Familiar joy

I try to go out for a walk most days and, if I'm not going anywhere special, I'll just stroll down to Hirst Lock and walk along the canal towpath into Saltaire before slogging back up the hill! Some days it's nicer than others. Some days, when the sun's shining and the temperature is comfortable, it's a real joy. These are just phone pics so the clouds are a bit too bright but never mind. 

The stretch with the overhanging trees is showing clear signs of autumn. Maybe we'll have some good colour this year. 

The Wharfe at Boston Spa

Isn't this a lovely view?  It's the River Wharfe as it runs down through the village of Boston Spa. After recent rain, the river is much fuller than it has been. On the right you can just see Jackdaw Crags, an outcrop of limestone that's protected as a SEGI, a Site of Ecological and Geological Importance. 

In the centre of the village, a long-standing and significant river crossing point, once a ford, is now spanned by the five arch Thorp Arch bridge, constructed in 1770.  

Looking upstream from the bridge you can just see the 18th century weir that once harnessed the water's flow to supply local corn and textile mills with power. 

It was hard to get closer to the weir because of the vegetation on the river bank. Where once it was a hive of industry, now it has modern residences with tranquil views over the water. In the foreground you can see the recently constructed fish pass, part of an environmental scheme to enable fish, particularly salmon, to migrate up and down our rivers, bypassing the man-made obstructions. 

I did attempt a more 'arty shot' of the weir through the trees but, given that by this stage I was reduced to using my phone and not my camera, it didn't quite work! 

And finally, here I am with my phone - photo courtesy of one of my friends! 

 

Rural Boston Spa

A short walk along Boston Spa's high street brings you to fields and woods, and we turned down a lane that led back to the village centre along the riverside. A farmer was busy ploughing the stubble from the cornfield, closely attended by numerous gulls feasting on the grubs and worms the process upturned. The natural cycle continues, irrespective of whatever weather we are blessed with. 

On our walk we were treated to a capricious mix of light showers and sunny intervals, though it felt quite warm. Not a bad day for a ramble. 

I was enchanted to find patches of pink cyclamen, in the church's graveyard, in the bases of hedges and in the woodland. It originates from the Mediterranean region, not a native plant in the UK, but it is now naturalised here. Delicate and pretty, they add a splash of autumn colour and seem to enjoy dappled shade. 

Boston Spa

A few of us from the camera club went over to Boston Spa to meet with a friend and former member who lives there. It's a village about 25 miles from Saltaire, on the way to York. The village really came into being in the 1770s, when a sulphur spring was discovered that led to the development of a spa where visitors could 'take the waters'. By the early 1800s it was growing and thriving, which has left a legacy of fine Georgian buildings along the main street. As nearby Harrogate's popularity as a spa grew, Boston Spa's declined but the village remains an attractive and desirable place to visit and to live. 

The parish church of St Mary the Virgin (above) isn't very old as British churches go, built around 1880 on the site of an earlier church completed in 1814. 

Of course it is all much changed, but close attention to the buildings reveals details like arches through to yards at the rear. They were probably designed to allow horses and carriages through to stables at the back.  

Along the high street, I noticed a fine example of an old-fashioned milestone. 

Walking along the high street, I was trying to photograph some of the varied and attractive buildings - Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and some much more recent that have been carefully designed to reference the styles of the older ones. (I'm always in two minds whether this is a good thing or not.)

It was around this point that my camera decided to die! All of a sudden it decided not to focus and completely jammed up, so that I was obliged to continue the rest of our walk using just my phone. (See if you can spot which photos I took with which instrument, over the course of my three posts about the day!) Thankfully, once I got home I was able to sort it out, though for some reason all its settings were wiped so that I had to start over and set it up 'from new'. 

Leeds Market

Kirkgate Market in Leeds is supposedly the largest covered market in Europe, much of it housed in an ornate Grade 1 listed building built in 1904. There has been a market on the site since 1822 and various buildings have been added and lost, some to a fire in 1975. Currently there is a large covered market and an open-air market at the rear. 

In 1884, it was the founding location of Marks and Spencer, originally a penny bazaar stall. There's a clock that celebrates the company's centenary.  

Markets are wonderfully colourful places but I found that photography was discouraged, particularly in the indoor market, which is a shame. I did rattle off a few snaps! 

Leeds, Briggate

Briggate is the middle one of three parallel streets that run north/south through the main shopping area in Leeds. It's linked to the other streets by various side streets, malls and arcades. It's pedestrianised too, so it makes for a safe environment for shoppers. It's always fairly busy and there are street food stalls and often buskers - plenty to enjoy and a good spot for 'people-watching' if that's your thing. 

In the UK, it's fairly normal to have such concentrated shopping areas, around a high street or perhaps a central square. When I went to the USA, although the only city I really visited was Boston, it seemed that there wasn't 'a shopping centre' as such (or if there was I didn't find it, despite covering most of the city by foot in a few days). Shops seemed to be well spread out rather than concentrated in one central district. 

Leeds river views

The River Aire winds its way through Leeds just to the south of the city centre. At one time it was, of course, important for trade and was linked to the canal network too, by the Aire and Calder Navigation. It must have been a busy, noisy, bustling environment. Nowadays the boats are leisure craft and the yellow water taxis (see above) that ferry between the rail station and Leeds Dock where the Royal Armouries museum is. Most of the old warehouse buildings have been repurposed as residential accommodation, offices and bars. 

The view above is from Leeds Bridge. You can see the tower of Leeds Minster beyond the warehouses. We walked through the original docks area, with narrow, cobbled streets that hint at what it was like years ago. I was mildly amused by the sign warning of ducks - though we didn't see any. 

