It started as the Wheatsheaf, way back when. The current building is part of Halifax Borough Market and dates from the 1890s, but it seems that a Wheatsheaf pub was on Market Street before that. In the 1970s, the pub name was changed to The William Deighton, in memory of the excise officer murdered by … Continue reading That’s History For You
Author: Alan Burnett
The Power Of Elland
Another scan from my archive of negatives taken in the Halifax area in the 1960s and 1970s. This one shows Elland Power Station dominating the lower Calder Valley and the new Elland Bypass. Elland Bridge can be seen in the foreground.
Random History : A Dying Man And A Missing Girl
Historical events are not random: each follows from a series of previous events and leads to a range of future events. Causes and consequences hold history together like the threads of a spiders' web. Sometimes, however, the best way to examine these limitless connections is to jump into history at random: one day, one year, … Continue reading Random History : A Dying Man And A Missing Girl
The Mystery Of William In Katoomba
I have no idea where some of the old prints in my collection come from. This particular picture, however, comes from Tatler's Candid Camera Studio in Katoomba, New South Wales. I can also tell you that it features the unmistakable features of William O'Neill. How William got from one side of the world to the … Continue reading The Mystery Of William In Katoomba
Drainpipes At The Charity Gala
I took this photograph over fifty years ago at the Halifax Charity Gala. Even though it was the infamous "swinging sixties"; times were simpler then, and high-tech entertainment consisted of a hardboard bowing alley and some half drainpipes.
Sea, Sky And Seagulls
The British seaside: sea, sands, sky, fish and chips, ice cream, and seagulls.
Yawningly Boring Postcard Of The Month
My entry for this month's "Most Boring Picture Postcard In the World" competition is this postcard from the "La France Touristique" series which features a car parked outside a house: all in stunning monochrome. According to the caption, it is a photograph of the town of Les Matelles, which is an ancient town in southern … Continue reading Yawningly Boring Postcard Of The Month
History Seeps In Lowestoft
I was in Lowestoft a couple of weeks ago and I probably walked past the studio where this portrait was taken 140 years ago. Like so many Victorian photographs, history seeps out of its sepia salts.
Waiting For Arthur
It was the early 1980s: a time when Arthur Scargill was King and the NUM believed it was invincible. I took this shot at a Yorkshire Miners' Gala as preparations were being made for Arthur to speak.
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