Satellite views of the area ‘East of the M60′ motorway
First the good news: Google Maps has been updated.
The bad news: it is not that up to date.
Revealed in the 26th June 2007 edition of the Manchester Evening News, the paper decried the absence of Beetham Tower, though pointed out the inclusion of Imperial War Museum North. Had it not been for that article, I would not have decided to reveal how out of date the update is. I understand that this is due to Google buying in pictures rather than owning their own satellites.
Ashton-under-Lyne seems unbelievably out of date. On the aerial view of the bus station are two Dennis’s buses (taken over by Stagecoach Manchester, April 2005) on the 216 and 345 routes. Parked at A stand within the bus station (top stand on the right hand side) is a bus in the 1986 - 2003 Stagecoach livery (the old orange, red and blue stripes with Starsky and Hutch style sweep). It is also worth noting that:
- The photograph was taken some time before IKEA opened (with the former NORWEB building still intact);
- According to the satellite image, Curzon Ashton still play at National Park;
- Lord Sheldon Way is incomplete - on all views;
- Ashton’s indoor market was still open (the photo taken sometime before the fire in May 2004);
- According to the map, you could still call in the King William and The Red Lion.
Also present is Lakes Road School, Dukinfield, which has been replaced by houses. Thankfully, Stalybridge is more or less up to date, apart from the absence of a new waiting shelter on platform 2 and new housing behind the Tesco store. Hyde still has the Ashton Zorbit works - also replaced by houses.
Readers of this blog, I invite you point out further discrepencies.
S.V, 28/06/2007
