One of the least known of Henry Moore's monumental sculptures is his 1970 Reclining Figure which has been on permanent display in Halifax for the last fifty years. In order to overcome the civic antipathy to major arts projects, Moore cleverly disguised the sculpture as an overpass.
Category: Old Halifax
Spot The Difference
Social Media is full of memes proclaiming "You have an IQ of over 150 if you can spot the difference between these two pictures!" You don't need an IQ the size of Wainhouse Tower to spot the differences here, but you could probably host a seminar on the social, cultural and photographic differences on display. … Continue reading Spot The Difference
A Return To The Shoulder Of Mutton
We took a walk yesterday down the Shibden Valley with some friends, and finished up at the Shoulder Of Mutton pub in Northowram, which was open for outdoor service. We had a pleasant drink and some excellent food and eventually the discussions got around to the pub itself and its history. Google eventually led me … Continue reading A Return To The Shoulder Of Mutton
Shame About The Moral Philosophy
Heywood Chapel, Northowram, (Alan Burnett c1973) Although I was born in Bradford, I was raised in Halifax, and, in particular, in the village of Northowram. It was there that I first wandered the streets, looked at buildings and thought about the past. It was there that I went to school, rode my first bike, and … Continue reading Shame About The Moral Philosophy
Arsenic And Old HAlifax
It's time for another helping of mindless rants from some self-obsessed old fool with too much time on his hands. Now, I know what you're thinking - it will be something like "You are being a little too hard on yourself .... but, there again, I can see where you are coming from"; but you … Continue reading Arsenic And Old HAlifax
Soot And Chrome
A photograph of mine of Halifax in the early 1960s. The Town Hall was still soot-encrusted, the cars parked outside the White Swan Hotel had an over-abundance of chrome, and Pohlmann's still sold pianos.
Quot estis in convivio
The boar's head in hand bear I Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary And I pray you, my masters, be merry Quot estis in convivio For 130 years it has looked down on Southgate, Halifax from above where the Boars Head Hotel used to be. I remember it smiling down from above the then Berni Inn: … Continue reading Quot estis in convivio
Jurassic Park Road, Elland
Valley Mill, Park Road, Elland We took a walk down by Elland Bridge yesterday and saw the strangest thing. The old Halifax Zoo used to be just up the hill from here, and stories abound of escaped animals wandering through Elland Woods. We all know of the famous meandering bear .... but a dinosaur!!
Who, What, Where?
I have always had a fondness for old photographs, and I am lucky to have lived long enough for my new photos to have become, themselves, examples of the genre. The emergence of Facebook local history groups has changed the nature of pictorial history, moving it from the arena of relatively obscure printed books and … Continue reading Who, What, Where?
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