Proud beasts

Proud beasts, both of them... 

T'chimney - the boiler house chimney at Salts Mill, now without its original ornate top. It's reliably reflected in the near-permanent puddle on the drive into the mill car park. 

And t'lion - the Belwarp lion, immortalised on a stone relief panel on the side of the Mill. Belwarp was a trade name for the high quality, heavy duty, woollen twill serge cloths made in Salts Mill. They were often used for military uniforms, and were advertised as 'guaranteed to maintain their colour against sun or sea in any climate'. 

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.

The lion and....

The lion and....  the lamb? Or maybe a goat? Alpaca? Who knows? A colourful, crocheted post-box topper anyway. Both snapped on my way home through Saltaire village. 

Snow changes everything

A few more photos from our snowy day on Friday. It's fascinating how everywhere looks so different, not only with the covering of white but with the way it reflects the light. I went out fairly early; it was still snowing a bit but vehicles had eroded the snow on the roads and, amazingly, the main pavements had been cleared and gritted. Schools were closed, I believe, so there weren't many people about, though a few excited children were heading to the park with sledges. 

The lion called 'Peace' appeared to be enjoying an ice cream! Whilst 'Vigilance' looked pretty bored by all the fuss. 

Just beyond the park, there were a few youngsters sledging down from the path round the Higher Coach Road estate. I stood and watched for a while but never caught more than one sledge coming down at a time. Then they take ages to walk back to the top again! Luckily it wasn't too cold - one or two of the mums seemed still to be in their dressing gowns! 

The covering of snow only lasted a day or so. The temperature rose again and it all quickly melted, though the huge drifts in the High Pennines will take longer to melt. 

Peace and sunshine

There was some lovely light on Saltaire's Victoria Hall as I walked past. The 'Peace' lion seemed to be enjoying the warm, late summer sunshine, and was licking his paw contentedly (though he does that in the snow too!) 

The gardens in front of the Hall were looking good as well, with colourful bedding plants and lots of berries on the rowan trees. I'm sure Sir Titus would approve. 

We're going on another...

We're going on another hunt... this time for lions. It's well known that Saltaire has four huge lion statues in the square in front of the Victoria Hall. I've shown all of them on my blog at various times. Perhaps fewer people know that there are more secretive lions around the village. One of them glowers down at visitors to the United Reformed Church, but you have to know where to look to notice it. There's one on the other side too, even harder to see. 

Then there's the Belwarp lion on the side of Salts Mill. (I haven't been to see him lately so this is an old photo of mine.) Belwarp was a trade name for the high quality, woollen twill serge cloths made in Salts Mill. They were often used for military uniforms. 

Victoria Hall in evening light

At a certain point on a summer evening, the setting sun just catches the stonework of the Victoria Hall with a golden glow that lifts it out from its surroundings. I suppose the lions then know that it's almost time for bed. (Although legend has it that they arise and roam the village at night... I never go out to check!) 

Toes

The monthly theme in my online camera club recently was 'toes'. Now, you really wouldn't want to see mine so I had to go in search of someone else's! Thankfully one of the Saltaire lions obliged, with this gritty mono of his paws and claws. 

'War' tamed

'War' doesn't look nearly so fierce with a dollop of snow on his head! I took the photo when we had a few days of snow a while ago. 

There are four lions that guard the centre of Saltaire, carved by Thomas Milnes originally for Trafalgar Square in London but then snapped up by Sir Titus Salt as a centrepiece for his new village, when Landseer was given the London commission.