Greater Featherstall: Salford

[sunv123]

Your region must be really great to build on.   Really like the suburb pic too

Looking forward for more!

[noahclem]

Yesterday I moved you from the inactives to Recently Published and just a day later it's my pleasure to welcome you to the Best Sellers! Myself and the rest of your fans look forward to plenty more of your uniquely English cities well into the future!

[art128]

It's nice to see you back at MDing! I missed the last update but now I won't miss any.

[wallasey]

Before we get started, I would like to thank you all for helping Featherstall reach the Best Sellers section of the MDs! It is great to finally get here! Without you guys, we wouldn't be here today.

There's still lots of work to do, which means there will be lots of opportunity to see development shots as well as the finished article.

Today, we will take a closer look at Norbreck, but first things first...housekeeping!



Swordmaster Thanks Willy! There's plenty more where that came from!

noahclem Thanks for both of your postings! Yeah, I thought a bit of context would help out with understanding how the region works and where the ideas or nuggets of inspiration come from! I think the same may happen here to be fair, with Featherstall, I may build a "ancillary" City Centre to support the tiles around, let them develop and mature, then go back to the Featherstall CBD tile and rebuild it aesthetically. We'll see what happens!

Thanks for your very kind words, hopefully each City will have it's own identity/ unique layout!

RickD Great to see you here Rick! Thanks for commenting! I hope my blurb wasn't confusing!

sunv123 Thanks for visiting! The region has it's good tiles...and not so good tiles, but on the whole it is starting to shape out to be a great region!

art128 Thanks for the Welcome back! Look forward to seeing more of you around here!



To compliment this update, I have constructed a map to help with your navigation. It's a proper street map...I still need to insert a few road names, but for today it is good to go.

Linkie I am planning in making this into a more comprehensive streetmap further down the line...just need to think of different streetnames!


St Mark's Square is one of the oldest areas in Norbreck Town Centre. The building in the square is reputedly the old town lock up where drunkards would be thrown into for the night if they were caught roaming the streets with ale. Thankfully things have moved on since the early days. The Square is a focal point for the town as it sits between the Arndale Shopping Centre, Trocadero Cinema and the Royal Arcade. Part of the Bus Station can also be seen in this shot too.


Braithwaite Moor Road runs along a high route from Norbreck to Braithwaite. House builders in the 30's were attracted to the sheltered hillside the area offered. Here, we face away from the lake. Endsleigh Avenue and Palantine Road are also in view here.


Horrocks Hall Avenue takes it's name from a mansion house which once stood close to this site. The Horrock's family were large land owners on this side of the lake and were quick to sell off plots of land once the lakeland ferries became a popular means of reaching Featherstall. There is an interesting quirk about the Horrocks family and Railways in this region...but that's for another time!


Summer Seat is one of the oldest routes into Norbreck from the South and East, although it has altered a great deal over the years. The last big development was Byrom Circus, the terminus of the Norbreck Spur of the Regional motorway network.


Grinsargh Way runs from Bryom Circus down to Southern suburbs in the Norbreck Peninsular. It's purpose is twofold. Firstly, to bypass South Strand Street and other narrow, tedious Southern routes, and to also feed the southern areas into the M501. The development of this major route did cause some devastation, but fortunately the use of concrete retaining walls was kept down to a minimum.


Everton Terrace was once the most exclusive district in Norbreck. Situated on a high aspect, the villa's enjoyed wide reaching views of the Lake and surrounding hills. As time progressed, pressures of urban life crept up on this district. The Villa's became dilapidated as the area descended into lower ranks of class. Opulent terraces were cleared, all but one remains. Tower blocks became Everton's signature  building. These day's conservation of all buildings has become the norm. The council has plans to re-clad the tower blocks to make them more energy efficient. The Villa's are now subdivided into flats.

I hope this was an enjoyable update!

[nbvc]

Great city and suburbs.

[Swordmaster]

Welcome to the Best Sellers!

Good work with the diagonals here. Some of the slopes are a bit tough, though, as are the foundations in picture 3. But the layout of the network looks pretty promising.

Cheers
Willy

[art128]

Very nice update. Lovely pictures here.

On the first picture I like the old tower in that small grass area. The overpass on the second from last picture is nice as well.

And good job on the map! There are still some things to correct such as colors and edges, but it's still a nice start!

[noahclem]

Great update    I love the way you've constructed the transit system with Grinsargh being not a motorway but not a regular surface street either. Nice roundabout interchange, I love the map, and the rest of the city's roads and neighborhoods seem very well done. A fitting way to celebrate Featherstall's promotion 

[sunv123]

Whoa! That house in the third pic must really not like it's neighbors! 

Great update though!

[wallasey]

A big thanks to you all for commenting, I have been overjoyed with your feedback!

Great city and suburbs.

Thanks nbvc!

Welcome to the Best Sellers!

