Earlier posts

Earlier posts
This blog is a continuation of an older one. To explore previous posts please click the photo above.

Friday, 13 June 2025

Alpines and colour


The extensive area of limestone rockery beside the Alpine House is a fairly new feature and looked rather pretty with lots of little pops of colour among the grey, like a tapestry. Some of those plants and the more delicate alpines are also on show in the glasshouse itself, where you can get up close and marvel at the intricacy of these species. 


I was delighted to see some of the cacti in bloom. The pincushion cactus above seemed aptly named. I can't remember what those below are called but aren't they cute? Like tiny birds nestling there. (The surrounding gravel is the same size as in the picture above... I got close in with my macro lens. These were really miniature specimens.) 


Elsewhere in the garden, I always love the imaginative colour combinations they manage to achieve by careful placing of different plants. The soft blue-green of the new shoots on a conifer looked amazing against the maroon/mulberry coloured leaves of the acer behind. 


The russet foliage of another acer, with the light behind it, was breathtaking against the soft green backdrop. It was such a bright day that I could have done with a polariser on my lens to cut down the glare, but I don't have one that fits my new pocket camera. 

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Purple in paradise


Much as it is one of my favourite places, I have decided this year not to continue my annual membership at RHS Harlow Carr Gardens. They have put the cost up by a whopping 13% - and, to add insult to injury, new members can join with a saving of 25%, which seems to penalise loyalty. Members do get a number of 'add-ons': free entry to any of the five RHS gardens and some partner gardens, plus a magazine, gardening advice and such like, but in practice I don't make use of those. All the other gardens are miles away. So I've decided I can't justify the cost this year. I'm a bit sad about it, as I like to support the organisation, but I will still be able to visit the gardens occasionally, just paying the daily entrance fee. For the number of times I'm able to go over the year, it should be more economical. 

Anyway, before my membership ran out, I went over there with a friend to enjoy the Gardens once more. It has all grown rapidly since my last visit at the end of April, when all the spring bulbs were in flower.  Recent rain means the foliage is lush and grasses and ferns have sprung up.  My all-time favourite patch was looking gorgeous, the mauves of the alliums and lavender set off by the soft grasses and the prickly silver eryngium (sea holly). I thought it deserved a post by itself but I'll post some more photos of the gardens tomorrow. 

 

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

The essence of Saltaire


Having lived here for over 25 years, I feel I know Saltaire pretty intimately. There are aspects of it that just scream 'Saltaire' to me and I think I'd recognise them wherever they cropped up. One such 'icon' is the iron railings along Victoria Road and Albert Terrace, which have arched mouldings. Another is the arched windows, both in the houses and in Salts Mill. A third is the original, ornate lamp-posts, once gas powered and now electric (though the Council in its wisdom is adding more modern LED streetlamps, not necessarily an aesthetic improvement!). The whole of the village and the Mill, although built over a span of about fifteen years in the mid-1800s, was designed by the same architects, Lockwood and Mawson. There is an overall cohesiveness to it, which is one of the reasons it is so celebrated and protected as a World Heritage Site. 

I have started a small project to try and capture some of these aspects in a creative way. Here's an example. 

Tuesday, 10 June 2025

Sealed Knot members


Here are a few more photos of members of the Newcastle's Foote Regiment of the Sealed Knot Society, bringing history to life at Bolling Hall. (See also yesterday's post). 

I've always found what they do to be interesting. Years ago, around 1970, when the Sealed Knot was relatively new, I went to Wollaton Hall near Nottingham where there were hundreds of them staging a re-enactment of a Civil War battle, with horses and weapons and lots of noise! It was all rather exciting and I wanted to be a Royalist (Cavalier) lady, flouncing around in a long dress! Sadly the pressures of university meant that stayed as a pipe dream.


There doesn't seem so much flouncing around these days, but the members give an interesting and authentic glimpse into bygone days, and have a wealth of knowledge to share about life in those times. 






Monday, 9 June 2025

At Bolling Hall


The Marquess of Newcastle's Regiment of Foote, part of the Sealed Knot Society, were at Bolling Hall for a 'living history' event, showing people what life was like during the English Civil War in the 1640s.

