Mrs Hewison’s Drawing

When she was 13 years old in March 1920, my fathers' cousin, Ivy Miriam Burnett, was given an autograph book. It is full of those little poems - some silly, some uplifting - that have populated such books over the years. It also contains a number of drawings; this one contributed by Mrs Hewison of … Continue reading Mrs Hewison’s Drawing

Ivy The Musician

There are the faces you can't put names to and then there are the names you don't have a face for. Yesterday, however, after a trip to meet a generous distant relative in Wales, I was finally able to put a face to my father's cousin Ivy Miriam Burnett. And not only did I get … Continue reading Ivy The Musician

Eunice And Leslie

Any box of old family photographs contains pictures of people you recognise and a few that you don’t. Those are the challenges, the pieces of the jig-saw puzzle that don’t easily fit. Who were Eunice and Leslie, and why do I have two copies of this same photograph; one dedicated to Peggy and the other … Continue reading Eunice And Leslie

A Moveable School

I remember walking down Wade Street in Halifax as a young man (en rout to the Brewers’ Cellar pub which was famous for its liberal interpretation of the licensing laws). It was a dark and dismal street and I have no recollection of passing the fine 1846 Sunday School building that dominates the street today. … Continue reading A Moveable School

Auditors Report (Blossom)

AUDITORS REPORT (BLOSSOM) : Once again nature gets its production targets wrong resulting in a massive over production of Spring blossom with piles of it just littering the ground and going to waste. This is inefficiency at its worst. Glorious, unnecessary, uneconomical inefficiency.

As Was

In those days, if you were going to have your photograph taken, you would get out your Sunday best, your chapel suits and parlour dresses. You’d wash your faces, comb your hair, and smile against a studio backdrop. Not this family, however. THIS WAS LIFE AS IT WAS.

The Classic British Seaside

I acquired this old print from somewhere or other. I don't know who took the original photo, when they did so, or where it was. At a guess I would say somewhere in Britain in the 1920s. It's such a wonderful composition - a scene that shouts out the classic British Seaside.

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