Ireland Bridge

I took a walk recently that started from Ireland Bridge in Bingley, and it struck me that I'd never really photographed this area before, so here it is. The bridge itself is a Grade II* listed structure and a significant crossing point over the River Aire. It takes the road from Bingley through the villages of Harden, Wilsden and Cullingworth and eventually to Haworth and over the moors to Hebden Bridge, so I often drive over it on my way to see the family. There has been a bridge here since medieval times and the current structure was built in 1686. It was widened and altered in 1775 and was again strengthened in 2010 to take modern traffic. It is, as you can see, relatively narrow and forms something of a bottle neck at peak times.

The bridge has a pub at either end (both really nice pubs). At the Bingley end is the Old White Horse, an ancient coaching inn in the oldest part of Bingley, opposite the parish church. (See HERE).  At the other end is the Brown Cow Inn (see below). It is said that the bridge was at one time called Bingley Bridge and the name got changed because Irish textile workers in the local mills crossed it to drink in the Brown Cow, which became known as 'the Irish pub'. I don't know if that's true.

There is an interesting mixture of old and new housing, with quite a few modern apartments having been built in recent years, where there used to be mills. Unfortunately proximity to the river does mean the properties sometimes flood. The Brown Cow, sitting quite low down, has been badly hit several times.

History lines

I don't know that I've ever consciously noticed before that there are still tram rails embedded outside what used to be the tramsheds at the top of Saltaire Road. Built in 1904, the six bays used to house the trams that ran from Saltaire to Bradford, guided on rails and powered by a pantograph that linked to an overhead cable. Later they housed Bradford Corporation trolley buses, which ran solely along overhead cables with no tracks. Bradford had some trolley buses right up until 1972 (though the Saltaire link ceased before that, I think.)

Since then the building has been repurposed a number of times and for many years now has been a bar and restaurant, at first called The Old Tramshed, then The Hop. Now it is the Salt Beer Factory, opened in 2018 with a micro-brewery and tap room to the rear and the bar/kitchen (restaurant) and beer garden at the front. It has recently reopened again after being closed because of lock down. Testing times for such small outfits but they have been doing local deliveries and selling canned beer to retailers in the interim and, with a loyal following, I guess they'll manage to keep going.

Blue sky day

There was an amazingly uplifting blue sky when I visited Bradford's main art gallery at Cartwright Hall recently. The view of the hall from the water gardens is rather attractive, I think. The Edwardian Baroque building opened in 1904 as a purpose-built gallery, a gift to the city from Samuel Lister, a wealthy local mill-owner. It sits centrally in Lister Park, a pleasant oasis in the city.

For many years it has lacked a tearoom, apart from the kiosk by the boating lake that is only open in summer. Now it has a smart new café in the basement, serving coffee, a good selection of cakes and light meals, though I think people haven't yet realised its existence as it was virtually empty when I visited.

The Brontës' birthplace

After we'd visited the Christmas Tree Festival, we went in search of the house on Market Street in Thornton where most of the Brontës (Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne) were born. It was the parsonage in their day, since their father Patrick was the minister at the Bell Chapel. It later became a butcher's shop and had the curious projecting frontage added. There was a short-lived attempt to turn it into a museum, before it became a private residence again.  Last time I visited in 2012 you couldn't go in but for the past few years it has been Emily's café/bistro. We were able to have a coffee there, right beside the dining room fireplace in front of which the Brontë children are said to have been born. I wonder if they had stockings hanging up at Christmas when they lived there?

Some of the tables in the café had been ingeniously fashioned from old-style school desks.

It had a nice ambience, full of books and memorabilia  - and very good coffee and cake (though I managed to resist the cake!)

Nordish.Saltaire

In Saltaire, a lot stays the same and a lot changes... The property on the corner of Victoria Road was, for a long time, a shop and then became a café, which has been through numerous incarnations. For the past couple of years it has been run by a couple of young entrepreneurs, Beth and Sam, as Nordish, a Scandi-influenced restaurant. They started small and gently, as a pop-up and now open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. They serve Fika (coffee with small Swedish-style cakes and buns) and Smørrebrød (elaborate open sandwiches) and have recently expanded into early evening opening, serving 'small plates'. They make a point of using local suppliers and make all their produce on the premises, including the sourdough bread and pastries. They even, I understand, cure their own fish. (I walked past the other day and wondered why the area smelled a little like the shellfish stalls in Whitby - a whiff of vinegar and fish. Not unpleasant.) They have recently decorated the windows with bundles of dried herbs and sculptural plants, which I couldn't resist taking a photo of. They also use the upper room for classes and workshops. I've seen life-drawing and calligraphy advertised.  Their vision seems precise and ambitious, though also, by being organic in their menus and approach to growth and minimising waste, they are very much, it seems to me, in tune with the zeitgeist and with Saltaire. They seem to work hard, often to be seen in there even when it's closed, and they seem a very pleasant young couple. I've only personally been in for coffee, as they don't (yet?) serve gluten-free cakes.  

