Scavenger Hunt

I've recently joined a second camera club in Bingley. I'm continuing my membership at Ilkley, at least for now, though I do find the long drive to and fro in the dark in winter is increasingly taxing. Bingley is much nearer and I can get there by public transport too, if I wish. They meet on different nights, so there is no clash. It'll be stimulating to enjoy a different programme and perhaps some new ideas. 

The second meeting I attended at Bingley had a talk for new members about the structure and protocol for club competitions, which of course I listened to (though I'm not sure I'll enter any competitions this year). The rest of the membership went out in small groups on a 'scavenger hunt', armed with a list of challenges. Some of the photos they took were then shared and discussed in the second half of the meeting. 

It was good fun, so I decided I'd try my own scavenger hunt the next day, using one of the lists that was distributed. Here are my resulting images:

1 (above) - A splash of colour (Find a bold, vibrant colour and make it the star of your photo).

2 (above and below) - Leading lines (Use lines to draw the viewer into your image)

3 (above and below) - Movement (Freeze it, blur it or deliberately slow the motion) 

,

4 (above and below) - A different perspective (Shoot from unusually high, low, round a corner... make us see something differently)

5 (above and below) - A door or window (Look for colour, shape, character or symmetry)

It was an enjoyable challenge. You can be the judge of how well I did! 

Rose window

The rooms above the hallway at East Riddlesden Hall have rose windows, one on either side of the house. They are simple, plain glass pieces set in a stone trellis, and each window is different. I decided I'd have a play with them, overlaying one above the other and making them more colourful. I ended up with a few different versions.

 

Christmas Day 2025

 Nativity window, St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh (Victorian, Ballantine) 

The last couple of months, for me, have been full of all sorts of upheaval, good and bad combined (though, thankfully, even the difficult things have turned out in the end to be solvable and ultimately positive). It's something of a relief to finally arrive at Christmas. Busy and chaotic though it may be, it is nevertheless a firm reminder of steadfast love and the power of good over evil. 

Wishing all who celebrate it a very happy, peaceful and hopeful Christmas - and to those who don't, a good time nevertheless. 

'Loving Father, help us to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and with every greeting.' 

The embrace

Just a random shot through a window on Saltaire Road... I'm not sure if someone had just moved in or if it's a new shop that is setting up. Either way, it seemed a rather interesting and eclectic mixture of objects. Given that it was just a quick snap, the composition I achieved rather pleases me (including the reflections of the yellow lines on the road outside and of the window opposite!) Serendipitous rather than carefully planned.

Ghosts

The area I have moved to is historically a fairly 'well-to-do' area, which grew as people moved into the suburbs from the city centre, seeking cleaner air and more space. The housing is mixed, with a lot of building in Victorian and Edwardian times, and in subsequent waves ever since. Some of the large Edwardian houses are these days being demolished and their substantial plots of land used for more modern and denser accommodation. The apartment block that I now live in was built where a large house once stood. It was only the existence of mature trees with a preservation order imposed on them that prevented two blocks of flats being built on the land - and happily I now benefit from spacious surroundings and the beautiful old trees. 

You don't have to look far for evidence of earlier times.  A small terrace of houses has a 'ghost' sign on its gable end. An advert or business signage? I have no idea what it originally said. You can now barely make out the lettering, apart from 'for all' in the middle. 

Behind some shops, a row of old garages or workshops has broken and boarded up windows where, to me, there is a certain beauty to be found in the colours and reflections. 

The back yard of a pub has a sign promoting Gin and Tonic as a cure all. It seems not enough people had a G&T, despite the prompt, as the pub is now closed down. 

Stained glass

I love stained glass and, for a small church, Baildon St John's has lots, mostly Victorian (by Barnett of York) though the internal screen separating the small memorial chapel looked much more recent. The chapel (or baptistry) window had the date 1930 and shows the infant John the Baptist on the left and the finding of the infant Moses on the right - such lovely details too. Do you see the blue bird? 

