Author: Alan Burnett

Go To Gaol

At some stage in the late 1960s, large sections of the bottom end of Halifax were demolished. These were the streets that ran from Market Street, down to the appropriately named Winding Road. They are etched into my youthful memory - longer, grander, greater than they undoubtedly were - but their names are largely lost … Continue reading Go To Gaol

1948

Given that it's my birthday, and given that I can't spend the day in the pub trying to ignore the onset of old age, I though I would revel in the passing of years by finding a photograph of myself from every year of my life. This will have to be a weekly project, so … Continue reading 1948

Salt, Pepper And Hillside

I must have taken this photograph in the late 1960s or early 70s. The two Halifax cooling towers - affectionately known as Salt and Pepper - were demolished in 1974. The first attempt to blow them up was remarkably unsuccessful, and a giant wrecking ball had to be brought in to complete the job. Between … Continue reading Salt, Pepper And Hillside

The Price Of Coal

This was taken at the Yorkshire Miners' Gala in Doncaster in 1982, just before the ill-fated miners' strike (1984-85). Within five years of it being taken, most of the Yorkshire pits were gone. Eternal vigilance was clearly too high a price.

PIER REVIEW

I spent a few weeks in Eastbourne in the early 1980s. My wife and my friends were all working, I was left to wander the streets and promenades, taking photographs. When it rained, I would go into the County Court and listen to trials. Strange times.

It’s Raining, Reining In My Art

It's raining: not fit weather to be out taking photographs. What else is there to do in this locked-down world that to find some blossom and subject it to a high resolution scan?

Station Steps

The last two negatives on this particular strip from the 1980s feature Halifax Railway Station. I have always been fascinated by stone steps. The area around my home town of Halifax has an abundance of hills and stone, and therefore stone steps are as common as hop houses in Kent. This fine example is, I … Continue reading Station Steps

Halifax Before Eureka 2

The second of two of my photographs from the 1980s showing that area of Halifax close to the Railway Station, which is now the home of Eureka! The National Children's Museum. When I took this photograph, the remnants of the old railway sidings were still in place. The street above the large stone wall is … Continue reading Halifax Before Eureka 2