By the 1960s, all that was left of the once magnificent Sunny Vale Pleasure Gardens was a Go-Kart track, a rubbish-filled lake and a host of memories. There were two lakes - Victoria and Alexandra - and I am not sure which this one was. It is hard to imagine that this forgotten little valley, … Continue reading Sunny Bunces
Month: November 2025
A Ride In A Car
A car stands outside a back street shop. This is such an unusual sight that a crowd gathers and everyone is keen to be included in the photograph. A boy sits in the car radiating excitement. A girl sits alongside him, confident in the fact that this will be the first of many such journeys. … Continue reading A Ride In A Car
Big Cars And Half Demolished Streets
I'm not precisely certain about the date of this photograph; it could have been any time during the first half of the 1980s. We were living in Sheffield at the time. It was a time of big cars and half demolished streets, empty factories and new technologies, hope and despair.
On Morecambe Sands
By the second decade of the twentieth century, the spread of cheaper cameras meant that it was possible to have picture postcards made from your own photographs, and such postcards became the WhatsApp messages of their day. The message on the back of this card tells us that these children were enjoying a donkey ride … Continue reading On Morecambe Sands
Prospect Of Brighouse
I don't know what I was thinking when I took this photo - it was a very long time ago. Perhaps it was the end of a film, and I managed to squeeze in an extra shot; perhaps the view looked clearer than it turned out to be. My "Prospect Of Brighouse" managed to capture … Continue reading Prospect Of Brighouse
Messing About
There is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from messing about with old photographs (I use the phrase "messing about" in its technical sense - the experimental algorithmic application of miscellaneous digital filters). Here is what became of a 1960s photo of mine of one of the quarries in Northowram - I forget … Continue reading Messing About
Crosby And Cocktails
My father posed with one of his prized possessions - a radiogram (indeed a stereogram as it had two speakers). The radio would give you access to everything from the Light Programme to the Home Service, and even Radio Luxembourg on a clear evening. The record player had a select collection of LPs by Bing … Continue reading Crosby And Cocktails
Minster Memories
Sorting through some old photographs of mine from half a century or more ago, I came across this one of the then Halifax Parish Church (now, Halifax Minster). Dating the photograph is tricky - the fabric of the church itself hasn't changed all that much in centuries. The real time-stamp is, of course, Beacon Hill … Continue reading Minster Memories
Found, Preserved And Shared
This photograph, taken 100 years ago in Andermatt, Switzerland, perfectly illustrates the joy of Found Photographs. The ability of a handful of grey and sepia tones to capture an age and tell a story is, as always, astonishing. Such lost and forgotten works of art deserve finding, preserving and sharing.
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