Long Wall, Elland : It’s The Trees

This photograph of Elland from Long Wall dates back well over 100 years, but it is still a view that most people familiar with the town will recognise. The tramlines are long gone and the mills are long abandoned. The biggest change, however, is the one that is always noticeable when you compare old photographs to modern landscapes in these parts: it’s the trees. You cannot get an overview of the town or the valley from such hills these days because of all the trees that are in the way. After an industrial century of onslaught by soot and smoke, the vegetation has begun to fight back and trees and bushes cover every  acre of unbuilt land