/A
Attractions: Metrolink, Gold Post Box, Former Town Hall, War Memorial etc
The street on this picture is the main heart of the town, with the former Town Hall, War Memorial and various shops in view. The tram stop is just down the road coming back to and beyond the camera. There a lot of old Victorian buildings in the town and the outer areas have long rows of terraced Victorian houses. There is also a Gold Post Box in the town near to the Salford Royal Infirmary.
This picture shows the former Town Hall (built in 1881), however it no longer functions as an actual town hall, it is now used as a theatre and utilises the large ballroom at its heart. The council that once inhabited the building moved out to Salford Town hall in 1974.
The Duke of York pub stands next to the former town hall.
Eccles War memorial in the town centre, and was erected in 1925 as a memorial to the fallen of World War I. This was actually later than most towns in Lancashire, but in the area around Eccles there had already been other memorials.
Eccles is the end of one of the branches of the Greater Manchester Metrolink network, with the line passing around Salford Quays on the way to Eccles. There are regular trams back towards Manchester city centre.
There is a national rail train station in Eccles with rail connects to Salford and Manchester as well as outlying destinations. The M602 Motorway passes through Eccles to its terminus in Salford, and runs the other way to meet the M62 and the M60 motorways that run around Greater Manchester.
Eccles is a pleasant little town with some impressive old buildings and a distinct character, with the town also being famous for the Eccles Cake. We only had a quick look on our way into Manchester to visit the Museum of Science and Industry so I am sure there is even more to explore in the town but it is only small in comparison with the much larger cities of Salford and Manchester nearby.
The British Isles were the limit, but now the world! 