Glossop Brook flows through the centre of the town and is a feature of many elements of the urban scenery. I took a series of images to try and depict how the river fits into this and adjacent to old buildings and new and “regenerated” buildings. I have also tried to emphasise how the river brings the more natural environment into the town as a base for the growth of plants – planned and unplanned.
Glossop Brook near Calico Court and the base of old mills
In these images I tried to emphasise the juxtaposition of the new development and its clean straight lines with the base of the old mills underlying it with more irregular edges.
As the river flows through the riverside park, it can be seen that this is a resource used by residents for exercise and recreation.
Near Wren Nest Mill, a mill now converted into appartments and a retail park, the river is forced into a narrow channel, but still forms a reserve for plant growth.
The retail park appropriates the old features of the Mills by landscaping the old mill pond and incorporating this into the car park. However behind the shops the signs of urban decay still remain.
However, I think that the interaction of light and the pattern of the water flow on the paved river bed still creates aesthetically pleasing patterns. I tried to create a monochromatic image similar to those I saw in Phoebe Kielty’s work from her series “These were my Landscape” which I referred to in my account of my visit to Hit the North exhibition.
Andrew Procter 