The splendid British Newspaper Archives has just added copies of the 19th century Building News and Engineering Journal. Look what turned up in an 1891 issue - Halifax's New Market and Arcade. Doesn't it look grand! Here's the introductory article. What a bargain for £40,000. True Victorian levelling-up at its best.
Author: Alan Burnett
Smokey Elland
I know Elland reasonably well, but it still took me quite some time to work out where I must have been standing when I took this photo fifty or so years ago. The amount of smoke coming out of the Power Station reminds you how much cleaner things are these days.
Halifax Framed
Smartphone Apps often supply you with a range of decorative frames to dress up your photos and present them to their best advantage. Trees provide a similar service to anyone who cares to walk the hills that overlook Halifax. Chimneys, church spires, and even blocks of concrete flats seem to sprout from the verdant valley … Continue reading Halifax Framed
Theatre Royal, Halifax
A photo of mine from the mid 1960s of the Royal Theatre, Halifax in the days when it was a cinema (and showing that undoubted classic "Girl Hunters!"). You can read a little of the history of the building in my column in October's Skircoat Green Directory and Halifax Directory magazines.
New Bank, Halifax, 1968
A photo of mine of New Bank, leading up to the top of Godley Bridge and Claremount, from 55 years ago. I've added a touch of colour. The good thing about adding colour to photos of Halifax from 50+ years ago is that you don't need to invest in a big palette!
Work Mates, Bradford 1930
Three work mates pictured in Great Horton, Bradford sometime around 1930. The one on the right with the pair of most extraordinary trousers is my father, Albert Burnett. The one in the middle was a fellow workmate called, I think, Matthews. The one on the left appears to be a young David Cameron, but somehow … Continue reading Work Mates, Bradford 1930
Hard Work And Industry
Steps At Godley Bridge, Halifax 1966 (Alan Burnett) The steps leading up to Godley Bridge, Halifax's answer to a triumphal arch. Built by the Borough Engineer in 1900 out of stone and cast iron; a monument to the power of hard work and industry. My photo dates back 60 years, although the steps are little … Continue reading Hard Work And Industry
My Mam At The Mill
MILL GIRLS : ICKRINGILL'S MILL, LEGRAMS LANE, BRADFORD Early 1930s This is a treasure of an image, showing a group of Bradford mill girls in the early 1930s. It is especially close to my heart, because the girl on the left is my mother, Gladys. I think it must have been taken at Ickringill’s Mill … Continue reading My Mam At The Mill
Beware: Fake Views!
Elland From Nab End : Early 20th Century Postcard All sorts of things stand out in this early 20th century postcard of Elland. It's all very clean and colourful - full of pleasant green slopes and bright blue water. The buildings are all neat and tidy. Beware: fake views!
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