8th November 1905

This image of Doncaster's Corn Exchange is taken from a Vintage Postcard in my collection. The only thing written on the card is a single date - November 8th 1905. That was the day Alfred Buchi was granted a patent for his invention of a turbocharger, the day London was beset by a thick fog, … Continue reading 8th November 1905

Angles And Patterns

This photograph dates back about 45 years to the time when we were living in Sheffield. In the Campo lane area of the city, there were some blocks of flats dating from the beginning of the twentieth century, and I would often wander the staircases and landings looking for angles and patterns.

Mother, When Young

This lovely lady appears on the second of the ten Victorian photographs I bought whilst I was up in Whitley Bay. The only clue to her identity is a pencilled caption on the reverse of the photograph stating "Mother When Young". Try taking a photo like that on your smartphone!

Patterns In The Street

There's enough scrap iron visible in this photo of mine from the late '60s or early '70s to keep a Scunthorpe blast furnace busy. It was taken looking down Blackledge, Halifax, towards Beacon Hill in the background. These days, the stone has been cleaned up, and there is half a forest lining the hillside. The … Continue reading Patterns In The Street

Northern Perspectives

With the hills and valleys around these parts you can position yourself on top of a hill and make eyes at the next hill. The towers and chimneys, factories and offices, that populate the valleys fall into perspective, becoming support acts to the beauty of raw nature. 

A Walk On The Pier

This picture of my grandparents walking along some seaside pier was taken, as far as I know, in the summer of the year peace returned to Europe. My grandmother looks almost penguin-like in her stance, but she is clearly happy. Enoch, my grandfather, looks distracted and strangely divorced from the seaside merriment. Within three years, … Continue reading A Walk On The Pier

Truncated In Elland

As Saddleworth Road runs into the town of Elland, there is a strange outcrop of trees sprouting out of the tops of truncated mill chimneys. This phenomenon is unique to this area and biologists travel from around the world to witness it. My 1980s photo captures it at an early stage of development, but I … Continue reading Truncated In Elland

Nine From The Tyne

I used to call this feature "Twelve From ...", but what with tariffs and trade wars, it will have to be "Nine from ..." until further notice. This, therefore, is nine photographs from last week, or Nine From The Tyne.

A Pre-Burdock Prospect

Scanning some of my old negatives from fifty-plus years ago, I come across one I haven't featured before. You could run an entire pub quiz for folk of a certain age who grew up in the Halifax area on this image alone. It is pre-Burdock (as we say in these parts) but only just so: … Continue reading A Pre-Burdock Prospect