Year: 2018

The Porthcawl Ventriloquist

This is a scan of a tiny print from an equally tiny album of photographs taken in Wales in the early 1930s. This particular print is captioned "The Ventriloquist, Porthcawl : Whit Monday 1932". "Tommy Porthcawl" - whose real name was Sydney Valentine - was famous for his sketches and ventriloquist act on Porthcawl beach … Continue reading The Porthcawl Ventriloquist

Archives : Orgreave Before The Battle

Orgreave Coking Plant was like a working industrial sculpture that greeted visitors to the city as they drove along the Parkway from the M1. A couple of years after I took this photograph it became famous as the site of the famous Battle of Orgreave during the Miner's strike. Within ten years it had been … Continue reading Archives : Orgreave Before The Battle

Picture Post Style In Burnley

I have always thought that the British magazine, Picture Post (1938-57),  represented photojournalism at its very best and for some time now I have been trying to build up a collection of original copies. A new bundle arrived the other day which were all from the period 1942/3: the very height of World War II. … Continue reading Picture Post Style In Burnley

And Quiet Flows The Don

An old faded postcard comes up as fresh as a sepia daisy following a good scanning. These days the church is surrounded by plate-glass and concrete buildings, but the Rover Don still flows quietly by.

Sitting On A Boat

Two people sat on a boat (I don't know who they are) in a harbour (I don't know where it is), a long time ago (I don't know exactly when). Despite all the unknowns, the picture is a treat.

Three Views And A Dollop Of History

You get three views of Huddersfield for the price of one on this vintage postcard I acquired the other day, but as with all postcards from one hundred years or more ago, you get an awful lot of history as well. Those familiar with Huddersfield, will probably recognise the three views: most of the buildings … Continue reading Three Views And A Dollop Of History

Constantly Updating Amy

This photograph of Amy and Wilf Sykes must have been taken in the mid 1930s. Amy Beanland was born in August 1904 in Keighley, Yorkshire, the eldest daughter of Albert and Kate Beanland (my mother Gladys was Amy's younger sister). Wilf was born in the Yorkshire town of Pontefract, the son of a local policeman. … Continue reading Constantly Updating Amy