I frequently met my love by these gas works walls; they were opposite the carpet mill where I was working at the time. Around then, I may have walked a little way up Old Bank in Halifax to take this photograph. In many ways, I suppose it was a "dirty old town", but it was … Continue reading Dirty Old Town
Category: Old Halifax
The Sirens Of The Gas Works
I know what you're going to say - you're going to say, "You cheat; you've used that photo on your calendar before!. What about 1st August 2024?" . It is not the same image, however. Throughout my life, I have been drawn to Bank Bottom in Halifax, like Canaletto was drawn to Venice and Cézanne … Continue reading The Sirens Of The Gas Works
Smokescreen
A photograph of mine from back in the days when smoke and steam swept through the ginnels and industrial waste dyed the becks and brooks. It was taken from Old Lane in Halifax, looking towards the then-mighty Crossley's Carpets Mill. Most of the buildings still exist - the smoke and the steam are long gone.
Memory Road
This is a scene I am so familiar with that I can almost physically feel its presence just by looking at a photograph. And it doesn't matter that it was taken half a century before I crossed this road - on my way to school, to the bus, to visit friends - or that many … Continue reading Memory Road
Cathedral Of Commerce
An early colour photograph of mine (note the pre-decimal currency) and one where the exposure left a lot to be desired. What it lacks in technique, it makes up a little for in atmosphere and in the light from the windows of that cathedral of commerce, Halifax's Borough Market.
Forever Gaumont
To me, it is, and has always been, the Gaumont Cinema. It’s had other names and been other things, but even today I would probably still refer to it as the Gaumont. The surprising thing is that it has only had that name for a comparatively short period of its 113 year history; for just … Continue reading Forever Gaumont
Roads And Rain-mates
My photograph dates back to 1968, and although the original was in black and white (I couldn't afford colour film back in those days), I've added a touch of colour just for the fun of it. It shows Bradford Road in Brighouse before the days of the Ludenscheid Link, when wagons would race past Blakebrough's … Continue reading Roads And Rain-mates
When Markets Were Markets
This photograph comes from the same strip of negatives as the one I featured yesterday and, we now know - thanks to research by Paul Hartley and Michael Horsfield - was taken back in 1967/68. It shows the old Brighouse Market, not far from where the bus station is today. This was back in the … Continue reading When Markets Were Markets
Edwardian AI
This early twentieth century picture postcard image of the approach to Halifax Railway Station has the look of something that has been created by a cut-price AI image colourising programme. It wasn't; it was created by the Edwardian equivalent, a cut-price studio assistant with instructions to make the hills green, the sky blue, and the … Continue reading Edwardian AI
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