A Lot Of Gas And Some Empty Chairs

 

You can decide which jet of nostalgia is turned on by this advert which I found in my copy of the 1931 Souvenir Book of the Historical Pageant of Bradford. Perhaps it is the vision of the perfect mother in her perfect lounge surrounded by her perfect children. Or maybe it is the time when you could say that gas was economical too, and keeps a straight, warm, face. For me it is the vague memory of each local authority having their own gas and electricity departments with show-rooms in the town or city centre.

My quest to find 1001 half decent photographs before I "clicked my shutter" finds me in Sheffield in 1980, walking through the park and discovering a strange geometric pattern created by empty seats in search of an audience.

Print Runs And Mucky Masters

 

Copies of my latest collection of social media posts have just arrived from the printers. Following the outstanding success of the last edition I have doubled the print run to 10 copies. The distribution model remains the same, however, a copy on my bookshelf, a copy for the grandkids and most of the rest will be deposited on the "free books" shelves at local supermarkets and pubs.

34/1001 : I took this photo of Halifax Town Hall 50 years ago whilst the stonework was being cleaned. I can understand the viewpoint of those who think it's right to preserve the industrial legacy of layers of soot and grime, but, to me, that's just like leaving an old master mucky!

Who Needs People?

 

The distinctive shape of St John the Baptist's Church in Coley near Northowram. It's the isolation of the church that has always been its most distinguishing feature, it's almost as though it purposely shuns the company of houses and people. It's been a prominent local feature for over 500 years: who needs people?

The Parthenon Of Elland

 

It is the Parthenon of Elland. Every day, countless coaches deposit hordes of tourists eager to catch a glimpse of its classical lines. Souvenir shops crowd the surrounding narrow streets selling cheap plastic models of this iconic structure. it's a building dedicated to the gods of municipal pride and self-reliance. It is, of course, Elland Town Hall.

Kids And Drones

 

The photograph dates from 1948 and was taken outside our house in Great Horton, Bradford. My brother, Roger, is the one just below the letter box and I am not sure about the identity of the others. I was just about arriving in the world at the time the photo was taken. My question relates to the nature of change - what has changed in the intervening 75 years. Is it just the clothes and hairstyles that date it, or something more fundamental? Discuss.

33/1001 : These days you can get a drone to fly over towns and capture a photographic record. 50 years ago there were no drones, but in Halifax you didn’t need one because there was always Beacon Hill. This shot from the early 70s is like a memory map of the town of my youth.

Stone Faces And Stone Gods

 

This stone face looks out at people who enter St John the Baptist Church in Penistone. He, or could it be she, has seen so much: joy, sorrow, hopes, fears. Besieged by the Yorkshire wind and rain they remain watchful, perhaps waiting … but for what?

32/1001 : THE GREAT WALLS OF NORTHOWRAM (1968)

Some naïve folk believe these walls were built to hold quarry spoil and flatten fields. But no: they are the burial chambers of the ancient pharaohs of Queensbury and Shelf, deities still worshiped by many in these parts.