A photo of mine from the mid 1960s of the Royal Theatre, Halifax in the days when it was a cinema (and showing that undoubted classic "Girl Hunters!"). You can read a little of the history of the building in my column in October's Skircoat Green Directory and Halifax Directory magazines.
Category: Old Halifax
New Bank, Halifax, 1968
A photo of mine of New Bank, leading up to the top of Godley Bridge and Claremount, from 55 years ago. I've added a touch of colour. The good thing about adding colour to photos of Halifax from 50+ years ago is that you don't need to invest in a big palette!
Hard Work And Industry
Steps At Godley Bridge, Halifax 1966 (Alan Burnett) The steps leading up to Godley Bridge, Halifax's answer to a triumphal arch. Built by the Borough Engineer in 1900 out of stone and cast iron; a monument to the power of hard work and industry. My photo dates back 60 years, although the steps are little … Continue reading Hard Work And Industry
Beware: Fake Views!
Elland From Nab End : Early 20th Century Postcard All sorts of things stand out in this early 20th century postcard of Elland. It's all very clean and colourful - full of pleasant green slopes and bright blue water. The buildings are all neat and tidy. Beware: fake views!
Decluttering The Shibden Valley
As I embark on yet another campaign to sort through the endless boxes of "stuff" that occupy my room, I find an old picture postcard of the Shibden Valley, near Halifax. It is a view I know well, having spent my childhood in Northowram, a mile or so further up the valley side from here. … Continue reading Decluttering The Shibden Valley
A Photographic Tale Of Several Wilkinsons
I have a new printer due to arrive today, so I spend a bit of time sorting out a suitable image to test it out with. Eventually I decided on this Victorian portrait of a young lady from the studio of a local photographer, Wilkinsons. A high resolution scan of the old Carte de Visite … Continue reading A Photographic Tale Of Several Wilkinsons
Halifax, 1987
Like most other local photographers, I have always been drawn to Old Lane, Halifax, just for the privilege of walking in Bill Brandt's footsteps. No-one can match his classic 1930s images of the scene, so I have messed about with this 1980s effort of mine to provide a more colourful representation.
Dean Clough In Transition
I probably took this in the early 1980s at a time when the Dean Clough was about to start a journey of transition from a redundant carpet mill to the busy complex of offices, galleries, restaurants and bars we know today. I wonder what the horse would have made of it all?
Impressionism Please
I'd like to think of it as an experiment in impressionism, but, in fact, it was the result of a cheap camera, a badly focussed lens, a dark night, and a lot of rain. Those with long memories might recognise the shops around George Square, Halifax fifty years ago.
