Happy

You'll perhaps recall that a couple of weeks ago I went to an exhibition of Liz West's work - H.A.P.P.Y - in Harrogate. (See HERE). I really liked the bold colour in her art. When I came home I looked at her website, vaguely thinking I might get a print to place in my hallway, on a wall that my daughter reckoned needed a picture. I quickly had second thoughts when I noted her prints sell for upwards of £300 (not unreasonable for original art but beyond my budget). However, she also sells small art cards, at a much more affordable price. I bought a pack of them and arranged them in a cheap frame. I'm very pleased with the effect. The little explosion of bright colour truly makes me happy! 

(Incidentally those aren't creases in the middle, just unavoidable reflections, for which I apologise.)

The print I have on the opposite wall is one I've had for years. It's a poster for an exhibition I went to in Leeds, by Andy Goldsworthy, featuring a boulder covered in poppy petals. Andy is an artist and sculptor who works with natural materials - stone, brightly coloured flowers, icicles, leaves, mud, pinecones, snow, stone, twigs, and thorns -  in site specific locations outdoors. His artworks are often ephemeral, left to age and decay naturally (though always documented in photos too). He has installed more permanent works like cairns and sheepfolds in various locations, including the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. He currently has a major retrospective exhibition in Scotland’s National Gallery, so I’m hoping to go to Edinburgh to see that in the autumn. 

Concentration

My family have recently returned from holiday so I had the pleasure of being able to spend some time with my youngest granddaughter. She is growing up fast (nearly 11) and I know that her desire to visit will soon wane in favour of activities with her peers (as is largely now the case with her big sister). I have a good relationship with them both, so it's not an issue for me, rather I see it as a normal and healthy development. I do, however, enjoy their company. She still enjoys board games; we had a couple of rounds of snakes and ladders, both of which she won! She also enjoyed sorting through a big tin of badges that originally came from my nephews. There are enough duplicates in the tin to make a good game of 'Snap', which required concentration and attention to detail. A trip to the local shop for food supplies, followed by a late lunch (menu decided by granddaughter), a bit of crafting, a little time spent reading - all in all, we spent a very pleasant day - and then dinner back at her house with my family, catching up with tales of their recent travels in Europe. An enjoyable time. 

Renovations in Shipley

There's a lot of money going into infrastructure in Shipley at the moment. This building here is now called Farfield: the Shipley Health and Wellbeing Community Centre. It has had the benefit of £3m for a full renovation from the Shipley Towns Fund (part of the government's 'Levelling up the UK' plan to invest in areas that have historically been underfunded). Formerly St Walburga's Primary School, it belongs to The Cellar Trust, a charity providing specialist mental health support. They have sought to create a calm, inclusive and accessible space for the community and are now looking for partners to run a café and offer therapeutic services. They say: 'Over time, our objective is to continue bringing people and organisations together to provide holistic support, amplify positive change, foster innovation and build a stronger, more connected community for everyone.'

Rather grand words... it would be good if they could bear positive fruit, as mental health is an area where support is very much needed and quite hard to come by.  

The renovation has been masterminded by Saltaire architects Rance Booth Smith (see HERE) and includes a new atrium, linking two wings of the original building, and a sensory garden. It looks as though it has been beautifully done, with great attention to detail. 

Rance Booth Smith have also designed and overseen the conversion of another former school building, dating back to the 1850s, in the centre of Shipley (see below). It's used by The Kirkgate Centre (a community and social action charity) and The Hive (a community arts charity). It's now the 'Shipley Sustainable Community Hub'. (See HERE) Again, it's been funded by Shipley Towns Fund, to the tune of £2.5m. The Hive now has bright and welcoming craft, pottery and woodwork rooms and the Kirkgate Centre provides a cafeteria and rooms that are extensively used by local groups for youth work, exercise classes, support groups and such like. I popped in when it was open and it is lovely inside, light and welcoming. I was going to take a few photos of the interior but it's been divided up in such a way that 'views through' are limited. In the main hall, lots of small children were having a great time playing with tons of Lego, but it wasn't appropriate to take photos of that. 

Shipley Market Square

It looks a mess at the moment but the improvements to Shipley Market Square are gathering pace. It seems that the former fixed market booths were rotting so, with money from the government and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, they decided to revamp the whole area. It will include an outdoor market space under the canopies, with more greenery and seating areas - and new public toilets! (Oh, joy! They are a dying breed.) It's supposed to be finished before Christmas and I'm sure the shops and businesses around the periphery will be glad when the noise, dust and disruption is over. 