The three-light lancet east window above the altar has the theme of 'charity' and is a memorial to one of Sir Titus Salt's daughters-in-law, Mary Jane Susan, wife of his son Edward, who sadly died just before her 30th birthday. Edward Salt lived in Ferniehurst, a mansion (now demolished) in Baildon. 

Perhaps the most interesting window is a recent addition, by Roy Coomber of Pendle Stained Glass. It was installed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It has lots of detail of events that happened during the Queen's reign. You can pick out the conquest of Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953, a windfarm, a suspension bridge, Roger Bannister's four minute mile, the 2012 London Olympic Games, Scouting logo, The Open University logo (founded in 1969), World Wide Web logo, Concorde, a satellite, HM the Queen on horseback, three corgis, a road flyover ('Spaghetti Junction' possibly? 1972), Windsor Castle, the DNA helix and a guitar - among other things.    

In the nave there is a window showing Jesus welcoming children:

and two lights depicting Jesus walking on the water towards his disciples.

In windows

I set out for a short local stroll quite late one afternoon and noticed how the sun was catching the old stained glass panels in the corner shop/bar on Caroline Street. I don't think the panels are original Victorian, though I may be wrong. Many of the stained glass panels in doors and windows around the village were added in the 1930s when they were fashionable. My iPhone rendered the scene with a rather drunken perspective... anyone would think I'd imbibed a few bottles of the wine in the window! 

Further down Victoria Road, the floristry display by Shipley College students in the Dining Hall window caught my eye. The round glass vase held a miniature reflection of Salts Mill, opposite, to echo the larger reflection in the window itself. 

Down on Albert Terrace some of the arched windows catch a neat reflection of the church tower, visible through the bare branches of the winter trees when it is highlighted by the setting sun. 

Advent windows #6

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

The decorated windows in Saltaire Methodist Church contained a heartfelt plea for a better New Year for us all. The unbelievably tough (in so many ways) years of 2020, 2021 and 2022 are consigned to the fire. 

The second window heralds a clean sheet, a new year, with people coming together with light and hope. 

However the last few years have felt to you, if you're reading this I'm sure there is something to be grateful for. We emerge from the trials, hopefully stronger, certainly glad for those around us who have helped to keep us going, even in the smallest of ways. I'm grateful for all my friends, particularly those I've come to know through my blog. There are those who've commented (and you have no idea how much I value your comments, letting me know you are out there, often many miles away, and have a little bit of interest in my world here.) Those who rarely comment but just quietly enjoy 'tuning in' occasionally are also a gift. And there are all those whose beautiful photos and thoughtful writings have so enriched my days. In the mornings, when I wake up, I usually take a mug of tea back to my cosy bed and read your blogs. It's so interesting to see what's going on, all over the world; places and people that are at once so different and yet share so much in common. Thank you all. 

Wishing us all a much better 2023 - happier, healthier and much more peaceful. Thinking especially of those still struggling, with so much courage and dignity, in Ukraine, despite the inhuman bombardment from Russia. I'm praying for a peaceful end to that conflict this year. 

 

Advent windows #5

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

Here's another window with a literary connection, and a bold and graphic design. Its creators, Luke and Katie, chose 'A Christmas Carol' because the novel is a Christmas classic and fits with Saltaire's Victorian heritage. In December 1854 (the year after Salts Mill opened) it was performed on stage at St George's Hall in Bradford by Charles Dickens himself. 

Today's second window doesn't, as far as I know, have a published explanation, but it's rather cheery and neatly works with the 1930s leaded glass in this house's window. There was a car parked directly outside in the narrow street, which made it difficult to photograph, so I thought I'd include the reflection in the car's roof as an added extra! 

The third window is simple but bold. No prizes for guessing what the building is! 

 

Light

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'  John 1:5

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas, from my heart - in the heart of Saltaire. 

Fight the fight; 

Be the beacon;

Shine your light. 

