Melange Printing is defined as the printing of textile fibres with bands of colour alternating with unprinted areas. This is one of my old photographs taken from North Bridge in Halifax, which shows Fletchers' mill. Fletchers were specialists in melange printing. I have messed with the photo so that we have a melange print of … Continue reading Melange Messing
Month: September 2025
A Funny Thought
I had a funny thought the other day whilst enjoying a lunchtime pint. Wouldn't it be odd if, after we were born, time went in reverse? Given that I was born in 1948, that would mean it was now 1871! The Franco-Prussian War is just ending, Chicago is on fire and chewing gum is just … Continue reading A Funny Thought
Industrial Superglue
I've always admired the way that builders of mills and factories in these parts were never put off by an inconvenient hill. Industrial workplaces were often almost superglued to the sides of valleys - like Crawford-Swifts on Claremount Road, Halifax in this photo of mine from 35 years ago. Commercial premises of the modern era … Continue reading Industrial Superglue
Baby Burnett
My brother sent this photograph to me the other day - in my role as "the Burnett family historian" - suggesting it was either me or him. I tried doing a facial recognition analysis based on the rest of my family photos and it suggested it was a young Aunty Miriam (which it clearly isn't). … Continue reading Baby Burnett
A Photographic Sports Jacket
Someone asked me the other day whether I had any photos of the Daily Tailors shop in Halifax - and going through my archives, I discovered I had one - or at least half of one (think of it as a photographic sports jacket rather than a suit). The photo must be one of my … Continue reading A Photographic Sports Jacket
Uneconomical
If someone had undertaken a proper cost-benefit analysis of the construction of the Settle to Carlisle railway line, it would probably have never been built. If someone had conducted a proper economic analysis of the future viability of the line when it was threatened with closure forty years ago, it would probably have never been … Continue reading Uneconomical
Mona Lisa-ish
There is something slightly Mona Lisa-ish about this Victorian portrait of an unknown woman. Her eyes follow you like a stalker, and her smile is enigmatic enough for a codebreaker. The Mona Lisa is, of course, priceless and is said to have an insurance value of over a billion dollars. The Victorian photograph cost me … Continue reading Mona Lisa-ish
Waiting For Change
Halifax as it was sixty years ago. If you compare and contrast it with Halifax as it is today, you will find that most of the structures are still in place - but the shops have changed, the signs have changed, the cars have changed, and you can no longer wait for 30 minutes. The … Continue reading Waiting For Change
Lost Treasures Of Brighouse
The beautiful Burne-Jones stained glass window I featured the other day were originally to be found in St James's Church, which stood on Bradford Road in Brighouse (between Tesco and Wellholme Park, where the St James Court flats are today). Not only did the church feature windows by Burne-Jones but also Ford Madox Brown and Dante Gabriel Rossetti: … Continue reading Lost Treasures Of Brighouse
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