Tangled

A tiny, tangled front garden on Victoria Road, full of texture and colour. The lilac paintwork is a bold choice but I think it works quite well.

I took the bottom photo first but a few days later the roses were even more extravagant so I took another picture! 

Full-on autumn

It's been wetter of late, so I've had to fit my walks in between showers, sometimes more successfully than others. It's now full-on autumn, lots of colour on the trees and leaves falling everywhere. There's a nice view of the woods on the hillside as I walk down Victoria Road towards the park, and in autumn the varied colour looks good... but I have to get to about this point on the road to avoid a multitude of signs and 'street furniture' distracting from the scene - and then you can't see as much of the hillside.  (Photography is often a compromise!) 

The view from the bridge to the canal below is a classic one. That tree on the right is always a wonderful sight in autumn. I'm not sure what species it is but it usually has good colour. I enjoyed the lady's red beret, echoing the red on the boats. 

The canal surface and the towpath are covered in leaves. It can be a bit slippery. I usually keep away from the edge, not wishing to have an unplanned swim!

A little further on and a lady was feeding the mute swans. She'd managed to attract eleven of them and a duck or three! There are rarely that many all in one spot. 

Then the skies cleared briefly to give a lovely patch of blue. It didn't last long, the rain showers returned but I had my umbrella so I was happily singing in the rain. 

Out and about in Saltaire

Out and about in Saltaire - trees rapidly turning autumnal and beginning to drop their leaves. (The sound of leaf blowers is everywhere! Such noisy contraptions.)

The stretch of Victoria Road outside the Victoria Hall was closed to traffic when I walked down. They are filming again but there wasn't a lot to see... some classic cars, a van full of props...   

and the Victoria Hall unaccountably now 'Sowerby Bridge Town Hall'. (I felt quite affronted!) Sowerby Bridge is a town in neighbouring Calderdale and did in fact have its own Town Hall at one time, nothing like as grand. I didn't see any filming going on, though it looked as though they might have been within the Victoria Hall itself. I gather they are filming 'Ink', a major film about Rupert Murdoch's media empire, starring Guy Pearce and Jack O'Connell and directed by Danny Boyle. (Wonderfully creative chap, who masterminded the fabulous 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.)

 

Rainy day in Saltaire

There's plenty to do in Saltaire even on a rainy day, at least on the days that Salts Mill is open (usually Wednesdays to Sundays). I can happily while away a couple of hours browsing the bookshop and galleries, forgetting the rain and the dire state of the world! Coming down the stairs in the mill offers this view, looking over the Victoria Road railway bridge to the shops and houses beyond. Any spots on the image are from the dirty window and the rain, rather than my camera sensor!

Two lions

We haven't had a lion picture lately, have we? So here are two of the stone lions that guard Saltaire opposite the Victoria Hall. The one above is 'Determination' and the other is 'Vigilance'.  There are four altogether, with 'War' and 'Peace' on the opposite side of the road. Originally designed for London's Trafalgar Square by their sculptor Thomas Milnes, Sir Titus Salt snapped them up for Saltaire when Landseer won the London competition. London's loss was Saltaire's gain. I'm quite fond of the beasts.

Festival crowds

The second weekend of Saltaire Festival really pulls in the crowds. It mainly consists of street food stalls, bars and music. It's less 'local' and much more commercial but, especially when the sun shines as it did on Saturday, it attracts hordes of people. 

Exhibition Road (above) is one long assortment of street food kiosks, sweets and treats, and a few stalls selling jewellery, clothing and trinkets. Caroline Street car park had a large caravan/tent serving alcoholic drinks, with lots of tables and chairs set out on the tarmac, and a small music stage. 

Victoria Road (above and below) had a steady stream of people moving up and down between the village and the park. Unlike previous Festivals, the roads in the village centre were closed to traffic, which made it much safer. These scenes always remind me of the old Edwardian photos you sometimes see, of mill workers hurrying home or bank holiday crowds on their way up to Shipley Glen. 

There was a charity market in the grounds of the church and an art show in the church itself. (Photo taken from the church steps. That's part of Salts Mill in the background.)

However, when it came to getting across to the park, the narrow footbridge across the river (above) was so very crowded that I thought better of joining the crush. Had I crossed, in the park there were more food stalls, a market and a large stage with a weekend-long programme of bands and music. I could even hear the music from the grounds of my flat half a mile away! 

The theory is that it's 'good for Saltaire' to host so many people. The truth is that it doesn't really bring in much extra money for local businesses. (Dig In's food shop and the baker's in the village often have queues outside but they were nearly empty on Saturday, people favouring the plethora of street food stands instead.) It does, no doubt, benefit the local Council who I'm sure charge the traders for their pitches - though someone also has to fork out for security. Roads are closed and it all needs stewarding. It's fun in a way but I much prefer the annual Arts Trail weekend which takes place earlier in the year.

Craning to see

I should have included this with my 'men at work' post from a few days ago, but I spotted it on a different day. Walking down Victoria Road past Salts Mill, I noticed this tall and rather elegant crane, somehow shoehorned into the middle of the mill. I have no idea what it was doing. They must have needed something big lifting from one area of the mill to another. They do seem to be doing some renovation or redevelopment in parts of the huge Victorian building, much of which has only gradually been lifted out of decay over the years. 

I do know that a new area, somewhere within the sprawling floorplan, has recently been developed to allow the Peace Museum to move from premises in Bradford city centre to the Mill. The new museum is scheduled to be opened on 10 August, so I will of course be going down to explore and see what that has to offer. 

The Wikipedia entry says: 'The Peace Museum, Bradford is the only museum dedicated to the history and (often untold) stories of peace, peacemakers and peace movements, in the UK.