Read a review HERE, which describes it all much better than I can. 

Burnsall

The village of Burnsall sits a few miles up the Wharfe valley from Barden Bridge (see yesterday). It's a very popular place and can get packed with visitors in summer. You hardly ever see it without cars parked along the road, even though there is a fair-sized car park nearby. It too has a distinctive old bridge and the river here is shallow, making a popular spot for families to picnic and bathe. It is also a centre for walking, with the Dales Way long-distance path passing through the village.

It has a good pub, The Red Lion, which dates back to the 16th century and reputedly has a ghost in the cellar who likes to turn off the beer taps!

It also has a chapel, a church, cafés and an ice cream shop - not bad for a village with only about 100 inhabitants. I had a lovely cup of tea from one of the cafés, sitting outside enjoying the warm sunshine. There were families picnicking on the river bank! (In February!) In fact it was so summery that I bought myself a tub of ice cream too.

Many of the local place names (Thorpe, Cracoe, Skyreholme) are derived from Norse and that, plus the discovery of carved stones now kept in the church, tells us that the area was settled by the Vikings over a thousand years ago. St Wilfrid's parish church itself dates back in parts to Norman times though much of it is built in the Perpendicular style (c1380-1520).

Another notable building in Burnsall is the school (below), still used as a primary school. It was founded in 1602 by William Craven, of nearby Appletreewick, who went on to become a Lord Mayor of London. 

Loafers

Halifax's Piece Hall has several cafés and bars to choose from. I decided to sample the brew in Loafers, a cosy venue that combines a coffee bar and vinyl record shop.  Good choice! The coffee was excellent, though I wasn't quite brave enough to sample the more exotic blends. You have good music to listen to whilst you sip your drink... double the pleasure. They also sell music-related art prints (by Matt, Vinyl Soul Images), which make a colourful display around the walls.

I had a lovely conversation with another photographer, a young man sitting at the next table. He was taking photos of the coffee and the view. With the sun streaming in, it was too good a shot to miss, though I should have taken mine before I drank my coffee! I also chatted to the owner, Mark Richardson, who seems a lovely, friendly guy and was very welcoming. He and his wife not only run the busy shop, which has been open about 18 months, they also have a young baby too. They must work hard! 

(I'm resolved to be braver about asking people for portraits. It's 'a big ask' for a deaf introvert like me! So far, no-one has objected...)

Salt Beer Factory

It's interesting how buildings morph over time... This used to be a tramshed. The first trams appeared in Saltaire around 1882, initially horse-drawn and then by 1893 steam-powered trams were used. By 1904, trams were powered by overhead electric cables; Bradford Council took over the routes and built this new tramshed. Trams were superseded by trolley buses (running on overhead lines but not tracks) and this depot housed the vehicles until 1972, when trolley buses were withdrawn (Bradford being the last area in the country to use them).

For as long as I can remember, the front part of the old tramshed has been used as a bar/restaurant, now called The Hop. The back area used to be a children's adventure centre and soft play area, but (I think) has been empty for a while. Now it has been transformed into a new craft brewery, the Salt Beer Factory. (Not to be confused with Saltaire Brewery, which in fact operates out of premises in Shipley.)

They moved the huge steel vats in a couple of months ago and brewing began in early September. Now the site is overrun with workmen, getting it ready for the grand opening on November 2nd. I managed to sneak a couple of photos through an open side door. It looks as though the tap room will open out onto a terrace at the back, and according to their Facebook page (HERE), there are all sorts of live events planned.

Devon: Doone Valley

Lee Abbey is situated on the edge of the Exmoor National Park. Our third day's programme saw us exploring the area of Exmoor known as the Doone Valley, around Malmsmead and Oare. Malmsmead is a picturesque hamlet with a ford and an old packhorse bridge over Badgworthy Water, the river that forms the boundary between Devon and Somerset. I loved all the place names displayed on the signpost. There was lots to photograph, including some patient horses.

The Doone Valley is named after the famous Victorian romantic novel 'Lorna Doone' by R D Blackmore. It's set in 1685, the the tale of a local farmer, John Ridd, who falls in love with the adopted daughter of a band of outlaws, who lived in a hidden valley near Oare. It is said to be culled from real-life, based on tales of a band of Stuart sympathisers who fled Scotland for Exmoor, where they preyed on travellers.

On a sunny evening

We'll have a little break from my holiday journal... Time for refreshment. The best spot in Saltaire on a sunny summer's evening (and we've had a few lately) is the Boathouse bar. You can sit on the terrace beside the river, with a glass of your chosen beverage - and a packet of crisps if you're feeling indulgent - soaking up the last of the sunshine and watching the slightly more energetic people jogging, playing ball games or walking around the park. What's not to like?

