Welcome to the Website of Alan Burnett: writer, blogger, collector of old photographs, and devotee of all things pointless and inconsequential.
From Novels To Nuptials To Turkey Red Twill
The reverse of this picture postcard of the thoroughly splendid Belle Vue in Halifax contains one of the very earliest examples of an on-line shopping order. “Please get me half…
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History, Economics, And The Price Of A New Suit
This Halifax advert from 1922 proclaims “the pound buys more at Pinders this Spring!” Such words are unfamiliar to us living at a time when the pound buys less and less.…
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Friendship Abides At Victoria Hospital, Keighley
The 5th of Fowler Beanland’s old picture postcard provides us with a view of the old Keighley Victoria Hospital. The message on the reverse doesn’t advance our understanding of Fowler Beanland…
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Filter-Foolerings
This “image” of the old power station near North Bridge, Halifax is a version of a photograph I originally took over fifty-five years ago. I may well have featured this…
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English Spoken
We were in Italy earlier this year. And then, of course, we had our trip to Spain last month. We are booked for Venice in September, and, who knows, we…
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A Mystery Wrapped Up In An Enigmatic Postcard
Another of those lovely old postcards that seem to inhabit a hinterland somewhere between a photograph and a pen and ink drawing. Despite the rather crude hand colouring, the scene … Continue reading A Mystery Wrapped Up In An Enigmatic Postcard
Three Kids
I guess I was about four years old when this photograph was taken (yes, that’s me, the cute one in the middle). If I was four, we were still living … Continue reading Three Kids
Noble Glory
I took this rather odd photograph of the spire of Square Church, Halifax yesterday. It wasn’t a particularly good photograph, but somehow it said something about Halifax. I have an … Continue reading Noble Glory
Union Beyond Hope
When you build a town on a hillside, steps become a way of life. Even when the front door faces out at street level, the back door might leave you … Continue reading Union Beyond Hope
Culture And Chips
We had guests staying for the weekend and it was a privilege to show them a little of what this area has to offer: a sunny day in Haworth; the … Continue reading Culture And Chips
Fowlers’ Cards : This, That, And The Clans Of Scotland
Not all of the vintage postcards in my Great Uncle Fowler Beanland’s collection are pictures of northern towns, moors, and glens. Like all collectors, Fowler cast his net wide, and … Continue reading Fowlers’ Cards : This, That, And The Clans Of Scotland
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