Bolling Hall was a Royalist base during the Sieges of Bradford in 1642 and 1643. The inhabitants of Bradford, a small settlement at that time, were Puritans who for various reasons supported the Parlimentarians. It's said that the Royalist commander, the Earl of Newcastle, while staying in Bolling Hall, was woken three times by a ghostly girl in white, beseeching him to 'pity poor Bradford'. As a result, the town was spared a massacre by his troops. 





The Sealed Knot Society, founded over 50 years ago, is the largest re-enactment society in Europe. It aims to honour those who died in the many battles of the English Civil War and to educate the public about those wars, and the life and times of people in that period of history. They stage mock battles, and visit schools and museums to show people their costumes, weapons, cooking and household items, all faithfully recreating the period. 

Sunday, 8 June 2025

Green peace


In the midst of a feast of events, exhibitions and special occasions, it was a relief to take a walk along the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey; a welcome chance to drink in the deep, green peace of the woodlands. 

The day was considerably brighter than forecast. Despite some recent and much needed rain, the river was still quite low. It is very dependant on the recent weather higher up the dale, and the water level can rise and fall very quickly. I was with a friend and didn't take many photos but, since I last visited in late April, the bluebells and wild garlic have flowered and faded and the trees have leafed out in full. The valley has many different moods, according to the season. 


Saturday, 7 June 2025

Cloaks unlimited


I made a second visit to the major exhibition in Salts Mill by Ann Hamilton: 'We Will Sing', part of the Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 events. (See my posts of May 9-11 to read more about it.)  It was just as impactful the second time; in fact I'll probably go back again, as each time I experience something a little differently. Photographically, it is the sumptuous wool and satin cloaks that most appeal to me, their colours and folds, light and shadow providing a feast for the eyes.  

It seemed to me that they looked rather changed from my first visit, perhaps less carefully arranged. (My initial visit was on one of the first days it was open and, I gather, Ann Hamilton was still on site.) I mentioned the change to one of the stewards and she said that they'd had to stop a group of people trying the cloaks on! I am astonished that someone would do that. Anyway, the artist's careful draping seems to have been somewhat diminished, unfortunately, but it's billed as an interactive artwork so maybe that's a price she's willing to pay. 

Friday, 6 June 2025

Saltaire Arts Trail 2025 #2


There was art in greenhouses (paintings above by Saltaire-based artist Ian Burdall) and in windows. Those below are by Murniah Skinner, her mostly local landscapes distilled into simplified images of form and colour. 


Salts Mews had Ellie Hawkes' acrylic banners printed with colourful floral photos, hanging in the garden


and equally colourful, abstracted representations of local scenes and buildings, an interesting 'take' on the traditional craft of marquetry by Emily J Parkin. (You might recognise Bingley's Five Rise Locks, below left.)


The art I saw was all beautiful and of very high quality. It's a privilege to live locally and have all this going on on my doorstep. I often wish I was wealthy enough to be a true art collector; there were plenty of pieces to covet. 

Thursday, 5 June 2025

Saltaire Arts Trail 2025 #1


Saltaire Arts Trail is an annual event, held over the three day late May bank holiday weekend. It's when many Saltaire residents open their homes and gardens as mini art galleries, so that you can wander all around the village and see some truly creative work. 

Usually I feel excited by it, but this year I only dipped into it briefly. With Bradford being UK City of Culture 2025, there is a huge amount of creative stuff going on locally, so much so that I feel almost satiated with it. The weather didn't help either! The wonderful, long, dry, sunny spell suddenly broke, bringing rain and strong winds - bad timing just when it was our schools' half term break.  

I did, however, explore the large Makers' Fair in Victoria Hall and some of the outdoor exhibits. I enjoyed the work of students from Bradford School of Art (degree in Textiles Practice), tasked with creating an original textile piece based on a second-hand men's shirt.  Jasmin Lindo-Clarke referenced her Jamaican parents' immigration to the UK in the 1960s, using motifs and labels. 'You made my collar white' (above) represents the blue-collar work her parents undertook to enable her to have a white-collar career. Another student had decorated a shirt with various symbols and words about what makes them happy (below).


Julia Batley had embroidered tiny books with 'shirt labels', narrating the names and lives of students at Huddersfield Mechanics Institute in 1872. Exquisite. 


Outside the Victoria Hall, a rather wind-blown tent just about sheltered exhibits by Saltaire Art School associates, with artist Peter Wood giving a live painting demonstration. 

