Outside and in

Just for completeness, here are a few more shots I took at Bradford Industrial Museum. It was once a small worsted mill, Moorside Mills, built in 1875. In the photo above you can just see the house behind, where the mill manager and his family lived. The buildings were taken over by Bradford Council in 1974 and are used to house displays of textile machinery, steam power, printing equipment, trams and vintage motor vehicles. 

The mill produced worsted cloth used for military uniforms during WW1, so the mill was expanded and the clock tower was added as a war memorial in 1919. 

The shed that juts out, in the picture above, holds a blacksmith's forge. At weekends it is used for demonstrations of the blacksmith's craft. Visitors are separated from the fire and anvil by a perspex screen, which is why my photo looks a bit misty, but I quite like the effect. 

Inside the museum, one whole floor is given over to textile machinery, with the preparation and spinning machines in one large room and weaving looms, of various types and vintages (below) in another. 

Valentine

St. Valentine's Day, on the 14th February, seems to be widely celebrated, not only in the UK but elsewhere in the world. There were apparently a number of Valentines who were martyred, and one who supposedly restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer. Valentine seems to have become associated with love and romance as far back as Chaucer's time and we owe it to the Victorians, I think, that we exchange cards, often anonymously on Valentine's Day.

I've had my share of Valentine's cards over the years (including a few from my mother to ensure I never felt left out as a teenager!) Few have been memorable. I'm not at all a hearts and flowers kind of girl. 

I spotted the graffiti heart on one of my walks; I quite liked the textures and shapes. 

Anyway, whether you celebrate romantically or not, I send you warm hugs today. You're special. 

Industrial shapes

Bradford's Industrial Museum is, I think, my favourite museum. All the historic textile machinery has, to me, a noble magnificence, both in its shapes and complexity and also in its significance to this area and to people's lives over the years. 

I've recounted in some detail on my blog in the past about the individual processes that transform raw wool into fine worsted cloth, so I won't elaborate again. (See posts in January 2025)  These latest photos are my attempt to capture some of the shapes and rhythm I found in the wood, metal and wool. 

... oh... and the mill cat, of course! 

Hallroyd Band

I have friends in the Hallroyd Band, so it was lovely to hear them play at the St Blaise Wool Festival at the Industrial Museum. It's a community brass band, based in Northcliffe Church in Shipley, where it was founded over 70 years ago. They look to be thriving, judging by the number of members that were assembled. They perform numerous concerts and engagements throughout the year and it's always a joy to hear them. I love a good brass band! 

All things woolly

Bradford's Industrial Museum holds a festival each year in early February to celebrate St Blaise, the patron saint of the wool trade. (St Blaise was an Armenian Bishop whose head was chopped off by the Romans around 316AD, after he was tortured with iron combs.) The Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers give demonstrations and workshops at the festival and there are stalls where you can buy yarn and knitted goods. It's what I'd call 'hard-core', full of folks who card, spin and dye their own wool. The skeins of wool on sale are beautiful, but not for the likes of me (yet). My beginner knitting skills don't warrant such lovely yarn; I'm better off practising with cheaper stuff! It is, however, fascinating to watch the experienced craftspeople at work. 

Sunday morning

It was something of a relief to open the curtains on Sunday morning and discover small gaps in the cloud and a little patch of blue sky. A bit later on, the sun came out, rather weak but a much brighter morning than we've had for ages. It didn't last; it was throwing it down again by about 3pm but at least I managed a walk down to the park. It doesn't look busy from my pictures but in fact there were a lot of people about, also making the most of the dry interlude. 

There are signs of spring... a few snowdrops among the leaf litter, catkins on some of the trees. The yellow crocuses that I showed a couple of weeks ago, forcing their way up through a sea of mud, are now in full flower though still bogged down in mud rather than the grassy slope this used to be. 

I did a slight detour along the canal towpath between the mill buildings, to see if the big puddle was still there. I'd seen an amazing photo of the mill, reflected not in the canal as usually shown but in a massive puddle on the towpath. See HERE. There were traces of standing water but nothing big enough for a good reflection. You can just spot the top of the chimney! 

Original orange

So. Much. Rain! I have been making myself go out for very soggy walks, but it doesn't lead to any inspiration for photography. No photos to play with equals no fun for me, so I resorted to looking for subject matter inside. I found myself drawn to the colour orange. (I can't imagine why! 😂 😂 Heck, someone's taking up too much space in my head rent-free these days!) Despite its current connotations, it's quite a cheery colour, good for brightening up these dark winter days. I look forward very much to a time when it's no longer associated with all that is at the same time both evil and comedic. 

Angelic voices

I'm not sure I've ever previously noticed all the angels that grace the ceiling in Bradford's Cathedral. The subtle lighting at the 'After Dark' event really brought them out. I counted twenty of them, each one different. Many were holding musical instruments. They look to be part of the original 15th century oak ceiling so they will be over 500 years old. Isn't that amazing? They have expressive little faces and I was glad my longest lens was able to pick them out sufficiently well to be able to appreciate them. 