The Peace Museum aims to engage, inform and inspire through: items in its collection and exhibitions of learning and education activities for all sectors of the community, schools, colleges and universities, focusing on local, national and international people, events and stories posing questions about equality, diversity, cohesion, peace and non-violence telling stories of peacemakers and peacemaking.

The museum asks visitors to consider peace and peacemaking as an active, as opposed to passive endeavour, a challenge and something that requires effort, asking "What could you do? What story will you tell". '

Family time

I just celebrated my birthday. (Never really welcome these days but, as my sister says, better than the alternative!) My family came over and, as it was a lovely day, we walked into Saltaire and enjoyed the simple pleasures of ice cream and a ride on the Shipley Glen Tramway. I often wonder how many people, over the years, have walked along this low wall by the almshouses. It's a comfortable height and width and so you very often see children skipping along it. I love this photo. We're all young at heart. 

More filming!

After another busy day with tradesmen renovating my new flat, I popped out for an early evening walk. I didn't realise that they had closed the main crossroads in the middle of Saltaire to traffic and were actively filming. Of course that limited where I could walk and I couldn't get that close to the action but every now and again they had to stop to allow local traffic and pedestrians to move around. It must be very frustrating for them really, trying to co-ordinate everything. There are loads of extras involved, which seems to involve an awful lot of standing around waiting for the odd few moments of actual filming. 

The film is 'The Choral', set in 1916: screenplay by Alan Bennett, director Nicholas Hytner and starring Ralph Fiennes, Jim Broadbent and Simon Russel Beale, though I've still seen no sign of any of them. 

I rather like the look of Saltaire when they convert the shops to more old-fashioned ones. It would be nice to have a post office, a greengrocer's and more 'ordinary' shops in the centre again. The village is now full of cafés, bars, a couple of gift shops, an art gallery, a bakery, hairdressers and an off-licence/sweetshop. The more 'useful' shops are concentrated up the hill on Gordon Terrace. 

And then it rained - a sudden, very sharp downpour with thunder and lightning! Luckily by then I was sheltered under trees on the canal towpath and was able to avoid getting drenched but it must have caused havoc on the film set. All the gravel they'd laid over the tarmac was being washed away. 

 

Finding peace

Unless you're going to visit Saltaire's church, there is little reason to wander down its drive and round the back of the building. Every time I do venture down there, I'm struck afresh by how peaceful it often is. It is bordered by the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and on the towpath at the far side it can be very busy, but among the trees in the church grounds there is tranquility and beauty. 

The Stable Block cottages, along the drive, have pretty gardens. If I came across this scene abroad I'd be charmed. It's easy to overlook what's under your own nose! 

Having a breather

Thankfully the weather was pretty good for this year's Saltaire Arts Trail and it was nice to see people exploring the exhibitions, the Makers' Fair and the Open Houses, and relaxing in the gardens of the Victoria Hall. There were fewer Open Houses this year and it all felt (to me) more manageable and less overwhelming. It's much better to be able to take your time to appreciate the artwork on display, rather than rushing from one place to the next, trying to see everything. 

The Saltaire Art Gallery is a recent addition to our main street. It has been opened by artist and art teacher Nina Hunter, as a base for her Art School, where she runs workshops, and as a gallery for her own work and that of other artists.  Next door, the queue for coffee, sandwiches and burgers at Digin's Hut was quite long. I've never had food from there but it always seems popular. 

Evening stroll

I enjoy a stroll at the time of day when the sun is setting and the lights are coming on. Everywhere looks a little different: more mysterious, and the lighted buildings look cosy and inviting. A circuit down to and around the park and back takes me little more than twenty minutes but it can be refreshing after a busy day. 

Obligatory autumn shots

We're having such dull, wet weather that it's hardly been fit to go out. Sunday, however, was at least dry so I put my boots on and took a short local walk. The autumn colour has finally got going, so here are a few obligatory autumn shots. I wouldn't have said it's a stellar year for colour, at least not yet, but there are some good yellows and a few oranges and reds. I think I mostly take the same views every year! But I suppose it's never quite the same. 

Crossing the railway bridge affords the first glimpse of the church tower in the trees. Then Victoria Road dips down, past Salts Mill on the right, towards the park. 

Another view of the church... 

and a better view of the church, though the autumn glory has been reduced somewhat by the loss of a large tree at the church end of the drive. 

Gracefully arching trees over the canal give an attractive tunnel effect to the stretch behind the church. 

Further on, leaning over the aqueduct (where the Leeds-Liverpool Canal crosses the River Aire) gives a good view of the trees on the riverbank below, just beginning to lose their green tint. 

Cultures

The latest addition to Saltaire's drinking scene is Cultures Deli and Drafthouse (draughthouse?) which has taken over the premises formerly occupied by Nordish, on the corner of Victoria Road and Caroline Street. They serve beer and wine to drink in or apparently to take out, with a facility to take along your own bottles and have them filled. They also serve cheese and pickle platters, bread and other fermented foods. It seems it's not a shop, it's not a pub, it's not a restaurant but 'a community hub'. (They say they want to be 'like a corner shop', which I guess means having the same local folks coming back time and again - and perhaps being a centre for village gossip?) It seems to be quite busy whenever I've walked past.

It looks like another foggy day from my photo above but it wasn't! The shop clearly has a ventilation problem, as every different business located here over the years seems to have suffered with condensation on the windows. It adds a bit of atmosphere to the photo, I guess. The one below was taken late afternoon on a different day so I don't think they'd built up a fug at that stage!  

All I know is places like this make me feel really out of touch!  There's so much these days that I don't seem to need and can't even keep up with... 'not a shop, not a pub, not a restaurant'...? And don't mention car park meter apps or electronic receipts or self-scan checkouts. I seem often to be asking myself 'what is this?' or 'how do you do this?' I'm sure I'm not the only confused one.