An article in the Illustrated London News of the 13th August 1859 reminds us of the gift of a water fountain to the people of Halifax by Joseph Thorp. The fountain was erected in People's Park, where it stands to this day. Whilst such a gift, two or three centuries earlier, might have been mainly … Continue reading Water Is Best
Category: Home
Nuts And Sweets And A Trip To The Dentist
Here is another of those wonderful old picture postcards of Halifax from the turn of the twentieth century, which provides an insight into both the public persona of the town and, at the same time, the private persona of its citizens. The public persona is provided by the front of the card, posted in May … Continue reading Nuts And Sweets And A Trip To The Dentist
Wainhouse Tower And The Sea Of Truth
Jacob D Saddleworth in his seminal book "The Principles And Practices Of Pointlessness" stated that the abandonment of objectives need not necessarily lead to the rejection of purpose; especially in the context of linear progression. He used the memorable example of a river in its progress towards the ocean - an example I couldn't help … Continue reading Wainhouse Tower And The Sea Of Truth
Trees And Screens
Here is another of my photographs from the same walk around Brighouse fifty odd years ago. This one was taken from Brighouse Bridge looking down at the River Calder. Brighouse Gas Works and a variety of old industrial units can clearly be seen lining the river banks. So what has changed in half a century? … Continue reading Trees And Screens
HEBBLE SECRETS
After all these years I can't quite pin down exactly where I took this photograph of the Hebble Brook in Halifax from. Obviously it was down by the, then, Rowntree Mackintosh factory, but I'm not entirely sure whether I was looking north or south. Dating it, is another problem. I have been taking photographs of … Continue reading HEBBLE SECRETS
ON THE MOORS
Looking back through my negative archives, it seems that I had captioned the original negative as "unknown moorland location". Forty years after taking the photo, I still have no idea where I was when I took it. Time has added even more uncertainty - and so have a variety of Photoshop filters. The result is … Continue reading ON THE MOORS
A Different Frame Of View
This is one of my photographs from forty or fifty years ago. The building is, of course, instantly recognisable: it is what was then Halifax Parish Church, and is now Halifax Minster. The frame will not be as instantly recognisable: the railway viaduct that carried the line from Halifax Station to North Bridge has been … Continue reading A Different Frame Of View
Negative Vibes In Elland
When the modern world is getting you down, you can always climb aboard your chemical-powered time machine and revisit former times. The chemicals in question include dimezone, phenidone, sodium hydroxide, and sodium thiosulfate - otherwise known as photographic developers and fixers! - and you don't even need to reopen the bottles. Just take an old … Continue reading Negative Vibes In Elland
Market Stalls, Halifax 1981
This new image is based on a photograph I took forty years ago in Halifax. It was taken in the Piece Hall when that fine building was going through one of its early transitions from redundant wholesale marketplace to open-air retail market. It was busy and purposeful, but the location was of secondary importance: the … Continue reading Market Stalls, Halifax 1981