Nostalgia

 

I was idly wondering whether writers go back and reread their own novels, or diarists thrill again to their own journal entries. (We all know that famous Oscar Wilde quote: 'I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.')  Maybe I'm odd - or self-obsessed! - but I do occasionally like to look back at my blog, which is, after all, a record of what I've been up to for the past eighteen or so years. So I was looking back ten years, to 2016 and I found, for the 13th January, this delightful memory:

"And she's off....

We are fortunate that the town of Halifax is almost equidistant between my daughter's new home and mine - and even more fortunate that it holds the fabulous National Children's Museum: Eureka. The museum was in its infancy when my daughter was a child but is continually renewed and re-envisioned and has gone from strength to strength. My granddaughters love it - and so do we adults, as it is a wonderful place to take them when the weather precludes outdoor play. With both children still being under school age we can go during the week when it's quieter. It gets packed, as you can imagine, at weekends and holidays.

On our recent visit, E, who is four, was captivated by the workshop devoted to transport. She 'drove' a lorry, took a car through a carwash, filled up with petrol and then donned overalls to change the tyres. A future in Formula One looks assured. One-year-old M was curious at first ...  and then decided the smooth floors were perfect for getting in some walking practice. She is so proud of her new-found skills and balance.

Up...  steady...  and off she goes.....'

I loved looking back at this. Little M, the adventurer, now eleven, is still curious, brave and bright. She's a lot bigger, of course! In the meantime, she grew her hair until it reached below her waist. Last week, she had it chopped off into a very stylish, short, razor-cut bob. I believe her intention was to donate her long plaits to a charity that makes wigs for child cancer patients. 

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!!

A day being Gran

When most schools went back after half-term, my youngest granddaughter (9) had a couple of extra days for 'staff training', so I was drafted in to spend one of the days with her. We decided to go to Halifax to the cinema, and on the way we called in at Manor Heath Park, one of our favourite local places. There's a small 'jungle experience' - heated greenhouses with tropical plants, huge butterflies and ponds and streams with fish and terrapins. It's all rather fun and quite educational, though these days it tends to be my granddaughter educating me, rather than the other way round! 

She guided me round the back to a walled garden that I didn't even know about. It was really attractive and peaceful and we happily explored the planting and the winding paths. M is rarely still and, given half a chance, will find a spot for dancing and jumping about. 

In one of the flower beds she discovered a small stone, painted with a picture of a blue whale. 'Look, Gran, a whale.' 'Oh, well spotted,' said I. 'Whale spotted,' she retorted, quick as a flash. I think that's the first time she's made a little joke like that with me. Obviously she's taking after me and her mum. We both love puns. 

We had a very congenial day out. The film we saw was 'Garfield, the Movie'. Of course, being deaf, I can't hear the dialogue but it wasn't hard to follow the storyline. To add to the fun, it was in 3D so we had dark glasses to wear and it appeared that things were coming out towards us from the screen. Weird but enjoyable.

School strike day

Anyone who is keeping up with the UK news probably knows that we are in the midst of a series of strikes by public sector workers, angered by low pay, the cost of living crisis and abysmal working conditions. It's rare that our health service workers strike but we have had nurses, junior doctors and paramedics taking action recently. School teachers, rail workers and postal workers have also been on strike. Yesterday was a school strike day, so in order that my daughter could do at least a modicum of her own paid work (at home) I went over to see what I could do to help. My older granddaughter is happier these days spending time with her friends and they seem generally a sensible lot so they are allowed to walk into town (only 15 minutes away) to the park or a coffee bar. It feels a big step towards independence but you have to allow it eventually. In this age of mobile phones, they at least have easy access to parental help if need be. She texts to say what they're up to and her phone can be tracked if necessary too. 

Anyway, that meant I had the pleasure of spending some time with my younger granddaughter, who is now eight. After some discussion we opted to visit a small 'butterfly and jungle experience' attraction in nearby Halifax (Manor Heath Park) and we had a really lovely time. There is a series of large greenhouses, kept warm and humid, where they grow tropical plants. There are pools, a stream and waterfalls threading through, home to fish and terrapins. There are also some large butterflies flying around in the greenery. We spotted quite a few, including some gorgeous blue ones, but they proved impossible to photograph with a mobile phone. The plants were more accommodating! There were some orchids and bromeliads but I don't know what many of them are. Perhaps they'll be familiar to those who live in warmer climes. 

