Edward VII postbox

I always think that Britain's red post (pillar) boxes are an under-appreciated asset. They're a good thing as you generally don't have to go too far to find one to post your letter in, and a good thing in that they are quite stylish and distinctive. Most of them have a royal cipher that tells you during which monarch's reign they were installed. This one on the corner of Bingley Road and Bromley Road, Shipley, has the cipher of King Edward VII, who reigned for only nine years from 1901 until his death in 1910. Known as 'Bertie', he was the eldest son of Queen Victoria. Pillar boxes with his cipher are relatively rare, though not as rare as those for Edward VIII who, famously, abdicated during his first year as king in 1936. 

Monopoly Leeds

I met my daughter and youngest grandie in Leeds at the end of the school holidays, to play 'Monopoly Leeds'. The city centre has been turned into a giant Monopoly board. Armed with a map, we explored various locations, solving puzzles and earning tokens, which could be entered into machines to win little prizes and stamps on your map. 

It was a lot of fun, though I have to say my granddaughter, who is almost ten, did far better on the puzzles than I did! We (I) did, however, walk over 13000 steps (according to my iPhone) so it was a fairly painless way to get some exercise. 

Afterwards we celebrated with coffee and ices at Haute Dolci, a café that serves only sweet creations. That in itself was an eye opener for me. The menu and ordering was via an app opened on your phone from a QR code on each table. All fine... so long as you have a smartphone and the nous to use it. I guess they have ways of serving the technologically challenged too. Happily, I could rely on my daughter to navigate all that! Once we got our ices, they were delicious. 

 

A p*** up in a brewery

I've posted before about the old tramsheds at the top of Saltaire Road that are now converted into a bar/restaurant. (See HERE)  What I didn't really mention then was that the Salt Beer Factory (the brewery) is in the same premises at the back. The 'brewery tap' is open on certain days of the week and can be hired for private functions too. 

Inside you can see the huge stainless steel vats in which beer is brewed:

and some of the raw ingredients from which beer is made: 

There's also a large bar area, colloquially called the 'brewery tap'. I found some interesting thoughts on the difference between a 'taproom' and a 'bar', HERE. 

I don't know if you can read the neon sign up on the mezzanine level?  It says: 'P#*$ up in a brewery', which is part of a well-known slang saying: 'They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery'. A 'piss up' is British slang for a drinking session, so if you couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery, you really are hopeless at organising things.

These are just a few of the beers the brewery produces - and some of the barrels outside. 

Bike repairs

We seem to have lost the good weather again. The Bank Holiday weekend was dull and cloudy, though not cold. On Bank Holiday Monday, I went for a walk up on Shipley Glen. It has long been the tradition for Bradfordians to come up here for fresh air at weekends and on bank holidays. Laden trams used to bring pleasure seekers into Saltaire, to then have a ride up on the Glen Tramway - and, in the good old days, to enjoy the many fairground rides that were once up here. The Tramway was closed on Monday and no rides remain, just scrubby moorland and rocks. You can't even see the panoramic view now that the trees on the glen side have grown taller. I sat for a while on one of the many benches, mostly memorials to people who 'loved this place' when they were alive. Not much of a view but I did have a grandstand seat to watch some youngsters trying to mend a bike. They come up here to do tricks, balancing on the rocks.  

Bhutia girl

Here's another postcard from the little collection I once amassed. It says very little but yet contains a wealth of 'story'. The postcard was printed in Germany but with a photograph that originates in Bombay and was distributed by the Universal Postal Union of British India. I can't quite read the postmark - maybe 10 Nov 1905?  Sent to a lady - Miss J Broadley, I think, in Blackpool (via Brindisi). The message is short and sweet: 'Kindly send me G's address. Haven't heard from him for months. Regards, H.' 

It's the picture I find most fascinating; such an attractive woman in an elaborate costume.  I'd never heard of the Bhutia people so I've looked up the reference. See HERE. 'The Bhutia are a community of Sikkimese people living in the state of Sikkim in northeastern India, who speak Drenjongke or Sikkimese, a Tibetic language fairly mutually intelligible with standard Tibetan. Bhutia here refers to people of Tibetic ancestry.' The Wikipedia entry has a photo of a young woman dressed very similarly, in silk with jewellery and prayer beads made of gold and precious stones.  

 

Elegance

During the course of my career I used to have to dress quite smartly in business suits (remember those very wide shoulder-padded jackets of the 80s and early 90s?) and dresses. Now I'm retired, I only own about three dresses and a couple of jackets. I'm invariably dressed in casual wear: jeans, trousers, T-shirts and sweaters, walking gear. So I can't really go complaining but I do somewhat regret our societal slide-down, away from the elegance of some earlier eras. When I lived in my old house, built in 1901, I often used to wonder what it must have felt like to have to go up and down the steep stairs in long skirts, as would have been the norm then. 