Good work with the diagonals here. Some of the slopes are a bit tough, though, as are the foundations in picture 3. But the layout of the network looks pretty promising.

Cheers
Willy

Thanks Willy, yeah my slopes are a bit unfriendly for building on, especially Gascookers BATs where the foundations are so obvious. I did at the time have a chat with him to request any alternatives but alas the foundations the LOTs have are the best. I will attempt to bring a few of these houses down to a reasonable level!

Very nice update. Lovely pictures here.

On the first picture I like the old tower in that small grass area. The overpass on the second from last picture is nice as well.

And good job on the map! There are still some things to correct such as colors and edges, but it's still a nice start!

Thanks art128! I wanted the relief route to be leafy rather than ultra urban, if only to block out the road noise! As for the tower...or the lock up tower as it featured here, there is a proper real life example which is world famous. That is the logo of Everton Football Club! The St Rupert's lock up is what they use as their identification.

Thanks for the feedback with the map too, I have done a different type of map today, but I will bear in mind your pointers!

Great update    I love the way you've constructed the transit system with Grinsargh being not a motorway but not a regular surface street either. Nice roundabout interchange, I love the map, and the rest of the city's roads and neighborhoods seem very well done. A fitting way to celebrate Featherstall's promotion 

Cheers mate! The roundabout was intended to be rather large as it would form the main gateway into the CBD from the South and East, so it's great to see that look came across!

I am really pleased that the tour around Norbreck was a great tribute to Featherstall's rising of the MD ranks! I hope the next update goes further!

Whoa! That house in the third pic must really not like it's neighbors! 

Great update though!

haha, no they prefer to look down on the surrounding residents rather than join in!

Thanks for stopping by!



Two weeks ago I went on a day out, I wanted to share an image of what to me, really sums up a Northern UK town.



These terraced houses literally cling onto the hillside! The Mill Chimney is a part of the India Mill Complex, constructed in 1868 as a result of Lancashire's Cotton Industry. The chimney dominates the town, and is most certainly the grandest of it's type to remain.

Right, back to Greater Featherstall...




Crosthwaite is where Norbreck meets the open countryside of the Rossendale Valley. Due to the development of suburbs; retail and industrial parks are commonplace. Most of these are found off the regional motorway network. In the case of Jc600. we are between the M501 (Norbreck Spur) and the M50, the latter runs North-South through the Braithwaite and Norbreck area. All the standard amenities are on the retail park including a cinema and motel.


Top O'th Meadows Lane used to connect Crosthwaite with Milne and Moorside. With the development of the M50, this through route was diverted to meet up with Drummersridge Road and the adjoining motorway junction. 


The M50 superceeded Drummersridge Road in the Milne area. Terraced houses look down on the Middlebrook junction, one of the busiest in the region. Traffic levels have increased with the expansion of Middlebrook Industrial Park, I have recorded over 10,000 cars passing through this junction. As an aside, if you are wondering why the roundabout has normal road sections around the junctions, it is because I like to see the traffic managed, rather than filter all at the same time.


The development in this area of Crosthwaite was rapid. Originally, the town was a farming settlement above Norbreck. However as we saw previously, Featherstall's growth encouraged areas around the Lake to grow with it. Crosthwaite was quickly absorbed into Norbreck, officially becoming apart of Norbreck in 1910. The terraced houses you see here don't join onto Willow Lane due to Fordsley's Villa's standing in the way. This also follows the old field boundaries which ultimately dictated the length and width of streets and developments.




Looking at Crosthwaite Town Centre from different angles, you can see the CBD has a few office blocks and a rather compact central area. The tall office block was constructed at a time when the newly formed Braithwaite Council was attempting to attract firms to outer areas where there was a need for increased commercial employment. This development in particular included a small Shopping Mall on the ground floor.

Church Street is the main thoroughfare, however it is restricted to buses only. Crosthwaite is a great market for the relative bus firms to tap into considering it's extensive housing estates and links into Norbreck, Braithwaite and Featherstall. Due to the rail network only running inland, public transport is highly concentrated to the bus market...and making sure the passengers get a fair deal.


One of the transport guides for Crosthwaite.

And Finally...

The region as it is now and where Crosthwaite lies in relation to Norbreck.

Thanks for visiting! Hope to see you all soon!

[Swordmaster]

Yes, return of the bus maps. . . very good!

I assume slopes are prohibiting a smooth rail piece in pic 1? Looks a bit painful to that little train.


Cheers
Willy

[noahclem]

Excellent work    The Willow Lane picture with the neighborhood built into all the hills and curves is my favorite. One thing I'd suggest is using merging lanes with your RHWs (type D, E, or F ramps).

I've never seen anything like the RL picture. What a smokestack and roof 

[DebussyMan]

Great work on your MD... and that's a really cool chimney you show there. If you don't mind me asking, did you take any more pictures of it?

