I visit this lady as often as I can. She is from Brighouse, but now lives in the delightful Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley. She was created by the great Victorian Pre-Raphaelite painter, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, for St James's Church in Brighouse, and she remained in the town until the church was demolished in 1972. … Continue reading Old Friends
Tag: Brighouse
Fill In The Faces
Market stalls in Brighouse in the 1960s. Other than the little girl (who is probably just about to become a pensioner!) you can't see any faces. You don't need to. Your mind automatically fills in the missing detail. The faces lined by years of work. The complexions scarred by too much worry.
Spot The Nostalgia
This is a photograph of Bradford Road in Brighouse that I took back in the 1960s (back in the days when camera shutter speeds were too slow to freeze a passing wagon). Think of it as an exercise in nostalgia; a wistful version of Spot the Ball where you have to mark things that are … Continue reading Spot The Nostalgia
A General View Of Brighouse
The illustrations on old picture postcards from the turn of the twentieth century usually have a specific focus - a prominent building, or a bridge, a park or local beauty spot. The title of this postcard is, however, "A General View Of Brighouse". and that is exactly what you get - mills, houses, chimneys and … Continue reading A General View Of Brighouse
Headscarves And Wicker Baskets
If you are familiar with Brighouse in West Yorkshire, you might recognise the scene depicted in this photo I took fifty-odd years ago. The flour silos are still there (although they are a climbing activity centre now) and so are some of the buildings at the bottom of Briggate. Many of the other buildings have … Continue reading Headscarves And Wicker Baskets
Brookfoot
In the mid 1960s, my brother bought an old Humber Keel barge called "Brookfoot" and converted it into a houseboat and studio. After doing the conversion work in Brighouse Canal Basin he then sailed it to the continent and around the canals and waterways of Europe. This photo is from the first time we saw … Continue reading Brookfoot
Thornton Square, Brighouse
This picture of Thornton Square in Brighouse is from a vintage postcard published in the early 1920s. It had only been called Thornton Square for a few years when the postcard view was taken. It was named after Robert Thornton (1836-1918), who gifted the town a clock, a fire engine, and a place in the … Continue reading Thornton Square, Brighouse
Robin Hood And Philosophy
I live my life in line with a number of philosophical precepts - one of the most important of which is "never walk past a pub without taking a photo of it as it might not be there the next time you pass!" When I passed the Robin Hood pub in Brighouse back in 2009, … Continue reading Robin Hood And Philosophy
Feel The Rain
Grey rain on grey roof slates and smoke dawdling out of endless chimneys: two of the memories of my youth that are encapsulated in this photograph of mine of Brighouse back in the 1960s. Close your eyes and you can smell the smoke; put out your hand and you can feel the rain.
