The Tower of Now

'The Tower of Now' is a public artwork recently installed in the newly landscaped Norfolk Gardens as part of Bradford UK City of Culture 2025. The soaring sculpture is by the internationally acclaimed artist Saad Qureshi, who was born in Pakistan and grew up in Bradford. 'Inspired by memory and place and how our sense of who we are can be shaped by the buildings we see around us', its intricate woodwork takes inspiration from Bradford's historic buildings with their towers, domes, ornate windows and mill chimneys, as well as temples, mosques, synagogues and Chinese pagodas. It represents communities coming together, which is something we really celebrate in Bradford. I liked it, in real life, rather more than I expected to from seeing pictures of it in the local press. 

It really needs to be appreciated from the angle from which I took the photo above. It's juxtaposition with Bradford's City Hall, for me, puts it into context. Seen from the other direction, all there is in the background is the shabby gable end of a building on a building site. (They might at least have temporarily covered that in a sheet or some plywood to disguise it!) 

Alongside, they have made some attempt to clad a fence, using mirrored sheeting that reminded me of those Halls Of Mirrors you get in a funfair. Cue for me looking rather shorter and fatter than I think I do for real! 

 

Norfolk Gardens

For many months, the centre of Bradford around City Hall has been a mess of roadworks. The transformation is finally complete, so I went along to see what they'd done. They have, rather boldly, closed a large area to traffic, making it safe and accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. They've landscaped it, turfed it and planted it with nearly 8000 plants, including 57 new trees: birch, rowan, maple, lime and juneberry, with cherry trees to form a blossom boulevard.

Joining up with the mirror pool in City Park, on the other side of City Hall, this central area of town is now largely focused on the civic and cultural life of Bradford. Newly pedestrianised streets from here down to the Broadway Shopping centre are all part of a bold vision to 'zone' the city centre, reduce the sprawling and mostly empty former shopping areas and make it a more pleasant, safer and more compact city centre. Buses and traffic have largely been diverted to a circular route around the centre, with the exception of vehicles necessary to service the central area. 

One of the claims is that it will increase biodiversity in the city and, judging by the number of bees, butterflies and other insects on the plants, it certainly looks to have attracted wildlife. Money came from from the Transforming Cities Fund, awarded by the Government in 2020. I think, personally, it has been well spent and will make the city more attractive for visitors, both local and from further afield. 

All aboard for 'The Railway Children'

I had an exciting adventure with my daughter and grandies the other day, when we went to see a production of 'The Railway Children', one of the Bradford City of Culture 2025 events. Closely modelled on the original 1906 novel by Edith Nesbit, and the film that was made in 1970 (rather than the more recent sequel), it all took place on the Keighley and Worth Valley heritage railway, where both films were made. The story is of a family who have to move from London to the countryside when their father is (wrongfully) imprisoned as a spy. 

We boarded a steam train at Keighley station (all part of the show) and were transported up to Oxenhope. The girls were excited to spot deer from the train windows, animals that I imagine are quite used to the steam trains passing regularly along the line. There was plenty of time to look around Oxenhope station and buy merchandise and refreshments before the actual performance began. 

My youngest granddaughter was invited to climb into the loco's cab and the engine driver explained what everything was and how it all worked. 

Then we went into the engine shed, which had been turned into a theatre with seats along both sides. The performance took place on moveable staging along the tracks in the centre, which doubled as both rooms and trains, depending on the narrative. It was hugely imaginative and very well done. There were even subtitles on an app on my phone so that I could actually follow the dialogue, which added a great deal to how much I enjoyed it. 

We weren't allowed to take photos during the performance, of course, but I did snap a couple when the cast first came in. They walked up the side stages and chatted to the audience, even singing 'happy birthday' to one little boy! 

The story was faithful to the original, and included the most dramatic episodes. At the end of Act One, the landslide on the railway line was recreated using a massive pile of suitcases and trunks (instead of rocks!) that crashed down with a roar. Then came the famous scene where Roberta (Bobbie) and Phyllis take off their red flannel petticoats and wave them to stop the oncoming train crashing... at which point a REAL steam train came chuffing into the theatre! 

The same train returned at the end, bringing home the children's father: 'Daddy, my Daddy!'  And yes, I did cry... as I always do when I watch the film - much to the amusement of my grandies.  

It was a wonderful evening, memorable and magical. I'm so glad we went - and I recommend it to anyone local (if you can afford it, anyway; these productions are not cheap). It's on until 7 September. 

Where am I?

If you're a regular reader of my blog and you don't know, then you haven't been paying attention! 

