Tag: Sheffield

The Shape Of Things Gone By

This is not so much the shape of things to come as the shape of things gone by. That unmistakable shape of 1980s cars, TV aerials, telephone lines stretched across streets - they all spell out the eighties. And note the delicious absence of that most twenty-first century visual blight - the plastic wheelie bin. … Continue reading The Shape Of Things Gone By

Sheffield Nights / Sheffield Days

There are no cars in this scene which always makes dating it a little more difficult. The clothes don't give many clues either: fashion takes a back seat to insulation when it comes to northern winters. Haymarket in Sheffield looks very different these days, and British Homes Stores is long gone. It must have been … Continue reading Sheffield Nights / Sheffield Days

It Was Snowing Earlier

CROOKES VALLEY, SHEFFIELD 1980 : It was due to snow today, but it is looking like heavy rain instead, so there will be no snowy scene to share. Never mind, here's one I took earlier. Forty-six years earlier to be exact.

Artificial Towers

I always thought that the M1 going over Tinsley Viaduct in Sheffield, with those majestic cooling towers in the background, made a good photo, and I photographed it again and again in the 1980s. Then they went and demolished the cooling towers. You could still take the photo today, I suppose, but you would have … Continue reading Artificial Towers

Spires And Steel

I spent most of the 1980s living in Sheffield. The decade and the location are irredeemably linked in my mind: when I think of the 1980s, I think of the decline of heavy industry and cheap buses. When I think of Sheffield, I think of the proud resistance of working class communities and the need … Continue reading Spires And Steel

Mondrian In Monochrome

I'm not sure where this is; it has a lot in common with West Yorkshire, but some of the buildings don't seem to fit in, and I have a vague memory of being in South Yorkshire when I took the photo. It doesn't matter precisely where it is - it's the shapes that are captivating … Continue reading Mondrian In Monochrome

Joe’s Cafe And The Search For Artificial Intelligence

I took the photograph back in the early 1980s, and I think it was in Sheffield. I decided to use the very latest AI-driven location identification programmes to confirm this, and I can now announce that today's picture features Joe's Cafe which is in Sheffield .... or Bournemouth, or Pontypool, Wales, or Skibbereen, Ireland, or, … Continue reading Joe’s Cafe And The Search For Artificial Intelligence

Big Cars And Half Demolished Streets

I'm not precisely certain about the date of this photograph; it could have been any time during the first half of the 1980s. We were living in Sheffield at the time. It was a time of big cars and half demolished streets, empty factories and new technologies, hope and despair.

Grainy Sheffield

These days you can add grain to an image with a click of a Photoshop filter. Forty-odd years ago, when I took this photograph in Sheffield, grain wasn't an optional add-on; it was the inevitable consequence of a fast film on a dark day. The grainy shapes in the distance are the Hallamshire Hospital and … Continue reading Grainy Sheffield