Month: July 2020

When Not Why

There are two possible questions to go with this particular scan from my collection of old negatives. The first is, should old buildings be cleaned? There is an argument which says that power-washing the dirt, soot and grime off these fine old Victorian stone buildings is the architectural equivalent of a face-lift: momentarily interesting but, … Continue reading When Not Why

The Streets Of Sheffield

I must have taken these two photographs in the early 1980s when we were living in Sheffield. I think they were taken from the top of Solly Street looking towards the centre of Sheffield. They give the city an almost San Francisco feel to it and you wouldn't be too surprised to see either a … Continue reading The Streets Of Sheffield

It’s Only Nineteen And A Quarter Miles To Rochdale

So why would anyone place a milepost on an obscure back road in Rastrick telling people that it was only nineteen and a quarter miles to Rochdale? Who would want to know that? You might want to know how many miles it was to Elland, but that piece of information has worn away. Further research … Continue reading It’s Only Nineteen And A Quarter Miles To Rochdale

Carpeting The Calder Valley

The final shot from this strip of negatives places Clark Bridge Mills - at the time the headquarters of Homfray Carpets - at the centre of the action. Henry James Homfray may have been one of the lesser-known carpet barons of Halifax, but with mills in Sowerby Bridge, Luddendenfoot, Birstall and Halifax, he made a … Continue reading Carpeting The Calder Valley

Mill, Church, Gable And Hillside

We do gable ends well in Yorkshire. We're proud of them. Stick a little window in them, give them a bob or two's worth of lace curtains. Let them stand out like giant headstones. These were fifty years ago somewhere down Southowram Bank: within twisting distance of where yesterday's photograph was taken from. This photo … Continue reading Mill, Church, Gable And Hillside

A Mug Of Tea Photo

The next shot on this strip of negatives is a mug of tea photo. Not a passing fancy you can digest with a single glance whilst you sip a mouthful of Lapsang souchong, not even a thoughtful perusal whilst you drink a cup of PG Tips. For this photo you need a mug full of … Continue reading A Mug Of Tea Photo

Cleethorpes, 1984 – Quality Rock

I went to Cleethorpes a lot in the 1980s; for some reason it suited my mood. It was wet and a little bit lost, and like me, trying to come to terms with a new normality. With me it was deafness, and with Cleethorpes it was economic and social change.