Advent windows #9

Saltaire's Advent Windows #9

As always, an ambitious and competent effort from Saltaire's most well-known artist, David Starley. I'm sure you'll recognise the Leeds-Liverpool Canal as it threads its way between Salts and the New Mill. And is that Sir Titus skating?

My last 'Windows' photo isn't actually one of the 'official' windows, but I just liked it and it said a lot about the value of hearth and home at this time of year. 'Our Happy Place'. Thinking of all those who don't have a place to call home or for whom it isn't a happy one... and full of gratitude, myself, that I've definitely arrived at my own 'Happy Place' this year.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our Saltaire Windows this year.

Advent windows #8

  

Saltaire's Advent Windows #8

We have a quiz to wake us out of our post-Christmas torpor. Ten Christmas songs... Can you get them all? (I can't!) 

And another humorous creation - I wonder if you ate these on Christmas Day? Pigs in blankets...

Advent windows #7

 Saltaire's Advent Windows #7

Our Advent Windows continue to be lit up in the evenings, until the end of December. 

I'm not really sure of the inspiration behind this one; whether there is any deep significance to the Greek columns pictured. I do, however, quite like it. Again, it's simple but impactful and the colours are saturated and gorgeous. That's all you need for a memorable Advent Window. 

This was another on a narrow street with the inevitable parked cars, but again, the reflection in the car's roof adds interest. 

On the Monday before Christmas, the Hallroyd Brass Band played Christmas carols around Saltaire. It was wonderfully festive - and thankfully the wind and rain stayed away. When I was a child, we used to get groups of carol singers going house to house and it was always magical to suddenly hear their voices floating through the darkness. People don't seem to do that any more, so it was lovely to join in with the singing around the village. 

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Part 2

The rest of the Bolton Abbey Christmas Trail for children, on the theme of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas':

'On the Sixth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... six geese a-laying...'

(There were six - though one was hiding under a tree. Perhaps recovering from laying a gigantic, glittery egg? )

'Seven swans a-swimming...'             (and they'd swum right across the river.) 

'Eight maids a-milking...'             (though it must have been the maids' tea-break as they were nowhere to be seen.)

'Nine ladies dancing...'    in very elaborate costumes, with glitter-balls, inspired by TV's 'Strictly Come Dancing', I think. Rather gorgeous actually. 

'Ten lords a-leaping...'

'Eleven pipers piping...'  (Photo would have been more fun had I had seven children poking their little faces through the holes!)

and finally: 'Twelve drummers drumming...'  Phew. 

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Part 1

I went for a walk at Bolton Abbey just before Christmas. It was a dank, dreary day with almost no light so I wasn't inspired to take many photos. They did, however, have a Christmas Trail for children, with the theme of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', so I turned my camera to capturing those displays. 

'On the First Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... a partridge in a pear tree...'

(There was a strange pear-cum-holly tree, though no partridge that I could see...)

'On the Second Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... two turtle doves...'

'Three French hens...'

(You could see they were French, as they had a Breton sweater, some onions and a beret! 😂😂 )

'Four calling birds...'

'Five go-o-ld rings...'

Salts Mill's trees

I always love to visit Salts Mill around Christmas as it feels so festive. They have bands and choirs singing at the weekends (though I didn't manage to see any of them this year). They also decorate the most enormous Christmas trees. I think the one in the 1853 Gallery is an artificial one, although such good quality that it's hard to tell. Anything smaller would be dwarfed in the vast space of the former spinning shed.

The one in the entrance - a huge 12 footer - is definitely a freshly felled tree. I hope it is enjoying its proximity to David Hockney's artistic, and somewhat fanciful, painting of Salts Mill and the village, which hangs here in the foyer. 

Christmas Day 2024

I came across this painting a few years ago: a richly ornate depiction of the three Wise Men bringing their offerings to the Christ child. It's in the church of St Wilfrid in Harrogate, a large Anglo-Catholic church, designed by the architect Temple Lushington Moore (wonderful name!), built in the early 1900s and now a Grade I listed building. On this special day in the Christian calendar

'May the true spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light your path.' 

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you love, joy and peace - today, tomorrow and always. 

I'm taking the liberty of posting again a link to a piece of music that I love: John Rutter's 'Angels' Carol'.

This version, arranged by Pete Lack, is sung by members of my cousin's theatre group Taylormade 

Productions. 

It was recorded during the Covid lockdown. It brought such joy then and continues to be one of my 

favourite carols. Do listen and enjoy it.   

https://www.facebook.com/684075702/videos/10157578986245703/

The Christmas Story

Our windowsills at church have been decorated with varied interpretations of the Christmas Story. I was particularly taken by this display with beautifully knitted figures. Someone has been busy! It also has rolled up sheet music with appropriate carols. Just lovely.

Silent Night

'So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.' 

Luke 2:4-7

While Shepherds Watched

'And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' 

Luke 2:8-12

We Three Kings

'The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.' 

Matthew 2:9-11

Of course, we have a  Christmas tree too, such a cheerful sight with its lights, baubles and garlands. 

Advent windows #6

 Saltaire's Advent Windows #6

Inspired by Andy Warhol, these depictions of Marilyn Monroe have a very Christmassy theme. 

Below, a window that makes use of the stained glass panels that were added to many of Saltaire's windows in the 1930s, around the time the housing was sold off by Salts Mill's owners, and village residents were in many cases able to buy their own home for the first time. 

It also includes a reference to the fact that Bradford becomes the UK City of Culture for 2025.

