An article in the Illustrated London News of the 13th August 1859 reminds us of the gift of a water fountain to the people of Halifax by Joseph Thorp. The fountain was erected in People's Park, where it stands to this day. Whilst such a gift, two or three centuries earlier, might have been mainly … Continue reading Water Is Best
Tag: Halifax
Nuts And Sweets And A Trip To The Dentist
Here is another of those wonderful old picture postcards of Halifax from the turn of the twentieth century, which provides an insight into both the public persona of the town and, at the same time, the private persona of its citizens. The public persona is provided by the front of the card, posted in May … Continue reading Nuts And Sweets And A Trip To The Dentist
Mad Dogs And Englishmen Go Out In The Midday Snow
This is a familiar scene to anyone who knows Halifax, and many of the buildings remain little changed to this day. The clothes are different, the shops are different, and the buildings at the bottom of the street are long gone, but the fine looking neo-gothic building on the right of the photograph is still … Continue reading Mad Dogs And Englishmen Go Out In The Midday Snow
Wainhouse Tower And The Sea Of Truth
Jacob D Saddleworth in his seminal book "The Principles And Practices Of Pointlessness" stated that the abandonment of objectives need not necessarily lead to the rejection of purpose; especially in the context of linear progression. He used the memorable example of a river in its progress towards the ocean - an example I couldn't help … Continue reading Wainhouse Tower And The Sea Of Truth
Trees And Screens
Here is another of my photographs from the same walk around Brighouse fifty odd years ago. This one was taken from Brighouse Bridge looking down at the River Calder. Brighouse Gas Works and a variety of old industrial units can clearly be seen lining the river banks. So what has changed in half a century? … Continue reading Trees And Screens
HEBBLE SECRETS
After all these years I can't quite pin down exactly where I took this photograph of the Hebble Brook in Halifax from. Obviously it was down by the, then, Rowntree Mackintosh factory, but I'm not entirely sure whether I was looking north or south. Dating it, is another problem. I have been taking photographs of … Continue reading HEBBLE SECRETS
A Different Frame Of View
This is one of my photographs from forty or fifty years ago. The building is, of course, instantly recognisable: it is what was then Halifax Parish Church, and is now Halifax Minster. The frame will not be as instantly recognisable: the railway viaduct that carried the line from Halifax Station to North Bridge has been … Continue reading A Different Frame Of View
Southgate Memories
Memories tend not to be photographic: time smooths the edges, blurs the focus and calms the emotions. I must have taken the original black and white photograph of Southgate in Halifax around 1967. The new version - with a little help from Photoshop - is from last night.
On This Day – 4 Jan 1922 : Keep Fit And Avoid Infection
From The Halifax Daily Courier And Guardian : 4 January 1922 A watchful eye is being kept by the Ministry of Health on the progress of influenza, which prevails to a serious extent in many parts of the country. We hear of the visitation of the old enemy, "Flu" to many Halifax families, but so … Continue reading On This Day – 4 Jan 1922 : Keep Fit And Avoid Infection
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