The origins of large-scale public sculpture in Halifax go back even further than the magnificent Striding Concrete Man (aka Burdock Way). Who can forget the monumental plastic bowling pin of a decade earlier? Built on a scale to rival Charles Barry's town hall, for much of the sixties it stood like a beacon to cultural imperialism in … Continue reading Pin OK Oh!

Burdock Way Flyover Under Construction (c. 1971) (Alan Burnett) In recent years, large scale outdoor public sculptures which create enduring landmarks have become popular. Examples are Antony Gormley's Angel of the North in Gateshead and Andy Scott's The Kelpies in Grangemouth, Scotland. Few people realise that Halifax was a pioneer of this artistic movement, with … Continue reading We Called It Burdock Way

I can't quite pin down the exact location of this photograph I took back in 1974. It is Halifax, without a doubt; that is Beacon Hill, more than likely: but the scene must have changed over the decades, and I can't pinpoint it on Google Earth. It might be that I have scanned the photograph … Continue reading A Different Time, A Different Place

JOHN MACKINTOSH & SON, ALBION MILLS, HALIFAX (c1974) My father worked at Mackintosh's in Halifax. Every so often, he would bring a bag of what were known as "Throw-Outs" home; misshapen chocolates which were sold off cheap to the factory workers. Whilst this meant a plentiful supply of chocolates for me as a child, you … Continue reading Quality Street

GEORGE SQUARE, HALIFAX (1960s) This is a photograph of George Square in Halifax, taken - as far as I can remember - in the mid 1960s. You don't get to see much, just a few neon signs and fuzzy shop windows, but you don't need to see much to spark a memory. This is Halifax's … Continue reading Neon Memories

I must have taken this photograph of Horton Street in Halifax, and the fine spire of Square Church, sometime in the mid to late 1960s. It was at a time when Halifax was still at the shabby end of the shabby-chic continuum. In order to advertise his credentials, the decorator who inhabited the upper parts … Continue reading Halifax Decorations

I must have taken this photograph in the mid 1970s: it shows Commercial Street in Halifax, looking towards Wards End and the, then, new headquarters of the Halifax Building Society. There is a sharp contrast in architectural styles: on one side of Commercial Street are the late Victorian facades of shops and commercial premises, whilst … Continue reading Style And Charm

This is the last of this particular batch of photographs from fifty or so years ago, taken in the Rhodes Street area of Halifax. Like the other four, it shows the area around Gibbet Street in Halifax shortly before redevelopment. Looking back at these five photographs, it shows a different Halifax, one caught in the … Continue reading The Green, Green Grass Of …. Rhodes Street