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| BURDOCK WAY AND CLAREMOUNT, HALIFAX (c1990) |
Los Angeles has its iconic HOLLYWOOD sign, and for many years, Halifax had its equally iconic CRAWFORD-SWIFT sign painted on the side of its factory up on the hill at Claremount and overlooking the town. It might not have been celebrated on postcards or t-shirts, but it was part of the culture of a town which was proud of its industrial mix: from carpets to toffees and from machine tools to mortgages. My photograph is a comparatively late one for me, only about thirty years old, but it shows Crawford Swifts framed by the voluptuous concrete curves of Burdock Way.
I'm so glad you've explained about this photograph from 30 years ago, though I can't quite see the sign. I believe many industries and ads have been the hallmarks of towns through the years...and nobody thought to take a photo of them.
ReplyDeleteI worked in the drawing office of Swift before it became Crawford-Swift. The takeover didn't do much good because shortly after they put up the shutters. Fortunately, I was by then selling my sketches on the pavements of France.
ReplyDeleteSwift exported lathes all over the world. There is one right here in Dominica.