Category: Old Halifax

Up The Clocktower

I took these two photographs high up in the clock tower of the Crossley & Porter School, Halifax in the Spring of 1967. The first shows the workings of the clock itself; the second shows the view from the clock tower overlooking Albert Promenade. What I can't remember is whether it was an officially sanctioned … Continue reading Up The Clocktower

Sounding Brass

It's 1967 - although it might have been 1966 - and it was the Halifax Charity Gala being held at Manor Heath. The precise location of the brass band, outside the tent of the Halifax Deaf Association, was, I am sure, not meant as any kind of criticism of their musical ability. Twenty years after … Continue reading Sounding Brass

Old Halifax, Old Photographer

I can be reasonably certain of when I took this photograph looking over Halifax from New Bank because one of the other frames on the negative strip features an advert that references 1966. It is also pre-Burdock Way, and the railway lines running below North Bridge are still in place. And that means it was … Continue reading Old Halifax, Old Photographer

Sepia Elland

I took this photograph of the lower Calder Valley near Elland back in the early 1980s. There is no scientific reason why digital photographs should turn sepia with age, and such a transformation is normally due to some semi-smart Photoshop filter. I have not, however, knowingly used such a filter on this image; perhaps the … Continue reading Sepia Elland

Mill In Lee Mount

The caption I have for this photograph simply says "Mill In Lee Mount". The mill was obviously in a bad state when I took this photograph over 50 years ago, and I can't be certain whether or not it has survived to this day. The wonderful thing about social media, however, is that someone will … Continue reading Mill In Lee Mount

Old Lane (Again)

I know this is very similar to a photo I used last week, but it is a different photograph taken at a different time. It's not a surprise; some views just cry out to be photographed, and I have taken dozens of photos of Old Lane, Halifax over the years. As have many other photographers, … Continue reading Old Lane (Again)

A Taste Of Honey

I suppose there were days when the sun shone and the sky had an Axminster Blue tint, times when the leaves were still green and the stone slabs looked like honeyed layers. But I still see the 1970s and 80s as black and white and fifty shades of rain-washed grey. I didn't even have a … Continue reading A Taste Of Honey

Memories Of Elland

Memories aren't sharp; they blur into shapes and condense into moods. Memories aren't perfect; they're cut and they're edited like some Panorama report. This was Elland fifty years ago, and it seems green and pleasant. It wasn't. It's a memory.

The Start Of The Parade

It was the start of the parade, down a cobbled street at the bottom of Halifax. Flanked by a car park of near vintage motors, backed by a hillside as bald as a Pennine coot, the wagons lined up ready for the annual Charity Gala parade. It was 1966, or maybe '67, or even '68. … Continue reading The Start Of The Parade