Advent windows #4

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

A few more of our Advent windows - the first a rather sweet scene of children decorating a Christmas tree. The bold silhouettes are a good technique to adopt when designing these windows; they have impact. 

There are some story book images too. Most people will recognise Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, following the Yellow Brick Road and heading towards the Emerald City. Lucy, the window's creator, says that 'The Wizard of Oz' was her dad's favourite childhood film. Despite being 80 years old, the film starring Judy Garland is still a family favourite. 

As to the window below, which says 'wishes do come true'... I guess someone is dreaming of a unicorn. 

Advent windows #3

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

Taking a shape cue from the lovely arched window in this house on Dove Street, there are colourful toadstools and gnomes in a stained glass window effect.  I think this is my favourite so far: bold, bright and graphic. 

People get inspiration from all sorts of things. Jyothi, who designed the window above, was prompted to pay a tribute to her grandmother's mulled wine recipe, which includes 'a healthy glug of brandy as well as all the classic red wine, fruit and spices'. To be honest, I'd have welcomed a warming glass of that as I stood outside in the cold, fumbling with frozen fingers trying not to drop my phone!

The rather zany picture below shows a pheasant wrapping Christmas presents. Hmmm. 

 

Advent windows #2

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022 

More colourful offerings, making the most of the many-paned Victorian sash windows of our 19th century houses to create a multitude of scenes. Traditional Christmas themes above, an Alice in Wonderland inspired window below. What I most liked about that one was that the family cat was still allowed to peek out of the window (bottom left pane). How thoughtful!

You might do better than I can at working out the songs referenced below:

 

Our Saltaire tradition

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

It's that time of year again: the season of Advent and (as my long-time readers will know) Saltaire has a tradition of making the whole village into a Living Advent Calendar. Windows in the village houses and businesses are decorated and each night in December, up to Christmas, one or two are 'opened' to make a festive trail around the streets. I like to go around once or twice to look at and photograph some of them, and share a few here. 

The best ones for photos are the bold and graphic ones, like Saltaire Village Society's offering above, of carol singers round a tree. Some of the more detailed scenes, whilst pretty to view, don't show up well in a photo. Over the years I've learned that my phone is as good as my camera for snapping them too. The camera needs a tripod in the dark and on our narrow and uneven streets that is quite a hazard. There are always some that are impossible to capture - placed too high or hidden by cars or foliage, but there are usually enough good ones to make a few blog posts. It's a lovely walk around the village, which I will share with you. 

All of the windows can be viewed HERE too, as they are opened. 

Serenity

Saltaire's vibrant and creative community means that people make the most of any space, either to create a little bit of beauty or to make a statement, one way or another. One house, without much of a garden, has nevertheless placed plants (fake) and various little statues in all the available space, including on a windowsill. I'm quite happy to see a serene and peaceful Buddha as I pass by, and the yellow flowers are quite uplifting too. 

Through the glass, HB style

Not so long ago I posted some photos of Saltaire, taken through the windows of Salts Mill. When I was in Hebden Bridge a while ago, enjoying their Open Studios trail, I was equally enthralled by the views over the town from Linden Mill. These northern towns are not conventionally beautiful but their honeyed stone, slate roofs, old chimney pots, cobbled streets and the soaring hills around them have a gritty majesty that I have come to love. 

(Again, don't confuse this town of Hebden Bridge in Calderdale with the village of Hebden near Burnsall in Wharfedale, that I showed a couple of days ago. They're completely different.) 

 

Through the glass brightly

Saltaire was looking good through the windows of Salts Mill the other day. Good skies and nice light showed off both the structure of the Mill and some of the main sights in the village. 

Above is looking north west, towards the green of Roberts Park and Shipley Glen, with the administration block of the Mill (which fronts Victoria Road) in the middle and the original combing shed with its ridged roof in the foreground. That's now a business unit. 

The view below, looking south, frames the Victoria Hall, with its distinctive tower - and some allotments in the foreground. 

The third window view, looking north, shows the ornate tower of the New Mill, with the combing shed in the foreground again.