Who Said That Radcliffe Was a 'Shithole'?

As a rule, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Radcliffe, one of the most socially deprived parts of Bury, Lancashire.  When I think of Radcliffe, the first images that spring to mind are the remnants of Blake's 'dark Satanic mills' and rows of red (or black) bricked two up-two downs:

However, when I was in Bury recently, I had to visit Radcliffe on one occasion, and found the area around Close Park genuinely endearing:

Indeed, there were a couple of things far more interesting than the metal dinosaur construction above.  First off, I loved the old Anglican church next to Close Park:

Yes, for me, this small church wouldn't be out of place in Canterbury (or one of the villages surrounding it), where I lived between 1999 and 2003.

Second, I was very lucky to run across the historically protected remains of the 15th century Tower, just round the corner from the front of Close Park:

Thus, it was great to find some enchantment in the most unlikely of places.