SHELTERS FOR AN EMERGENCY : Coun E Wrigglesworth of Hill Side, Park Field, Triangle (who attracted wide notice when he built his own house of concrete blocks some years ago) is now erecting a concrete shelter, which will be of use in case of emergency. The roof will be reinforced with old tram lines. This … Continue reading Foresight And Tramlines – Shelter From The Coming Storm
Category: Random History
Old Photo, Old Lane, Old Tom
I must have taken this photograph of the Old Lane Inn, Halifax in the mid 1960s, by which time it had already closed (it briefly came back to life as Dicky Mints 20 years later). The monumental bottle of beer painted on the gable wall should have been listed and saved for posterity. The illustration … Continue reading Old Photo, Old Lane, Old Tom
The End Of Chapeltown
My image today is based on a Halifax Courier photograph of the demolition of the Chapeltown area of Halifax in 1939. Chapeltown, near the bottom of Pellon Lane, was an area where a large number of common lodging houses were located - along with the town’s dungeon.
Click Bait
Twenty-first century media is driven by little other than the remorseless drive to get you to click on some meaningless advert for funeral plans, miracle diets, or mobility scooters. We live in the age of click-bait, and stories that are designed to draw you in, like some digital Venus flytrap, and consume your very soul. … Continue reading Click Bait
Fading In Halifax
I was flicking through the TV channels the other day, wondering whether to watch a concert from Australia, a quiz show from America or a cricket match from India, when I started getting bored with it all and reading an old newspaper instead. The newspaper was from one hundred years ago (Halifax Courier, Wednesday 10 … Continue reading Fading In Halifax
Shelves Of Memories
Flicking through a copy of the Halifax Courier of the 13th December 1913, as one does, my attention is captured by an advert from Greenwoods, the Halifax booksellers. It's partly the design of the advert - the illustration and the typeface in finest art nouveau style. It's partly the tag-line "Established 1890 - Therefore in … Continue reading Shelves Of Memories
The Theatre Will Be Well Aired
Christmas is a time for good cheer, festive gatherings, and seasonal entertainment treats: and what better Christmas treat could you imagine than a concert by the Lancashire Bell Ringers! This is the prospect that was on offer to the citizens of Halifax back in 1843, when "lovers of music and novelty" were "earnestly solicited to … Continue reading The Theatre Will Be Well Aired
HALIFAX WAKES WEEK
Browsing through the Halifax Courier from 70 years ago you might be tempted to think that little has changed. The headlines deal with a possible train strike and worsening relations with Russia. Look inside, however, and you get a sudden reminder of how some things do change, because 70 years ago today it was the … Continue reading HALIFAX WAKES WEEK
History, Economics, And The Price Of A New Suit
This Halifax advert from 1922 proclaims “the pound buys more at Pinders this Spring!" Such words are unfamiliar to us living at a time when the pound buys less and less. But economics is a strange science - falling prices can be as bad as rising prices. My late, lamented Uncle Frank used to record … Continue reading History, Economics, And The Price Of A New Suit
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