Shipley Town Hall

As big local buildings go, Shipley Town Hall doesn't stand out in the attractiveness stakes, being quite a utilitarian structure. Built in 1932 as part of a scheme to provide employment during the Great Depression, it housed the town's Urban District Council, formed in 1895, until 1974 when local government was reorganised and the district became part of Bradford Metropolitan Council. The Town Hall is now used as offices, and a meeting place for Shipley Town Council which was set up in 2020 with limited local responsibilities. 

It's not usually open to the public but I took my chance to pop in when it was showing a few old photos of the area, as part of a Heritage Day. There's a small, panelled Council Chamber, with a few historic artefacts displayed and photos of some of the Lord Mayors of Bradford. 

The most interesting part, to me, was this topographical map of the former Shipley Urban District. It wasn't dated but must relate to the mid 20th century, perhaps the late 1960s, as far as my limited knowledge could determine. It shows the Shipley Market and Clock Tower, which was built in 1960/61. (I moved into this area in the 1990s, having been in Bingley and Bradford itself prior to that.)

Art in the Pen 2025

Every year there's a massive Arts Market 'Art in the Pen' in the Auction Mart at Skipton. The pens that usually hold animals each host a different artist or craft business, over 200 of them this year. I don't go every year but, if I do, I usually find something catches my eye and I end up spending money! Last year I indulged in a really beautiful ceramic piece so I wasn't intending to go this year, to avoid temptation. 

But then I did! 

Every art/craft is represented - paintings, photography, jewellery, textiles, metal work, wood craft, you name it.  Some of it is high-end, very professional, and some of it quite kitsch, but probably everyone would find something to their taste, tucked away somewhere. 

I am usually drawn to the more expensive things, inevitably! If I had money and wall space I might have invested in one of the oil paintings below, by Michael Claxton. That big square one in the top middle would have suited my sitting room (not that I have spare space). Such seascapes are not necessarily an 'original' idea. I've seen a few artists doing similar work, but I liked the serenity and colours of these. 

On the other hand, I wouldn't have bought one of these sculptures by Paul Smith for my personal space but I liked the whimsy in a few of them. 

The willow work by Julie Livesey at Pip Cottage also appealed to me, though it's not really the kind of thing I buy a lot of. (I have a couple of willow storage crates and a laundry basket.)

The reason I changed my mind and went along to the market this year was because a few weeks ago I lost one of my favourite rings. I habitually wear two on each hand and three of them I take off at night. The one on my left middle finger was a snug fit and didn't easily slide over my slightly arthritic knuckle so I wore that one all the time. It was a plainish flat band and it didn't catch on things. So I was mightily flummoxed when, one day, I noticed that I wasn't wearing it...  I have no idea how it came off or where, and I've hunted high and low through my apartment and haven't found it. Anyway, my finger felt sad and bare so I decided I needed to buy a new one. The one on my 'ring finger' on the left hand I bought some years ago at Art in the Pen, so that seemed like a good place to go looking. Whilst there were a lot of jewellers participating, not many of them had rings on display this year. I did, however, find the silver ring below - again, flat and fairly plain, so I decided that would do the job - and it was very reasonably priced, thankfully, so no guilt involved!

As I was leaving the Auction Mart, I saw the blackboard below with all the upcoming livestock auctions listed. Most of it makes no sense to me whatsoever, but I do love the various farming terms: 'cast ewes', 'mule gimmer lambs'. I'm not sure whether the general public can just rock up to watch an auction but I think it would be rather interesting.

(I decided I can just about forgive the 'grocer's apostrophes'. Maybe they mean 'Monday's [auctions]' rather than 'auctions on Mondays'.) 

A linear walk #5

Saltaire to Bingley Five-Rise Locks

Above the Three-Rise Locks, after rounding a bend in the canal, you get a first glimpse of the engineering marvel that is Bingley's Five-Rise Locks - the steepest staircase locks on the longest canal in the country, built in 1774 and rightfully considered one of the wonders of our waterways. They lift the canal about 60 feet (16 m). It's very quiet at the moment owing to the water shortages leading to restricted opening times for the passage of boats. When working, it takes a boat about 45 minutes to travel up the staircase, assisted by lock-keepers because inevitably it's rather a complicated exercise! 

At the top, there's a small canal basin to allow boats room to manoeuvre and wait for passage. Beyond that there are always a lot of boats moored so it's a colourful spot to visit. Crossing the swing bridge, I called at the Locks Café for refreshment and a welcome rest. It's only a walking distance of about three miles from home but it always feels much further, no doubt because I stop so often to take photos! 

I then walked on just a little further to Hainsworth's Boatyard, where there's a track down to the main road. I decided I'd get a bus back, as I'd have been very weary walking the whole way back. As you can gather from my photos, it was quite a dull day. It was okay for mono photography but not so wonderful for colour. 

