This week’s postcard comes from the collection of my great-uncle, Fowler Beanland. It shows the Mechanics’ Institute in Keighley, a building with which he would have been very familiar. It was built in 1853, a few years before he was born, and burnt down in 1962, a couple of years after he died. He no … Continue reading Fishing For Postcards
Day: October 3, 2026
Reflections Of Bradford
Artificial intelligence can manipulate images in wonderful ways, transforming corporate headquarters into Dalí-esque fantasies and Victorian piles into Gaudí-esque dreams. However, you don’t need AI when a plate-glass office block can provide its own reflections on Bradford.
Look At That
This is another of my “little flakes of history”: a negative from the 1920s depicting an unknown trio who have clearly found something of great significance in the bushes. “Look at this,” they seem to be saying from a century ago. “Look at what?” we reply. So far, no answer has emerged.
Rooftops
At the start of a new month, I once again dive into my file of photographs taken over the last sixty or more years. Photographs make time stand still, and I see these pictures as little flakes of history. This particular flake dates back to around 1980 and was taken somewhere in Sheffield - please … Continue reading Rooftops
When I’m Cleaning Windows
Now I go cleaning windows to earn an honest bob For a nosy parker it's an interestin' job Now it's a job that just suits me A window cleaner you would be If you can see what I can see When I'm cleanin' windows. (George Formby)
Albert Docks
I took this photograph of the Royal Albert Docks in Liverpool yesterday while my wife was browsing a local gift shop. I sent it to my friend Jane, who suggested I use it for today’s calendar. The sky really was this blue, and the reflections really were this vibrant. It’s a grand place, Liverpool.
Ferry Cross The Mersey 2
I have somewhere in my possession a photograph of my brother and myself on holiday - always either Bridlington or New Brighton - and I, despite being only about six years old, have a Kodak Brownie camera strung around my neck. I would love to think that I was responsible for this picture of the … Continue reading Ferry Cross The Mersey 2