Advent windows #5

 Saltaire's Advent Windows #5

Quoting from the Advent Windows Facebook page: 'For the sixth year, one of the windows is an artwork by our friends at Rydals Museum in Sweden, created by Sjuhäradsform, a collaborative group of artisans from a part of Western Sweden. Their creation is called Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and depicts a starry sky as a common platform for peace and friendship. (Click that link and you can see all their windows too.)

Rydals Museum was formerly a mill and in 2019 we formed a partnership with them to help them create their own Living Advent Calendar. We have hosted each other's window designs every year since. This year we sent artwork to Sweden created with the help of visitors to our Winter Makers Fair back in October, which will light up on 7th December.

Thanks so much to the team at Rydals Museum and Sjuhäradsform for this lovely contribution to our advent trail. Sending Season's Greetings and our very best wishes to you all in Sweden!'

Then, a design 'inspired by that dreaded task of unravelling the pesky tangle of Christmas lights'.  These lights glowed and twinkled in a very festive manner. 

Thirdly, a simple but cheerful snowman, designed to spread Christmas cheer by putting a smile on everyone's faces.  

Advent windows #4

Saltaire's Advent Windows #4

Here are two windows inspired by books. The first book is Jackie Morris's 'The Unwinding and other Dreamings'; not one I'm familiar with but it's a beautiful window and, no doubt, a lovely book. Jackie Morris, writer and illustrator, is perhaps more famous for the book 'The Lost Words', a collaboration with Robert McFarlane. It illustrated words like bluebell, conker, heron, acorn and kingfisher that were culled from the Oxford University Press Junior Dictionary to make room for more 'modern', urban words. 

(See, our Advent Windows are an education as well!) 

The second literary offering is more commonly associated with Christmas, being a depiction of 'The Snowman' by Raymond Briggs, made even more famous by the animated film that now gets reliably trotted out on TV at some point over the Christmas break. 

 

Advent windows #3

Saltaire's Advent Windows #3

Here are two more windows whose value is enhanced by the inevitable cars parked outside! The top one, depicting the Three Wise Men journeying through the starry desert night, happens to be one of my personal favourites this year. It's simple and yet full of impact - and I always love those iconic arched windows, found on many buildings throughout our village. 

Below is a continuation of a series by 'Veg on the Edge', our community gardening group. A variation on the well-known Christmas song 'A Partridge in a Pear Tree', here it starts with a parsnip. They're going to need a bigger window every year to complete this!  

Advent windows #2

Saltaire's Advent Windows #2

Tonight's window depicts a very familiar scene from our village itself: the famous cobbled street known as Albert Terrace (after Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort), one of the oldest areas of the village, completed in 1854. It runs along the northern boundary of the residential area, parallel to the railway line. At the far end you can see the tall chimney of Salts Mill's boilerhouse. It looks like it might be snowing... lots of people long for a white Christmas (not me!) The couple look well wrapped up against the winter chill. And it wouldn't be Saltaire without a cat, would it? 

These days it also wouldn't be Saltaire without a car (or fifty!). The lone red car in the picture would, in real life, be joined by many more. Given how narrow our streets are, the parked cars do make it quite difficult sometimes to get a good photo of each illuminated window. I've have, however, learned that sometimes incorporating the cars into my photos makes for an interesting effect, as they reflect the lights for added value.

I always think it's particularly generous of the folks who live in the smaller terraced houses to host an Advent Window. It usually means their sitting room window is blocked and has no view of the outside world for much of the month. Given that they usually only have one window at the front and back downstairs, it must feel a bit claustrophobic. 

Advent windows #1

Saltaire's Advent Windows #1

Anyone who has followed my blog for a year or more will know that for the past eighteen years, the village of Saltaire has, every December, turned itself into a giant Advent Calendar. Village residents and businesses create beautiful, imaginative, illuminated scenes in their windows and one or two new windows are unveiled each night, from the 1st to the 24th of December. It has become a wonderful tradition and has led several other places, both in the UK and abroad, to adopt a similar ritual. 

I love to explore the trail round our dark streets, looking for the lights, photographing them and sharing my favourites here. 

We'll start with two windows in Saltaire's Methodist Church, created by Saltaire Art Group. Practised and professional, their displays always have real flair. This year's offerings combine bold silhouettes and gorgeous colours, both sure-fire winners for creating impact.

 

Haworth at night

Away from the bright, festive lights of Haworth's Main Street, the rest of the village looks almost as though it's unchanged from when the Brontë family lived here. (It's not unchanged, of course, but it is certainly atmospheric in the dark.) You can imagine Charlotte tripping home along the cobbled street from the schoolroom where the sisters taught (on the right above) to the Parsonage, the house at the top of the lane. (It has had an extra wing added since they lived there: the gable-ended bit on the right.)

The Parsonage looks out over the graveyard and the church, where Patrick Brontë was the minister. 

Church Street, still cobbled and very narrow, links the church and parsonage to the Main Street.

Festive Haworth

My extended family had a festive meal out in Haworth one evening, to coincide with the traditional Torchlight Procession. Haworth, the village where the literary Brontë family lived, is always atmospheric and especially so with the Christmas lights twinkling. 

The Torchlight Procession is a long-standing tradition, though these days seems rather watered-down. People process up the main street, carrying flaming torches, and stopping at intervals to sing Christmas carols. At one time people dressed up in Victorian era clothing and there were Morris Dancers as well as a brass band. There was a band and there were a few flaming torches, and lots of LED star wands, but I didn't really see any Victorian costume or dancers and even the carols were rather muted. The weather was pretty foul - wet and windy - so maybe that had an effect.