cheshire Archives - Oliver Wood Photography

Hale Cold War Relic

Four Minute Warning

It’s still there! Had another day cycling around my old home turf of Hale and noticed that this once ominous relic of the cold war is still in place. This is the the siren that would have given the residents of Hale village the “four minute warning” so we could all scuttle into our makeshift (useless) home-made “Protect and Survive” shelters as megatons of nuclear firepower burst over the city and the nearby airport!

I vividly remember the chilling sound of this very siren being tested and creating a hellish drone beating with our local siren on the roof of the Unicorn (pub) hotel in Hale Barns; a mile up the road. The siren was originally hooked up to a nearby telephone pole and was activated by a special signal sent over the telephone network. This, at the time, secret civil defence system hidden in plain sight was known as HANDEL, the switching circuit in that box on the pole was constantly listening to the speaking clock until this special signal came along to activate the siren and warn us that the unthinkable was actually underway and the end of our technological civilisation and the lives of millions was suddenly a horrible reality — The sight of this thing dose bring back a lot of memories of my youthful anxiety about nuclear war.

Aperture: ƒ/11
Taken: 29 August, 2019
Focal length: 50mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/125s

If you are interested in reading more about this intriguing subject or just want to indulge technical geekery with a dose of miserabalism then you may find some of the links below interesting: –

My own piece on the “Backbone” tower at Sutton Common: BT Tower, Sutton Common

A detailed explanation of the HANDEL warning network: British Nuclear Warning System

UK cold war plans & exercises: Struggle for Survival

All Saints – Siddington

A few heavily treated images of All Saints church in Siddington, Cheshire; seen whilst cycling down to Jodrell Bank. Some of these images have added texture layers. The building is grade 2 listed and was subjected to substantial restorations between 1853 / 1895. The surrounding area is some of the most pleasant lowland rural land in Cheshire characterised by gently rolling hills and winding lanes lined with high hedgerows – a little similar to Dorset. The parish of all saints also includes the magnificent Capesthorne Hall Tudor estate, one of Cheshire’s prime NT treasures.

Aperture: ƒ/8
Taken: 22 May, 2019
Focal length: 13mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/125s

Alderley Edge Observations

A curious wooden bus shelter in Alderley Edge with paper textures. Had a few very enjoyable days out cycling over to the west side, the equally ‘posh’ and rarefied side of Cheshire; but my intention is often to look for things that rarely get photographed – in these parts at least. These are just a few pictures from a trip to Alderley on the 13th May, I have many more including plenty of stuff in colour but today (16th) I also continued on to Jodrell Bank in preparation for my trips down to the Blue Dot festival and got many more pictures that are, for me, essential studies of the locality.

Aperture: ƒ/8
Taken: 13 May, 2019
Focal length: 10mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/250s

Grass | Pole | Slope

Getting down low in Pott Shrigley, Cheshire. I liked the abandoned telecoms line heading up the side of the hill and ending with a cut off. This combined with a certain primitivist and abstract submersion in nature. The image has been toned to simulate the look of an old platinum print and some texture layers have also been applied to flatten out dynamic range.

Aperture: ƒ/13
Taken: 19 August, 2011
Focal length: 10mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/125s

Walking to Mottram Hall

A very old and narrow footbridge across the river Bollin near Mottram Hall. This is an obscure footpath that runs from Prestbury to the bottom of the golf course at Mottram Hall hotel. It is a path that I have rarely used until recently as it is a nice avoiding route for that last bit of hill on the Axxx when heading back to the village on the very last leg of the return from a long bike ride out west.

I like the geometric and perspective effect in the wide shot and the tonal quality of the wood, earth and winter leaves. Both of the images have been blended with a paper texture layer.

Aperture: ƒ/4
Taken: 9 January, 2019
Focal length: 10mm
ISO: 200
Shutter speed: 1/125s

A high angle view of the bridge looking in the direction of home – or rather home is a ninety degree turn to the right as indicated by the sign. Red and yellow levels have been pushed up in the conversion to create a look that is a little reminiscent of infrared film.

Aperture: ƒ/4
Taken: 9 January, 2019
Focal length: 10mm
ISO: 200
Shutter speed: 1/125s

Prestbury New Road

A new view of New Road in Prestbury Village, Cheshire. The new view has been made possible by the removal of trees and shrubs in the garden of the Bridge Hotel and it is a vista that I have not seen for more than twenty years. The picture was shot with a 50mm lens on 1.5x crop frame camera so equivalent to a 70mm focal length, the composition is a little cropped at the bottom but you can just about make out the stone bridge taking New Road over the Bollin.

Interesting to note that all of the buildings in this view pre-date the road as the original main street through the village runs along what is now the rear of these buildings where it then made a ford crossing of the river before winding sharply left past the farm that is now the Bridge Hotel and up through the old centre of the village.

Aperture: ƒ/8
Taken: 17 January, 2019
Focal length: 50mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/250s

Four Minute Warning

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