 

Wednesday, 4 June 2025

The embrace


Just a random shot through a window on Saltaire Road... I'm not sure if someone had just moved in or if it's a new shop that is setting up. Either way, it seemed a rather interesting and eclectic mixture of objects. Given that it was just a quick snap, the composition I achieved rather pleases me (including the reflections of the yellow lines on the road outside and of the window opposite!) Serendipitous rather than carefully planned.

Tuesday, 3 June 2025

Co-ordination


I find it deeply pleasing when people manage to co-ordinate their gardens with their front doors! Here's a case in point, where a cheerful pillar-box red door is beautifully complemented by the spray of red climbing roses. 

Monday, 2 June 2025

Ilkley Camera Club Exhibition


My camera club opened our summer exhibition at the Clarke Foley Community Hub in Ilkley. We have for several years been able to use Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley but this year, for various reasons including the Bradford City of Culture 2025 events, we were unable to hold it there. It is very difficult to find good exhibition space around Ilkley, so we were grateful to secure this community centre, though it isn't ideal. On the opening day, there was a wellbeing fair that took up most of the space in most of the rooms so that you couldn't actually get close to the prints to view them and some were even hidden by advertising banners! It was a shame. It wasn't even easy to get decent photos of the displays. 

Never mind, the busyness of the centre means more people will get to see them without making a special effort, and I don't suppose the rooms will be as crowded every day as they were on the opening day. There's a nice little café too. There are over 120 prints on display (six of them mine) from 23 club members. It's always good to see our work printed and hung, and we have some excellent photographers in the club. 


All of my featured pictures have been shown on this blog at some point but for ease of viewing, here are five of them: 



The exhibition runs until 21 June but, for anyone thinking of going, I'd advise checking what's on in the Centre before committing, as some rooms may not be accessible due to groups taking place. 

Sunday, 1 June 2025

The Red Ball


Sir Titus had something to smile about on Saturday - a big red ball in Roberts Park! Another City of Culture event, this red ball was visiting various locations in Bradford over a week. RedBall - a massive red artwork, fifteen feet high and wide - was created by American artist Kurt Perschke in 2001 and has since travelled the world, popping up in all sorts of locations to amuse and delight.

It's a simple idea really but quite engaging. There were plenty of people interacting with it in the park. 



A bit later on, someone brought along circus tricks: stilts, spinning plates and hula hoops, to add further entertainment for the children. There were also 100 red tennis balls, hidden all over the village. I actually saw three of those the day before but assumed that someone's dog had dropped them all. It did make me wonder at the time why a dog would have three balls to lose!  Anyway, it was all rather fun. 

Saturday, 31 May 2025

Jowetts and alpacas


At the 130th anniversary of the Shipley Glen Tramway celebrations, there were a few other attractions in Thompson Lane Field. Altreka is a family run alpaca trekking centre in Baildon. They had brought along two of their alpacas for people to get to know. They seemed very patient and amenable to being walked around the field. I'm not sure I fancy taking a trek with an alpaca, to be honest. Sounds even harder to manage than a dog on a lead. At least my camera is well-behaved - and that's what I usually take trekking! 



The Jowett cars were very well-behaved, lining up in an orderly manner. Jowett cars and vans were manufactured in Bradford between 1906 and 1954, designed initially as a lightweight vehicle that could cope easily with Bradford and Yorkshire's hilly terrain. The Bradford Industrial Museum has a number of the vehicles in its collection, though I think those shown were from a local enthusiasts' group. 

Friday, 30 May 2025

The Tramway's birthday


On 18 May 1895, Sam Wilson opened the Shipley Glen Tramway, a cable-hauled narrow-gauge tramway with two cars. It connects Saltaire (at the back of Roberts Park) with what was then a fairground and various attractions on Shipley Glen. The fairground is long gone but Shipley Glen is still a lovely area to walk or picnic, and the Tramway is still there. It has been restored and is operated by volunteers. For £2.50 (adult fare) you can ride up and down all day if you so choose, but just a single ride from the bottom saves a steep walk uphill. 

On 18 May 2025, they celebrated its 130th birthday with an open day and events in Thompson Lane Field. It was lovely to see queues of people waiting for a ride (and it must have helped bring in some much needed income to keep it going. It's been very close to closing completely, many times over the years). 


I've ridden it lots of times but I still enjoy the experience and enjoy, too, the delight of other passengers, especially the children. The two cars pass each other halfway along the ride and everyone waves! Good, wholesome, simple fun in a complicated world.