Red

Three red doors... and a post box.

Liverpool doors

There is often something appealing about doors (and windows) and I like taking photos of them. Maybe it's wondering what lies inside or the fact that, although they all serve the same purpose, there are so many different designs. Even among those ostensibly similar, each one is unique. There are some grand old houses in Liverpool with grand old doors on them. Here are a few.

The door above belongs to The Hardmans' House, a property now owned by the National Trust. It is a Georgian house that was the home and studio of a 1950s society photographer. I'd have liked to visit but it was closed for the winter and anyway, as it's so small, one has to book ahead. 

For some reason, I'm particularly fond of yellow doors. I was going to paint my front door yellow at one time - until my mother told me the colour attracts flies and that put me off that idea!

Red and green

I thought this a rather pleasing juxtaposition of colours. The red door echoes the red leaves of the acer and the bright green shrub is a lovely contrast. This is one of the houses at the eastern edge of Saltaire, built later than the rest of the village, on land used for the Royal Yorkshire Jubilee Exhibition in 1887, which celebrated Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The land was sold off to developers after the exhibition; these houses don't form part of Salt's master plan and are not included in the World Heritage Site.

Mr Bean?

Bradford Walking Tour 7
Another rather unusual sight in Bradford's Little Germany - Mr Bean and a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Don't ask me why... I have not a clue! The carved door surround, though, is rather special. Caspian House was built in 1873 as a warehouse for D Delius and Co. The company's senior partner, Julius Delius (his name is rather a mouthful!) was the father of the composer, Frederick Delius, who was born in Bradford in 1862.

Thackley and Esholt 5

The village of Esholt is mostly famous these days as being the original film location for a popular and long-running TV soap called 'Emmerdale Farm'. Outside shots were filmed here for 20 years, from 1976 to 1996. The landlord of the village pub eventually changed its name from The Commercial Inn to The Woolpack, to save having to keep changing the name board! It remains The Woolpack to this day, although the village is no longer used for filming. Eventually, to spare the villagers the inconvenience of TV crews and tourists, they built a replica of Esholt on the Harewood Estate nearby, which continues to be used to make the TV programme. Many tourists, however, still end up in Esholt. Not surprising, as it is quite an attractive village with some very old buildings - and you can have still a pint in The Woolpack.

OO

More festive decorations in Saltaire. I wonder if the neighbours make an effort to co-ordinate?

Saltaire Colour #6

Saltaire Colour #3

Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night in the UK is traditionally the time to take down your Christmas decorations; if you leave them longer it is supposed to bring bad luck. The trouble is that no-one seems able to agree whether it is the 5th or 6th January (or even some other date altogether!) Personally I usually take mine down earlier, suddenly wanting a return to 'normal'.

In the Christian church the celebration of Twelfth Night is Epiphany, the time when the three wise men were supposed to have visited the infant Jesus.

It also relates to celebrations in medieval and Tudor times (which may in turn date back to Roman customs) to mark the end of the winter festival. A cake with a bean inside was eaten. Whoever got the bean became the Lord of Misrule for the night, presiding over the feast amid much merriment.

Blue and orange

No words needed.

Red

This pretty much sums up for me why I like Saltaire in all seasons.

The cat sat....

The cat sat on the mat pavement - and STARED at me. Isn't it unnerving when they do that? It was sitting outside one of Saltaire's 'workmen's houses'. The door on the left is the standard Saltaire front door. The house on the right must have been altered before the village became a Conservation Area (or else someone has been naughty!)  It really shows why the Listed status for Saltaire is important; people do all sorts of bizarre things without regulation... random pebbledash, for instance!

A grand entrance

There are two main entrances to Salts Mill, one off Victoria Road (see Monday's post) and the other on the south side, from the car park.  I would say many more people use the Victoria Road door, but perhaps in an effort to reverse that and encourage people to use the mill's designated car parks, the south side entrance has been considerably improved. It used to have a wooden ramp. There does not, at first glance, appear to be any disabled access now... but I went for a second look.... The disabled access to the lifts requires you to go through the open archway alongside this entrance, to the other side of the building. I didn't investigate further but, if you use a wheelchair, as long as you have strong arms or a strong chair-pusher prepared to go the extra distance, you should be OK! This new door does look a lot smarter, though the glass canopy appears to need scaffold poles to hold it up.  It needs better signage too. Perhaps it isn't finished yet after all - let's hope not.

21. Saltaire doors

Pictures from the exhibition: Two doors, Albert Road

Alike yet different, satisfyingly symmetrical yet each with its own character, these doors - on the 'posh' houses at the edge of Saltaire village - remind me of two shiny conkers.

I wasn't able to choose many 'landscape format' pictures for the exhibition, due to the curved wall in the café.  I wanted to include this one though, as it's one of my own favourites.  I think it subtly sums up quite a lot about Saltaire, and yet it is not an oft-photographed subject.  One of these days I will publish a book consisting entirely of photographs of Saltaire's doors.  They fascinate me.

I can never look at this photo now without remembering Vicki Lane's rather wicked comment, made the first time I posted the photo. ;-)

Just want to say a big thank you to everyone for your encouraging comments too.  I may have been feeling a bit down with a cold (now much better) but I am definitely lifted up by your kind words.

In search of colour - 2

Subtle colour here, in the Christmas wreath, the stained glass and the bright leaves.  Not a standard Saltaire front door (the heritage doors have four horizontal panels, like this).  No doubt it's frowned upon by the planners, but it is quite smart nevertheless.  Note also the difference in colour between the cleaned (sand-blasted) stonework and the original, blackened by soot from the years of coal fires and belching mill chimneys.  Most of the public buildings have been cleaned up but some of the houses have and some have not.  I guess which you prefer is a matter of personal taste.

Saltaire in pink and green

Some early pink blossom looks pretty against a backdrop of ivy and a pinkish door.   Spotted on Albert Road in Saltaire.

Green door

From a blue door in Derbyshire to a green door in Saltaire.  Very carefully painted, but perhaps a touch too complicated a treatment for my taste.  Nevertheless, the front door and its stone surround are typical of the oldest houses in Saltaire, this one on William Henry Street, built in 1854.  The street is named after William Henry Salt (1831 -1893) who was Sir Titus Salt's first son.  He worked with his father in the family business at the Mill but retired in his early 40s to Leicestershire, presumably to a life of a leisured country gentleman.  On his father's death he became the second baronet, Sir William Henry Salt.

As a complete non-sequiteur, I was astonished to hear my own dear mother say at the weekend that she 'doesn't like' windows and doors with rounded tops!  How can you 'not like' something like that?  And how can my own mother not like them, when I love them!  Funny how you never really know someone completely, even when you've grown up with them.

Gable Cottage, Dent

I imagine this doorway looks lovely when the wisteria is in bloom and I presume that's why they have chosen a pale mauve for the paint. But even when the blossom has gone, I think it's a pretty frontage. The two-bedroomed cottage is on Dent's narrow Main Street, and overlooks the church at the back. It's handy for the Sun Inn too!

It is currently For Sale with a guide price of £195,000.00 - the estate agent's details have some pictures of the interior, if you want to peek inside! They seem to be marketing it as a holiday let - and that is one of the problems besetting the Yorkshire Dales villages, where property is priced out of the reach of young couples and families starting out. The villages are becoming 'ghost towns' out of season. Let's hope that never happens to Saltaire.

Old barn door

(Best viewed large)
Dentdale, like most of the other Yorkshire Dales, has plenty of old stone barns up on the hills as well as down in the valley. This one had a nice weathered door, with a lovely selection of ferns growing between the stones.