Saltaire to the Five-Rise is an interesting walk with varied scenery and lots to see. I achieved my objective of taking some decent black and white photos for our club project, so it was a good exercise all round! 

 

A linear walk #4

Saltaire to Bingley Five-Rise Locks

Beyond Park Road, a short and rather boring stretch of canal between two high walls leads to the Three-Rise Locks, a staircase that lifts the canal about 29 feet. You can see from my photo that the approach has a sharper turn than it would have had when built in 1774, because the canal below the locks was moved over to the right (north east) from its original position to make room for the new road. On the left of the photo you can see a pedestrian bridge over the new road. 

Below, looking back from near the top of the lowest lock, you get a reasonable view of both the canal and the road, with Park Road bridge in the distance. 

Alongside the locks, a wall has been painted with a mural depicting various local places of interest along the canal. (It was an attempt to deter the frequent graffiti sprayed on the blank wall - and it appears to have worked.) 

Just above the locks, a swing bridge provides an access point to the canal towpath for pedestrians and cyclists. There's another mill conversion here, with flats and townhouses. 

Looking back towards Bingley town centre, the tower you can see in the middle (below), with a red structure at the top, was until 1972 Bingley's fire station, now a bar. 

A linear walk #3

Saltaire to Bingley Five-Rise Locks

The new road bridge over the canal here is quite a dominant feature, a little tunnel that separates the semi-rural outskirts of Bingley from the denser urban centre. Immediately beyond is the fairly recent mill conversion of the former Britannia Mills, a large scale wool worsted factory, built in the late 1800s, one of several mills and industrial premises that existed alongside the canal in Bingley in the 19th and 20th centuries. I don't know when it ceased production but it lay empty and some of the buildings were demolished, until it was revived as apartments in the old three storey shed with a couple of new apartment blocks added on the site too. 

The pattern of old industrial buildings interspersed with newer residential builds continues along the canal. 

Leading up from the canal, some of the rows of Victorian terraced housing still stand, gradually giving way to newer and less dense residential areas as you progress up the steep valley side. 

There's a family of swans living in this area (not the same ones that hang around in Saltaire). 

Some of the old mill chimneys have been left standing, proud monuments to a different era. 

Around the Park Road bridge, the vegetation in the canal is particularly dense, with a large patch of reeds encroaching on the navigation. They look quite pretty but will soon make the canal impassable if they're left to proliferate. This is the section of canal that was lifted and moved several yards. Just over that wall on the left, the bypass speeds through and right beside that is the railway, those steps leading down from Park Road to the station platform. There really wasn't a lot of room to slot a dual carriageway through, so hats off to the planners and engineers that squeezed it all in! 

The vibrant mural that now decorates a gable end just beside the Park Road bridge has only recently been painted. It depicts moorhens, many of which frequent the canal. It is by Misc.Etc, sponsored by Bradford City of Culture 2025. 

A linear walk #2

Saltaire to Bingley Five-Rise Locks

Just beyond the changeline bridge (see yesterday) is Dowley Gap Locks, a two-rise lock lifting the canal by about 5.6m (18'4"). 

A short way beyond the locks is Scourer Bridge that carries Primrose Lane over the canal. These original canal bridges, dating to the 1770s, have a very narrow roadway suitable for a horse and cart, not modern vehicles. Thankfully, because it's on a slope, it's relatively easy to see what's at the other side of this one when you're driving! My photo is looking back through the bridge towards the locks. 

The Fisherman's Pub sits alongside the canal here, a good pitstop for hikers, cyclists and locals looking for a drink and a meal. It's a popular spot for boaters to moor too. The canal is a bit wider here - what's called a 'winding hole' where boats can turn round. The pub's premises are actually separated from the canal by an old track that leads to some houses (and another old mill, now flats) but there are pub tables on a bit of grass alongside the towpath so it's a nice place to sit and rest. 

As the canal wends its way towards Bingley, you pass under Maud's Bridge, a bridge that is actually an aqueduct, carrying water pipes that bring water from reservoirs up in Nidderdale to Bradford's water treatment works at Chellow Heights. (Yes, the same pipe system that crosses the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey). 

Shortly after that, you arrive on the outskirts of Bingley. In 2003, a new road, the Bingley Bypass, was constructed through the valley, to avoid all the traffic having to pass along the main street through the town centre, which up to then was a real bottleneck. Unlike many bypasses, it doesn't skirt the town, but goes through the middle at a lower level, squeezed between the railway and the canal. To build it they had to shift the canal over in some parts, as well as build new bridges. It was a huge engineering challenge, but gradually these things 'bed in' and you forget what it all looked like before. 

My photo below shows one of the slip roads that runs down from the town centre and allows traffic to join the bypass. The new bridge carries Ferncliffe Road over the canal.