A footbridge connects the docks sector with The Calls, originally an industrial area but regenerated in the late 1980s, with conversion of many of the old mills and warehouses. To be honest, it now looks as though it could do with another bout of reinvestment, as there are a lot of empty buildings including what was for a while a prestige boutique hotel. 

Leeds murals

As our camera club group were wandering through Leeds finding sculptures, I also noticed and snapped quite a few murals. I've shown the 'You & Me' one above before but it's quite striking (and I needed a landscape orientated picture for the initial one in the post as that works better on social media!) It's by Anthony Burrill. Though it was conceived well before the world shut down due to the Covid pandemic, it was unveiled in 2021 and stands as an apt memorial to that strange period when we needed each other and yet were forced apart. 

I loved the joy and colour in the one below. It's a Pride mural on the side of the Bridge Bar, created by an artist called Karl Leeds.

'Speak Up' to end violence against women and girls is a relatively new mural, created in 2023 by Harriett Wood on the side of a resource centre for the vulnerable and homeless. It's bold, bright and vibrant, despite the additional graffiti now added to it! 

As you approach Leeds rail station you're greeted by 'Athena Rising'. Created in 2017, it's said to be the UK's tallest mural at 153 feet high. It was created by a duo of Manchester-based artists called Nomad Clan. It features owls, which are one of the key symbols of Leeds.

Owls also feature on this much older bas-relief on Leeds Bridge. It's the city's coat of arms, dating back to 1660. I assume it was added when the iron bridge over the Aire was constructed in the early 1870s. The owls come from the coat of arms of Sir John Savile, the first Alderman of Leeds. The three stars are a reference to Sir Thomas Danby, first Mayor of Leeds, and the fleece alludes to the city's wool industry. The motto, Pro Rege Et Lege, means 'For King and the law'. There are owls all over the city and you can follow a trail to find them all. 

Continental street market

The second weekend of the Festival had a poor weather forecast and, anyway, I had other things to do so I gave it a miss. It's mostly loud music, eating and drinking, none of which excites me greatly (can't make sense  of the music with my awful hearing). On Friday, however, I was walking up through the village and realised the continental street market was already underway, so I walked up that way along Exhibition Road. You can buy street food from all over the world here. I follow a gluten free diet so most of it isn't suitable for me, which is just as well or I might be tempted by the Portuguese Pastel de Nata (egg custard tart) or the churros.

In and amongst, there are a few stalls that sell novelty knits and colourful clothing. I was happy to see an alpaca, a nice little nod to Saltaire's heritage, since it was alpaca wool that made Sir Titus Salt a rich man.  

Saltaire Festival 2025

September is the month for the annual Saltaire Festival. It's much the same year on year and I prefer the first weekend, which tends to be a bit more 'local' and less crowded. This year there was a lot going on in the park, so I made my way down there for a while. I didn't actually take all that many photos. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood.

I did enjoy watching the Dragon Empress Saphira, above, with her colourful swirling dragons. The flow of the 'dragon' as she twirled was mesmerising and rather beautiful. She was part of Guiding Sparks Circus, who had an arena where children could learn how to 'tame' the dragons. It was quite early in the day when I took the photos. There were more people in the park than it appears. 

The highlight of the day for me was a short, free concert by the wonderful Bradford Festival Choral Society, one of the oldest (established in 1856) and most renowned choirs in the north of England. Under their musical director, Thomas Leech, they gave us a taste of some of their classical repertoire, starting and ending (joy, oh joy!) with the rousing 'Hallelujah Chorus' from Handel's 'Messiah'. I was surprised how good it sounded, even outside with various competing noises. A couple of brief showers didn't dampen the mood either. Truly wonderful. It made my skin tingle! 

I also enjoyed a short piano recital by a pianist from the Yorkshire Music School, based in Salts Mill. They had pianos in various places within the village. My choice was Cultures café. I thought I'd get a decent coffee whilst I listened to the music. Unfortunately somehow my order was missed and I had to chase it up, so the music was almost over by the time I got my drink! Then I popped into the church where the Saltaire Art Group had an exhibition, but took no photos there. 

Some of you may recognise (I didn't!) this sleek and futuristic car - KITT the talking car, no less, from the action franchise 'Knight Rider'. I didn't hear it talking but it was a wonder to behold, with a control panel more like a spacecraft. Maybe one day all our cars will look like that, though with a bonnet as long as that on an E-type Jag, it wouldn't be very practical for trying to edge out into traffic. 

Another car on show was one from the long-running British police drama 'The Bill'. 

There were reputed to be several 'characters' wandering around. I came across Chewbacca, the legendary Wookiee warrior from 'Star Wars', who was quite friendly really. 

Pool Bank Vintage Interiors

Pool Bank Vintage Interiors is a furniture store just outside Otley. Housed in an old paper mill, it has three floors of vintage, retro and mid-century furniture, lighting and household objects. I've been meaning to call in for ages, and it is quite a treasure trove!  

I've already got as much furniture as I need and wasn't really looking for anything in particular but there was some attractive stuff, including some very well-made vintage Ercol cabinets, chairs and tables and some amazing haberdashery shop display units. 

It's the smaller items that I find most fascinating, like these old glass bottles and pharmacist jars. 

If I was going to splurge on anything it would have been these nested G Plan coffee tables. I do have some nested tables that are glass with metal frames. They're not really the right style for my mid-century vibe but, on the plus side, glass tables don't dominate a small space, so I guess I'll stick with them for now.