Mood lighting

Some of the lighting in Bradford cathedral for the 'After Dark' event was spectacular. St Aidan's Chapel, added in 1950, commemorates Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne, who evangelised the north of England in the 7th century. It holds some beautiful textile hangings that reference the islands of Iona and Lindisfarne, and a Yorkshire dale. The chapel was illuminated with a lamp that bathed the walls with swirling aqua and green, almost like being underwater.  It was stunning and very peaceful. 

The Icon of the Holy Spirit, in another chapel, was lit by a similar swirly lamp, this time in red and orange, referring to the fire of the Holy Spirit. Created by John Coleman in 2008, the Pentecost icon depicts the apostles with various symbols: a dove, a sunburst and a landscape which is the Cow and Calf Rocks in Ilkley.

The play of light and shadow around the cathedral was intriguing. Some of the lighting picked out things you don't especially notice in daylight, like this skull on a memorial. Dating to the 1700s, it's a memento mori, a reminder of the inevitability of death.  

After dark

Bradford Cathedral offered an 'After Dark' session, with the interior illuminated by discreet floodlights and lots of candles. It looked beautiful and was a good chance to experience the building 'in a different light', literally. Photographically it was something of a challenge but noise elimination software these days is very good at minimising that grain you get in dim lighting conditions.

As cathedrals go it's an intimate space, having once been a parish church, but it's lovely because of that. The lighting really enhanced certain features like the wonderful fifteenth century oak ceiling in the nave. The Tudor (1536), wood font cover, elaborately carved, was shown off beautifully by red spotlighting. 

 

Bradford by night

I don't often go into Bradford at night so it was interesting to see how the recent pedestrianisation has improved the environment, making safe walkways and all attractively lit. Last year's City of Culture award provided the impetus for many improvements. I don't know if the clock tower on City Hall is always so colourful but it gave a nice effect in the distance. 

It's perhaps a pity that the Wool Exchange, a magnificent Victorian building, is not better illuminated. You can see its shadowy presence in the centre of the photo below.

On the route down to Forster Square rail station, the dark arches under the viaduct have been fenced off. This was somewhat controversial, as they used to be home to quite a gathering of rough sleepers. People complained that they were being 'sanitised' because of the City of Culture initiative. I guess they were and I'm not sure whether alternative provision was made. There seem now to be a lot of folk bedded down in shop doorways, all over the place. Now the arches are lit at night and looked quite intriguing... better than they look during the day! 

Breathe

There's a new mural in Bradford, on the side of The Broadway shopping centre. Called 'Breathe, breathe, breathe', it gets its inspiration from lyrics by Zayn Malik, Bradford singer-songwriter and former member of the band One Direction. It was painted by street artist Ricky Also, as part of BD:Walls for the City of Culture 2025. Nice colours, bold typography, a good position right in the city centre and a reminder, perhaps, to pause in the busy rush of city life.

You:Matter

I made use of a drizzly, cold day by calling into the Science and Media Museum in Bradford, to catch the 'immersive art experience' called You:Matter, before it closes in March. It was actually most interesting and enjoyable.

'This digital interactive experience blends art, science and creative technologies to make the invisible visible. Explore the web of relationships that bond us to the universe—from the stars in the sky to every living cell, through the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. It is a playful exploration of the invisible rhythms that underpin your life on Earth, offering a fresh perspective on the world you thought you knew.'

It started with the Big Bang: 'As a human being, you are part of a vast wave of energy that began with the explosion that created our universe.'

It explored the elements (about 20) that we are made from: 

It noted that even our breathing is part of an intricate web of existence. We inhale oxygen breathed out by plants and give back carbon dioxide to them. This was illustrated by a tree. When you breathed into a tube, lots of little blue lights swirled towards the tree. Rather lovely. 

There was a satellite data image showing the daily carbon flow around the world. Escaping carbon, from creatures like ourselves, burning fossil fuels, erupting volcanoes etc, is what plants use to grow, but in a very fragile balance. Carbon needs to be traded evenly.  

It talked about how we are mostly made of water, part of the cycle of water that falls to earth and makes streams and glaciers, the sea, water vapour, rain: solid to liquid to gas and back again. It explained how every meal we eat is powered by sunlight that is spun into glucose (sugar) by plants. We are solar energy, a web of life woven out of light.  

It described the Tree of Life, every living thing on earth descended from one common ancestor - illustrated by a colourful display of plants and creatures forming and then disintegrating into dust, before re-forming as something else. 

I found it very engaging, wonder-full. I wish science had been like that when I was at school. I wish we could bear it in mind in this world of deep divisions. We are all the same stuff!