[RickD]

Yep, looks very british.   

That smokestack is really unique. It is interesting that many UK towns seem to be built around an old factory.

[kj3400]

Nothing quite like a British suburb, I think. That's a very nice town centre.

[art128]

Wonderful. You've created the atmosphere of the RL picture quite well.

[wallasey]

Thanks all for your comments! I will reply to you all on the next update as per usual...however I have one additional treat in store.

The Chimney or Smoke Stack....

Great work on your MD... and that's a really cool chimney you show there. If you don't mind me asking, did you take any more pictures of it?

I did take more pics if you would like them posted here or pm'd over to you? In the mean time, this youtube vid may be the best way forward...

http://youtu.be/3R3-YwDZrzg

Apologies, I don't know how to embed! This 5 minute video should give you some idea of the size and dimensions of the stack, although it has been refurbished since this was filmed back in the early 80's.

Enjoy!

[mattb325]

Excellent updates in this MD. I really like the commons between the housing complexes - it looks excellent in the region view 

[WannGLondon]

WOW! It seems as if Greater Featherstall and Pense could be closely related. Happy to see that there is another British-themed MD-er here 

[wallasey]

Yes, return of the bus maps. . . very good!

I assume slopes are prohibiting a smooth rail piece in pic 1? Looks a bit painful to that little train.


Cheers
Willy

Hi Willy, know you would pick up on my hard rail piece! Its a combination of the slopes and the smooth rail curve which is just off the pic. I'll agree the train does look as if it is struggling! Glad you liked the bus map...it needs updating already!

Excellent work    The Willow Lane picture with the neighborhood built into all the hills and curves is my favorite. One thing I'd suggest is using merging lanes with your RHWs (type D, E, or F ramps).

I've never seen anything like the RL picture. What a smokestack and roof 

Thanks Noah! It's not a bad area round Willow Lane is it? haha!

Thanks for your ideas regarding my motorway junctions, merge lanes would be a good idea! I'll take another look at that junction!

The chimney is one of a kind that's for sure! The vid I posted later on is of a renowned local celebrity who climbed the whole structure!

Great work on your MD... and that's a really cool chimney you show there. If you don't mind me asking, did you take any more pictures of it?

I have more images with the chimney in it, although no proper closeups. Have you had the chance to watch the youtube link? It is of a chap climbing it...whats great is he gives you dimensions and goes into detail about the structure. If you would like me post more pics, that would not be an issue at all.

Thanks for commenting!

Yep, looks very british.   

That smokestack is really unique. It is interesting that many UK towns seem to be built around an old factory.

Job done!

There is no chimney like it, there was a bigger one in a neighbouring town but it is long gone.

This type of development is more prominent in Lancashire and Yorkshire where the cotton and woolen mills were commonplace, to a lesser extent Derbyshire was the same, although only in the Derwent Valley (now a World Heritage Site). Towns in the Midlands tended to be centered around foundry's, hence the reason why the area to the West of Birmingham is called the Black Country. There's other places like this too! not forgetting Sheffield and it's Steel heritage.

In short, this is what is left of the UK's Industrial Revolution! 

Nothing quite like a British suburb, I think. That's a very nice town centre.

Thanks for commenting! Plenty a bargain to be found in there!

Wonderful. You've created the atmosphere of the RL picture quite well.

Thanks art128! I was hoping to try and get the same atmosphere!

Excellent updates in this MD. I really like the commons between the housing complexes - it looks excellent in the region view 

It's great to see you here! I hope your buildings are looking OK in my surroundings! Your high wealth housing pack has been a godsend! Thanks for commenting!

WOW! It seems as if Greater Featherstall and Pense could be closely related. Happy to see that there is another British-themed MD-er here 

I think they were separated at birth! haha! Thanks for popping next door!


Sadly today is a short but hopefully sweet view of East Featherstall. It's suburbs again...I will get some CBDs completed soon hopefully!


East Runshaw Road runs through Stanneybrook, connecting lower reaches of Huyton and the small town of Runshaw to Featherstall itself. The route is typical of Featherstall suburbia with wide avenues filtering through the green and leafy surroundings.


Again, we see East Runshaw Road, but a little further toward the City boundary. Most of these routes are either widened lanes or diverted from old turnpikes. Developers in the 30's wanted traffic flow through these new housing areas to be a simple as possible. Originally, some of the central reserves had trams running up them, however these were withdrawn in 1957 when trams became unpopular. Now, they are back on the cards again as Featherstall and the associated authorities look for alternatives to relieve traffic congestion.


Still Work in Progress here! Queens Drive is the outer ring road which connects the various suburbs together, saving the need to navigate around back lanes.

Sadly that is a wrap for today! I shall get back to the coalface for more images of Featherstall to share with you! I may do a Highways orientated update next!

Stay Tuned and thanks for your support!