No prizes for guessing correctly... This is, of course, one of my happy places - the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey, the Duke of Devonshire's Yorkshire estate. Although it was threatening rain, I decided I'd make myself walk the circular route, past The Strid (which is usually as far as I get) and along to the aqueduct, returning on the other side of the river.  According to my phone app that's about four miles, with some quite steep ups and downs along the way. 

The grandly castellated aqueduct hides the pipe that carries water from reservoirs up in Nidderdale to the city of Bradford. It's a good place to cross the river if you don't want to walk all the way to Barden Bridge. 

There's a good view from the aqueduct. In the distance you can see Barden Tower, once a hunting lodge for the estate, dating back to the 15th century. 

From the high path on the far side of the river you get a good view down into The Strid, the famous chasm where the wide river suddenly narrows and deepens dramatically to pass through a rocky ravine. After a couple of days of rain, the water was churning through, quite unlike the slow flow I saw on my last two visits here. 

And so, back (in the drizzle which by now had set in) for a drink and a cherry bakewell tart (my favourite!) in the Cavendish Pavilion, before driving home. A good day out.

 

Wide Aperture Saltaire #4

As I said yesterday, experimenting around Saltaire with a wide aperture on my lens was quite a learning curve. When I was just taking a broad street scene, as above, having an aperture of 4.5 instead of my usual 11 or so had a negligible effect, the far distance looking just a little hazy. 

With the same aperture of 4.5, if I focused on something much nearer but separated some distance from the background, like this rose, the blurring effect was much more pronounced  

When the background isn't so far away from the point of focus (as above and below), the blurring effect is there but less strong. 

When you focus on something further away (below, the focus is on the lamp), again the effect is reduced. 

On this last one, I focused on the artichoke head, beyond the railings and the blur on the railings is very pronounced. I don't generally like images with a foreground blur, finding them a bit uncomfortable to view. 

All good fun and quite educational. I should do more such practice and I'd be a better photographer but I usually just set the basics, point and shoot. I'm not generally one for faffing about! 

Wide Aperture Saltaire #3

Whilst in Salts Mill, I had a mooch around the antiques centre. I love it in there. It's rammed with all sorts of stuff, from expensive collector's pieces to small, inconsequential items. The varied colours in these spools of thread caught my eye and I enjoyed how the light played out: bright in the foreground and dimmer towards the back. This was a good subject for practising with a narrow depth of field. 

A rack of kimonos or dressing gowns also seemed like a good potential subject but I didn't quite achieve the effect I was hoping for. On the other hand, the boxes of old vinyl records gave me the recessional effect I wanted but ended up looking just a bit messy. It was an interesting learning curve, experimenting with a wide open aperture. 

Wide Aperture Saltaire #2

On the day we had our club outing, it was very warm outside so, after a while, I sought relief in the relative cool of Salts Mill. Those thick, Victorian, stone walls keep out much of the heat and many of the windows have blinds to protect the artworks from sunlight damage. 

The bust of Sir Titus Salt made a good subject for a shallow depth of field. Then, I wanted to showcase that amazing decorative urn, one of the many ceramic pieces in the Mill's collection made by Burmantofts pottery in Leeds. Throwing the background out of focus helps it stand out. 

Up a couple of floors to the bookshop, and I made several attempts to get a good recession in the line of brightly coloured light fittings. I was satisfied with this shot. 

Finally, Gallery Two, beyond Salts Diner, has a nice red wall punctuated by windows shaded by these distinctive blinds with a 'dancing man' theme. The blinds protect the art and photos displayed in this gallery. They've been there a long time now and look rather faded and discoloured but they are still quite an interesting feature and I enjoyed the way the sunlight crept in to light up the window recesses. 

 

Wide Aperture Saltaire #1

It was a bit of a busman's holiday for me when we had a camera club outing to Saltaire, but I still enjoyed it very much: good company and satisfying photography. We were set the challenge of keeping our lens on its widest aperture, which, put simply, means that the area in focus will be much more restricted than with a narrower aperture. My lens only opens up to between 4.3 and 5.6 (depending how 'zoomed' it is) so it has a limited effect unless I'm focusing on a small detail.  Nevertheless, I relished the challenge and it was interesting to see where it had an effect and where it made little difference. As I've said before, placing a restriction on myself often helps me to be more creative and I found that to be the case this time too. 

I've called the picture above 'Soon there will be blackberries'. There are brambles aplenty along the side of the railway line, though I wouldn't normally bother taking a photo of them. I was, however, quite pleased with this effort. 

Similarly, the railings between Salts Mill yard and Victoria Road made an intriguing image that usually I'd walk right past. 

Ah yes, the bins. A lot of people find them a compelling subject for a photo, ranged down Saltaire's back alleys. In this case I was pleased to find a small length of yellow twine on one, which made a good focal point for my photo: 'Tie a yellow ribbon...'

