Today, our Daily Victorian has the look of a working man about him. Class can be an important aid in dating early photographs : in the 1850s the subjects tended to be the famous, in the 1860s and 1870s it was the rich and then the middle classes, and by the 1880s and 1890s prices … Continue reading Daily Victorian : A Working Man From Brighouse
Month: October 2018
Nine Distilleries : 2. Bruichladdich
The second of the nine distilleries was Bruichladdich on the Rhinns of Islay. Built in 1881 - comparatively recently in Islay terms - it was the creation of the Harvey Brothers of Glasgow. It was designed by brother John, engineered by brother Robert, and financed by brother William. Despite its "modern" design, the fortunes of … Continue reading Nine Distilleries : 2. Bruichladdich
Daily Victorian : Under Distinguished Patronage In Sheffield
If you take a man away from his desk for a week and isolate him in the Scottish wilderness with nothing to do other than sample rare malt whisky, he gets to thinking up new projects he can embark on when he returns to the safety of his study. For some reason, I decided to … Continue reading Daily Victorian : Under Distinguished Patronage In Sheffield
Nine Distilleries. 1. Laphroaig
I have just returned from a week on the beautiful island of Islay during which I managed to fit in a visit to each of the island's eight distilleries. Add on to that a quick trip over to the neighbouring island of Jura, and that is nine distilleries in total. The first visit was only … Continue reading Nine Distilleries. 1. Laphroaig
Fire In Halifax #2
Fifty years ago I took a series of photographs of a fire in Halifax. It was just a relatively small fire in one of the mills; none of the photographs actually show the fire itself. It was the fire engines, the hose pipes and, in particular, the watching crowds that fascinated me then, and still … Continue reading Fire In Halifax #2
Overlooking Halifax
This is a new scan of a negative I must have taken fifty or more years ago. It was taken from the churchyard of St Thomas' Church, Claremount, and shows the bottom part of Halifax back in the days when the buildings were still soot-black and the chimneys that made them so were still smoking. … Continue reading Overlooking Halifax
Talking To Gladys
Scanning and retouching old photographs is a little like doing a jig-saw puzzle - it allows you to get up close to detail. Cast a passing glance at a photograph from eighty-odd years ago - you can use this photograph of my mother, Gladys, on the seaside sands as an example - and you might … Continue reading Talking To Gladys
Voyage Into West Yorkshire
My brother Roger and I have been discussing book publishing recently. He is about to publish a book he wrote nearly fifty years ago and, for one reason and another, never got published. The book tells the story of a voyage through the canal system of Ireland at a time when "old Ireland" was fast … Continue reading Voyage Into West Yorkshire
Hashtag Boring
This is the alabaster tomb of James Montagu who was the Bishop of Bath and Wells between 1608 and 1616. The tomb is in Bath Abbey and Jimmy was another of those lifeless figures that stopped me and asked for a selfie. On returning home, I Googled James Montagu in order to discover something … Continue reading Hashtag Boring
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