Author: Alan Burnett

Home 2 : Bank Bottom, Halifax

The second picture in my "Home" collection is this photograph of Bank Bottom, Halifax, which I took somewhere around 1970. Square Church spire is framed by the old Riding Hall Carpet Mill and the Halifax Gas Works. If you would like to see this picture in person, it is currently on view as part of … Continue reading Home 2 : Bank Bottom, Halifax

Home 1 : Halifax Piece Hall

I decided to gather together some of my favourite photographs under a variety of headings: home, away, family, strangers etc. It is a pointless project, and therefore one I am particularly drawn to. This is the first photo in the "Home" category. I took it over half a century ago. It was home then. It's … Continue reading Home 1 : Halifax Piece Hall

Catching Up

We've been away for a few days. How strange it is to be able to say that: how quickly the unusual has become normality, and how threatening the world outside can appear when you have been locked indoors for too long. So we left lockdown behind and visited Chester and Nantwich: enjoyed good times with … Continue reading Catching Up

Breakfast On The Morning Tram

One of my favourite Stacey Kent songs has always been Breakfast On The Morning Tram, which was written by Jim Tomlinson with lyrics by Kazuo Ishiguro. I've always imagined some exotic European city setting, but having come across a short piece from 1918 in the Illustrated London News, I am wondering whether he had early twentieth century Halifax … Continue reading Breakfast On The Morning Tram

Dripping With Colour

Halifax Borough Market - dark and light, hard and soft, functional lines and extravagant curves ... and dripping with colour.  Come to think of it, that could be a suitable description of the town itself.

Town Halls, Sewers And Chapels

The Victorians were good at Town Halls: built with equal parts of civic pride, cheap labour and local taxes. Town Halls, sewers, churches and chapels - the Victorians were big on them all. Elland Town Hall never functioned as a seat of local government; but parts of it have been used as all manner of … Continue reading Town Halls, Sewers And Chapels

High Church, Halifax

The ethereal spire of All Soul's Church seems to almost float above the mills, shops and apartments, as though it's determined to grab the spiritual high ground. This is high church, Halifax style.

Pain And Suffering In Downtown Halifax Part II

This was one of the first posts I ever put up on my blog, I posted it fifteen years ago in 2006. It came to mind because .... this morning started with a visit to the dentist! Actually, in the intervening fifteen years the dentist has moved, even closer to the town centre. Whist waiting … Continue reading Pain And Suffering In Downtown Halifax Part II

New Normality

A day out in Skipton - a return to normality of types. I am sure, however, that normality used to involve wild parties, exotic travel and racing through the sun-soaked countryside in an open-top E-type. Ah well, we had a cup of tea and shared a chocolate muffin and then came home for a snooze. … Continue reading New Normality