We call these unusual, waxy plants 'flamingo plants' but I'm sure they have a more 'proper' name. We thought they looked as though they'd been coated with nail polish, so shiny. In one of the ponds there was an exquisite bright pink lily, quite unlike our native waterlilies which lie flat on the water. This was more like a lotus, standing erect. 

There were butterfly pupa in a tank, like little jewels hanging down. Fascinating. 

A banana tree caught our interest too... though my granddaughter assured me they'd seen plenty in Thailand! I've lived seven times longer than her but she has already travelled further. 

We spent quite some time leaning over bridges and watching the fish and wildlife below. 

This is what she was looking at - terrapins:

A coffee and a hot chocolate at the little café in the park was welcome. It's nearly May but it was a freezing cold day! Not that my little, fearless adventurer seemed to mind... 

Fashion and a Sense of Place

Update: flooding receding round here and didn't quite reach the Half Moon Café in the park, thankfully. Problems are now further downstream in places like York and Tadcaster.  So now, back to the Bankfield...

As befits a museum in the heart of West Yorkshire's textile heritage, Halifax's Bankfield Museum has a vast archive of textiles and fashion items. There is currently an exhibition called 'Belonging: Fashion & A Sense of Place', which links contemporary fashion with the culture, landscape and influences of West Yorkshire. It places historic garments alongside modern creations by a host of famous designers, as well as work by students at Leeds Arts University. The fashion world is one that rather passes me by (!) but it was all rather visually appealing and a feast of colour. 

The blurb alongside this creation (below) referenced something about mental health, I seem to recall. It does allow you to take your own huggy pillow everywhere (though some of us have built-in huggy pillows too!  😂 ) 

 

Classical puzzle

The Bankfield Museum in Halifax has a room - the Marble Gallery - full of statues and classical imagery. I was intrigued by this sculpture, a classical Greek mythology statue of a woman... a goddess perhaps, (whose foot you can just see). I didn't take too much notice of it really but happened to see at its base this cupid, apparently snogging another! (Or maybe doing CPR?) I rather liked it and took a quick snap just for fun. I still rather like it... but I now wish I'd taken more notice of the whole piece (not that it appeared to have any explanatory label). Because the second little person underneath doesn't appear to be a cupid, so I'm wondering if it is actually the story of Cupid and Psyche - and the woman standing is Venus? 

For a (rather hilarious) quick round-up of that story, please see HERE. 

Whether I'm right or wrong, I think I'm going to have to go back and take another look! 

Bankfield beauty

So what do you do on a wet and very windy Saturday? Well, dive into a local museum, of course. I'd been meaning to visit the Bankfield Museum in Halifax for a while, to see a specific exhibition there. It was such horrid weather that I ran straight from the car into the entrance lobby, without even stopping to take a photo of the museum itself, but there was plenty to enjoy inside (and from the windows - above).

The museum building was once the home of one of Halifax's most prominent mill owners, Edward Ackroyd (1810-1887), something of a similar figure to Saltaire's Sir Titus Salt, in that he had great concern for his workers' welfare and local conditions. He bought land around his mansion for a model village, Ackroydon, though the plan was never fully realised, and he enabled workers to buy their own houses through low cost mortgages. 

The Bankfield mansion, built in 1800, was extended and laid out in grandiose fashion whilst he lived there. By 1887, his worsted business was in decline and Edward himself was dying, so he sold the building to Halifax Corporation (he had no children) and it has been a museum and library ever since. 

It retains some of its grandest features. The entrance staircase is stunning and there are wonderful painted ceilings:

and many of the original encaustic tiled floors:

Some of the pieces inside belonged to Ackroyd but others have been brought in as part of collections and donations, particularly under the curatorship of Henry Ling Roth in the early 1900s.  

I'm always intrigued by the wonderful Italian 'veiled statues', popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. This one is by Bazzanti c1860 (and may be - but is probably not! - Ackroyd's wife Elizabeth). 

At the other end of the artistic scale, I equally enjoyed seeing the collection of old stone and glass bottles with local origins. 

I was there a good couple of hours and there was so much to take in and enjoy that a repeat visit wouldn't go amiss. 

By the way, for copyright reasons, I can't reproduce any of the paintings from the exhibition I went to see but it was by my favourite artist, Kate Lycett, who works out of her studio in nearby Hebden Bridge. Look HERE for examples of her distinctive work, all inspired by Yorkshire scenes. It was a stunning exhibition of new work she created during lockdown. My daughter bought me a copy of Kate's lovely book 'The Nightingale Project' for Christmas and it's a delight to look through.