A few pretty, purple flowers tucked into the top of a wall tempted me to try focusing right on the front edge of my photo, not a particularly conventional approach but I think it worked here. 

A walk in the rain

Typically, on the first day of the school holidays, the very long, dry, hot spell we've been having broke dramatically. We had drizzle interspersed with very sharp bursts of torrential rain and it was much the same across most of the UK. It was still warm and much more humid, of course, so after my walk I felt very sticky. Whilst it's a shame for all the children who want to play out, the rain is much needed. Our soil, lawns and plants are parched and the reservoirs almost empty. It felt like quite a novelty to have a walk in the damp, really refreshing. Whether the wet weather will continue, who knows? It did rain a little on St Swithun's Day, 15 July, which is supposed to herald forty days of rain but in all my years I've never noticed that old saying to be particularly true. 

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain

For forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mare

Just chilling

The folks who live in the Stable Block cottages, alongside Saltaire's church drive, have really made the most of their garden area in recent years. They've planted shrubs, roses and flowers, and made seating areas for each cottage. There's a huge conifer that effectively screens them from the road, as well as the trees along the church drive, so it has become rather a pretty and secluded little spot. When I walked past, I noticed a tabby cat stretched out on one of the tables. It was rather a hot day so perhaps it had found a relatively cool spot. 

Woodland whispers

When it's as hot as it has been, if I go for a walk I have to choose shade, so a wander through Hirst Woods is very welcome. The big beech trees on the main avenue let little sunshine through, whereas the birch and scrub along the boundaries let the sun penetrate further. I like the effect that gives, shadow giving way to brightness beyond. 

I have some new hearing aids, which I'm trying to get used to. There are a few more things I can hear (the car indicators clicking, for one) but much sounds quite 'clattery' at the moment so I wouldn't yet say I'm hearing any better. I shall persevere. They have more functions and more fine tuning is possible. 

I can never hear birds (apart from the annoying wood pigeons, who keep piping: 'My toe hurts, Betty!' over and over again!) I have recently downloaded an app to my phone that listens for birds and tells you what it can hear, so that's quite interesting.  This was the selection it said it heard at various times on my woodland walk: 

 

Zine

No access, barred gate;

I would like to walk the land,

Crunch leaves, make history.

Regular readers of my blog may remember that earlier this year I booked myself on a photo walk in Hebden Bridge, where I restricted myself to taking square, mono photos (as a challenge and because it was a really dull, damp day that suited the black and white treatment). [See HERE and several posts after that one in late February 2025.] The walk was led by Bryony Good, who is an artist/creator working from a studio in Hebden Bridge. She offers a variety of creative workshops, and has now produced her first 'zine' with contributions from many of her workshop participants. I am delighted to say one of my photos and the accompanying haiku I wrote have been featured in it. It's always a pleasure to see one's work in print. 

As for 'zines', they are a way of presenting work that has almost passed me by. My daughter used to write music zines when she was in her teens but as a medium they were never 'current' for me. I keep thinking maybe it's a format I should use more. Working out a bit cheaper than a hardback book and perhaps allowing a more creative, looser structure, they are an attractive and accessible format for sharing work. 

 

Dowley Gap Mill

A recent walk took me along the little lane from the canal bridge at Dowley Gap towards Hirst Woods. I was rather cheered by all the shasta daisies in flower along the wall beside the building. It seems people have been cutting them; there was a sign asking people not to pick them (as it is actually someone's garden). 

This residential complex was once a small worsted mill and associated cottages, built in 1818. By 1890 the mill was disused - and, I gather, became a brewery for a while. At some point in the 1990s the mill was converted to a dwelling (perhaps apartments?), with a large window inserted into the gable end and a stairwell added. The conversion appears to have been done with care and imagination. The whole site, however, is a bit of a hodge-podge of buildings, some better cared for than others. 

It is accessed by a narrow lane along the canal side from Primrose Lane, past Dowley Gap Locks, which then peters out by the aqueduct. What was until recently a rough scramble up to the aqueduct has recently been made into steps, which makes it much easier walking!  

The 'Seven Arches' aqueduct was, in its day, a substantial engineering feat, built to carry the Leeds-Liverpool Canal over the River Aire. At some point the towpaths have been crudely resurfaced with concrete so that, walking over it, you never appreciate the beauty of the original structure. 

Unfortunately the beauty of this whole small area is somewhat marred by the adjacent sewage works, with paddles slowly rotating in the circular settlement tanks. Depending on the direction of the wind, there is often a nasty odour... so much so that I should not like to live in the mill complex! Perhaps you get used to it. 

I was sure I had, somewhere, several recent photos of the mill complex from the canal side. Can I find them? No. So this picture below is years old and taken in a different season altogether!