It was interesting to me to see some of the historical outfits displayed in the Bankfield Museum. You have to marvel at the detail, much of it, I should imagine, stitched by hand. The exhibition was showing how modern costume designers study historic clothes in minute detail to work out how they're made, down to the details of the stitching, buttons and everything. 

I think the 1930s was a very glamorous time. I loved the two evening dresses (above) from that period, one midnight blue silk velvet and the other jade silk with gold embroidered beading, both bias cut to emphasise the natural curves of the body. I think you'd feel very elegant in those, even move differently perhaps. I imagine actors wearing costumes that are historically accurate must find they help with the characterisation and movement of the performance. 

The sketches were examples of how designers research dresses, fabric and patterns. 

The mushroom coloured coat with concealed buttons, above, is a 1930s original. The day dress is modern but heavily influenced by late 1920s style. 

 

"Gentleman Jack' costumes

Like the Bradford and Saltaire areas, Calderdale is justly proud of its reputation as a location for film and TV shoots. There have been several high-profile and successful series filmed in the area, including 'Gentleman Jack', the story of Anne Lister, a lesbian diarist and landowner, who lived at nearby Shibden Hall. The Bankfield Museum is building a permanent collection of film memorabilia, some of which is on display. Here is a bonnet worn by Sophie Rundle (Ann Walker in Gentleman Jack Series 2 in 2022) and Gentleman Jack's top hat, worn by Suranne Jones  in the same series. 

Upstairs in the Textile Gallery there was an interesting exhibition detailing the process of creating clothing based faithfully on historical dress. It profiled several significant designers and makers, including the costume designer for 'Gentleman Jack', Tom Pye. It had sketches and photographs showing reference costumes, designs and the fittings involved with the actors. 

I was particularly interested to read about Gentleman Jack's greatcoat, and how it was carefully designed to swing as she walked. (In the TV episodes, she habitually walked very fast and the coat flaring around her was a signature statement.) You'll perhaps remember that some of the series was filmed in Saltaire. I was lucky enough to catch a photo of Suranne Jones in the coat, being filmed striding out from the mill (see below).

Other costumes and sketches on display included an outfit worn by Lydia Leonard as Mariana Lawton, and two dresses worn by Sophie Rundle, who played Ann Walker, Gentleman Jack's partner. The print of the checked dress was taken from a swatch in an 1830s pattern book in the Bankfield Museum's collection. 

I've always had a mild interest in historical costume (dating back, perhaps, to those pre-teen days of playing with my best friend. We used to design and make clothes for our 'teenage dolls'.) I found it very interesting to see how designers go about researching the details to make the costumes, not only the overall look and the undergarments, but noting the tiny details like the buttons used and the types of seams. 

The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

Within the Bankfield Museum, there is a small Museum that represents the history of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, which was the county regiment for the West Riding of Yorkshire for over 250 years. The timeline stretches from the Regiment's formation in 1702 as the 33rd Foot, to becoming part of the Yorkshire Regiment in 2006. 

The first Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) was the Colonel of the 33rd from 1806-1812.  After his death the Regiment was renamed by Queen Victoria in his honour.  It’s the only Regiment to be named after a person who was not royalty. The Museum includes displays relating both to the Duke and the long and distinguished history of the Regiment.

There are some interesting exhibits, including the Duke of Wellington's famous bicorne hat, and his riding boots that gave rise to our 'wellington boots'. I was somewhat amused by the saucepan, reputedly the one in which Wellington's breakfast was cooked on the morning of the Battle of Waterloo (1815) which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. 

 

No swooning!

One of the recent additions to the Bankfield Museum's permanent textiles collection is this white linen shirt. It was famously worn by Colin Firth, who played Mr Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. In an invented scene, Fitzwilliam Darcy stripped to his breeches to take a cooling dip in a pond. Emerging wet and with his shirt clinging, he then encountered Elizabeth Bennett,  who had previously turned down his proposal of marriage. Suffice to say, that was a turning point in their relationship. (Well, you would, wouldn't you?) 

The shirt was one of a number of costumes auctioned for charity in 2024 by Cosprop, the theatrical costumiers. It was bought by Calderdale Museums for £25000, from their Works of Arts Fund, funded by public donations and bequests. 

Now then...  No Swooning! 

A Kate treat

For a treat, I took myself off to Halifax's Bankfield Museum, to view the latest exhibition by my favourite artist, Kate Lycett. Called 'Engineers and Chocolatiers' (which refers to two of the main historic industries in Calderdale), she has created a number of new paintings, a celebration of scenes from towns up and down the Calder Valley. Several of them are collages of the most significant buildings and sites in each small town. They're all in her signature style, highly coloured and embellished with intricate little 'tiles', with touches of gold leaf and gold thread. I loved them all but perhaps the one of Cragg Vale (below left) was my favourite, for its composition with the road drawing you into the picture. See HERE for Kate's own musings about the exhibition and some more of the artwork.  

