That Look, That Question

This is a version of a photograph I took back in 1966. It wasn't a particularly good photograph from a technical perspective when I took it, and it hasn't improved with time. It is out of focus, indifferently composed, and of marginal interest as a subject. I can neither remember where exactly in Halifax it … Continue reading That Look, That Question

Halifax Piece Hall

The last of the "Sketches of Halifax" published in the Illustrated London News of the 5th August 1882 is, appropriately enough, a sketch of what is now the town's most celebrated building - the Piece Hall. When the ILN artist visited the Piece Hall back in 1882, he found a building that was in decline. … Continue reading Halifax Piece Hall

Half A Life Ago

It was Manchester. It was half a life ago. I can't even remember what I was doing in Manchester on a rainy night, other than taking photographs. But part of me remembers framing the shot, keeping the camera steady, hoping that the lights would work - remembers it as though it was yesterday and not … Continue reading Half A Life Ago

The First Tram In Space

1909 Postcard : Free School Lane, Halifax (AB Collection) This is another old view of a road I knew so well. I used to walk down from school and then take a short cut from Clover Hill Road to Well Head and then the Bus Station for the bus home. There won't have been tram … Continue reading The First Tram In Space

Fire In Halifax (1968)

I came across a fire near the bottom of Hanson Lane by chance one day back in 1968, when I was walking into town from the Library. The photographs I took were just a record of a chance event, but over half a century later, they have become something of a social record of the … Continue reading Fire In Halifax (1968)

Pigs On Show

“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”  Winston S. Churchill

Martin’s Bank And Ford Anglias

Photographs of streets always provide a fascinating insight into the past. The backdrop - the shape of the buildings and the layout of the streets - may last for centuries, but the decorations - the shop names and signs, the parked cars, the people - change all the time. This was Brighouse over half a … Continue reading Martin’s Bank And Ford Anglias

Echoes Of The Past

Echoes of a past when there was no news on the web, but the occasional spider's web strung from the dark corners of the news stand, and when click-bait was the sound of a pair of heels on a stone pavement.