The Cotswolds: The Old Mill

After a walk back from Upper Slaughter, in temperatures approaching 30C (way too hot for this English rose!) I was glad to stop at The Old Mill, a former corn mill, in Lower Slaughter. It has an attractive tea garden at the back, overlooking the river and a shop selling gifts, crafts and ice cream. It was a working flour mill until 1958, and is really the only obvious tourist outlet in either of the Slaughters, apart from holiday lets and hotels. 

Round the bend of the river, a wide, shallow area by the ford made a cool paddling pool for horses and children alike. I was tempted to join them!... but I was far too busy photographing the pretty cottage gardens with their traditional hollyhocks.

Reincarnation

I think English pubs, when lit up at night, look rather cosy and inviting. This is only an iPhone picture and a bit blurry for that. I stopped to take it, on the spur of the moment, when I was on my way to a meeting the other evening.

It shows a long-standing pub that for many years was called The Victoria. Built in 1875, it is on the opposite side of Saltaire Road from the model village itself and thus escaped the original ban on licensed premises within Saltaire. I wrote about in 2010 when it had just undergone a refurbishment. (See HERE)  It has recently been done up again and has been renamed The Salt Cellar. From what I've read, the new owner has also made a significant change in style, away from a traditional pub with TV and pool tables to real ale and craft beers and a specialist gin bar. They are also planning live entertainment and music at weekends and afternoon sing-a-longs around a piano for us oldies!! (I can't wait!)

It is, I think, an attempt to compete with (or work with, depending on one's viewpoint) existing bars such as the ever-popular Fanny's Ale House just up the road, and the increasing number of micropubs and bars in the area. They want people to have a 'pub crawl' route through the area. As far as I can count, this is one of twelve drinking places around Saltaire, in an area of no more than two square miles (not counting restaurants and off-licences). Sir Titus, who was famously opposed to drinking establishments in his village, though he wasn't teetotal as some say, would turn in his grave.

Saltaire Brewery

Tucked away down a side street in the Dockfield area of Shipley and overlooking the canal, the Saltaire Brewery isn't actually in Saltaire at all. It isn't far away though, and who can blame them for using the name of the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site as their brand name. The craft brewery was established by Tony Gartland and Derek Todd in 2005. The brewhouse is sited in an old generating hall that once provided electricity for Bradford's trams. They now produce around 60 different beers, including their bestselling 'Saltaire Blonde' ('a straw coloured lager ale with creamy, soft malt flavours') and a dark stout called, enticingly, 'Triple Chocoholic' ('a strong chocolate bouquet and a rich chocolate flavour, with a balancing bitterness'). I don't drink beer but I'd be tempted by them if I did. They have an excellent reputation.

There's a Brewery Tap and shop, open Wednesdays through to Sundays (pm only), so you can sample their products - and some from other featured breweries. There's a beer club too, like a mini beer festival, on the last Friday of every month. I've noticed the beers are stocked in lots of pubs and shops, or can be ordered online. No excuse not to try it!

The end of the day

I love these long summer evenings - and May and June this year have been unusually warm and sunny until the final few days. People often take advantage of the last rays of sunshine on the terrace of Saltaire's Boathouse Inn, overlooking the river and Roberts Park. A relaxing evening with friends, over a drink, enjoying the view, is very pleasant.

Where did you get that hat?

Dancers from the Crook Morris side were wearing colourful flower-bedecked hats - with the odd mouse hiding among the blooms!

The Flag Crackers wore a wide variety of wacky headgear, many decorated with pheasant feathers, badges and greenery.

The gentleman below had a top hat with a couple of sunloungers and a pool on top! Not to mention various miniature drinks bottles around the sides... all empty!

The lady below seems to have a tiger in her tank. (Oh dear, knowing that catchphrase rather dates me, doesn't it?) 

Dance sides

Including the Flag Crackers, the festival at The Airedale Heifer involved half a dozen different dance sides (teams), dancing a wide variety of different traditions.

The ladies above are Fiddle 'n' Feet, an Appalachian dance team based in nearby Shipley. Appalachian-style dances are energetic and involve high kicks and foot tapping on a hard surface.

Persephone Morris dance in the North West tradition of clog stepping and processionals that date back to the days when an annual ceremonial procession brought new rushes for the church floor.

The Buttercross Belles, another ladies North West Morris side, come from Otley. 

Crook Morris are based in Kendal. They have quite a repertoire, including Border Morris dances and Rapper Sword dances. At this festival they were dancing traditional Cotswold Morris dances, familiar to many as the archetypal English dances with waving handkerchiefs and jingling bells.

And finally, there was Saltaire's own Rainbow Morris, who also dance in the North West clog tradition, using garlands, sticks and handkerchiefs.