The Bankfield Museum itself was formerly a grand Victorian house belonging to Colonel Edward Ackroyd MP (1810-1887), the son of a rich mill owner, Jonathan Ackroyd. He vastly extended the originally modest house. When he died in 1887, it was sold to Halifax Corporation and has been a museum ever since, now considerably restored. Ackroyd also built Akroydon, a village for his millworkers (akin to Saltaire but smaller), designed by the celebrated architect George Gilbert Scott. 

The main entrance to the house has a grand staircase with opulent painted ceilings and walls, which I always feel demands a Cinderella-style ballgown to properly grace the stairs. Alas, I'm inevitably wearing my jeans! 

As well as hosting temporary exhibitions, the museum has a fascinating permanent collection, among which are numerous lovely etchings of local landmarks, like Shibden Hall (below).

The Bankfield Museum specialises in textiles and, whilst I was there, there was a lovely exhibition by the Textile Art Group. I loved these subtle little works (below), made in paint, gesso, fabric and stitch by Margaret Brown, portraying Calderdale's moorland in its various moods and shades. 

NB: If you think some of the pictures aren't properly 'square', that's because I had to photograph them at silly angles to avoid the worst of the reflections in the glass. Then I attempted to straighten them up in processing, with mixed results!!

Beyond Appletreewick

Sometimes it's good to head out with only the vaguest idea of where you're going. Thus, a drive to Burnsall and a coffee in the café next to the car park then turned into a rather long but pleasant walk along the River Wharfe through Appletreewick and beyond to Skyreholme. We ended up having lunch in the café at the entrance to Parcevall Hall, but didn't pay the fee to visit the gardens. The walk was long enough, at over six miles for the round trip, so extra meandering around the gardens seemed unnecessary. From the café there's a lovely view of Simon's Seat, the rocky outcrop in the far distance. I walked up there (from the other direction) almost a year ago and I'm not in a hurry to repeat that experience! (See HERE)  The heather is currently blooming, giving a faint purple haze to the moorland. I must find time for a proper walk on the moors to make the most of that. 

Freddie

There are lots of well-loved cats around Saltaire, so many that they even have their own 'Cats of Saltaire' Facebook page! Thus I know that this little chap is Freddie, who, with his brother Jasper, lives on Albert Terrace. They're both super friendly. Freddie wanted head and neck scritches. Every time I crouched down to try and take a photo he came over to me again for another scritch. Such a gorgeous boy and he seems very well cared for. I really enjoy seeing all the different characters around the streets. 

How lucky am I?

Of course, in moving from a house with steep stairs to an apartment all on one level, I've lost a significant portion of my daily exercise. It makes it even more important to get out for a walk when I can. How lucky I am that 5000 steps or so takes me along this scenic route on a circular walk - and on an absolutely glorious day too. 

There was a very smart boat that I've never seen before, moored near Hirst Lock. It had a memorable name: The Skull and Cactus. It make you wonder how people dream these names up.

Sunday meditation: Peacemakers

 

'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God' Matthew 5:9

Peacemaking is an active commitment. It is not just being nice. Peacemaking may be kind, but it is not passive. It demands that we step into conflict, initiate reconciliation when others have wronged us and be quick to repent when we have wronged others. All that is related to peace depends on truth. Justice, functional government, reconciliation, accountability, trust, humility and love all evaporate in the absence of the truth. To achieve true peacemaking, one must be committed to seeking and speaking the truth.

'If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone' Romans 12:18

Poignant

These are just a few of the exhibits in the Peace Museum that interested me and touched my heart.

The first is a suitcase belonging to Axel Landmann, a Jewish boy who was just eight years old when he arrived in Britain clutching it. He was one of almost 10,000 children rescued from Nazi Germany by the 'Kindertransport' missions. Axel never saw his parents again but kept and used the suitcase for over 70 years before donating it to the museum. He said it is 'the story of his life'.

The second is pieces of buildings that were damaged by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in WWII. You can see how the intense heat changed them. The quote behind: 'I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world' relates to a child called Sadoko Sasaki, who was just two when the atom bomb destroyed her home city of Hiroshima. She survived the blast but later developed blood cancer. She folded 1000 origami paper cranes, traditionally believed to grant the creator a wish - but she died aged only 12, of leukemia caused by irradiation. 

The Peace Museum has a table with squares of paper and instructions for folding paper cranes, a symbol of peace and healing.

The third exhibit is a tiny amulet, an oberig, which is a traditional Ukrainian craftwork, made to protect its owner from evil and danger. It was made in Ukraine after the Russian invasion and donated by Kyiv Peace Museum in 2023. It's surrounded by sketches and notebooks made by Jill Gibbon, an activist who attends arms fairs disguised as a global security expert. She secretly sketches what she sees, shining a light on the secretive arms industry that glamourises weaponry, and the people involved in the trade. 

As well as these, there is a piece of stone from the Berlin Wall; numerous photographs and documents; information about events like the Greenham Common peace camp; biographies of key peace activists; and several bright banners from peace marches. I believe these are just a few of the memorabilia the Peace Museum holds and no doubt the displays will change from time to time, highlighting different things.