Yockenthwaite

The tiny hamlet of Yockenthwaite sits towards the bottom end of the very pretty Langstrothdale, sliced through by the infant River Wharfe. Its famous red post box is a rather unexpected sight in the midst of all the greenery. I suppose it serves as a reminder than even these relatively remote places are still connected to the wider world. 

The river here is spanned by a rather splendid 18th century packhorse bridge, its high arch again a somewhat unexpected sight in what is nowadays a quiet little dale. It is on the Dales Way, a long distance footpath from Ilkley to Bowness in the Lake District. 

Mindless

Well, would you believe it!  I only happened to notice this VR (Victorian) postbox a couple of weeks ago and was about to post it on my blog - intending to ask my local readers if they knew where it was... Despite Saltaire's Victorian origins, none of the postboxes in the village, to my knowledge, are Victorian so I was delighted to see this example not far away.

I passed it again yesterday and was shocked to find it has been ruined.  I am not sure what happened.  There are no marks on the wall, and nothing to suggest a car collided with it.  Methinks the most likely explanation is metal thieves, who seemingly will pinch anything they can see.  Completely mindless, they seem to have no respect for other people's property, or for history, or for the consequences of their actions.  It does make me angry!

So that's another little piece of local history that has disappeared.  For the uninitiated, it is in the wall at the top of Belmont Terrace in Shipley, quite close to St Paul's Church... Well, it was!

Saltaire Rouge

I like the juxtaposition of the red letter box and the red door here.   Situated at the corner of Albert Road and Caroline Street in Saltaire, this post box is marked EIIR (for Queen Elizabeth).  It's obviously a late addition to the village as these houses were completed in Queen Victoria's reign.  At a meeting of the Saltaire History Club, an elderly gentleman, who has lived in the village for much of his life, told me a tale of how someone once inadvertently left a briefcase beside this postbox.  The police and then the bomb squad were summoned but the briefcase, when investigated, proved to be just a ... briefcase!  Whether true or not, it was a funny story and I can just imagine the excitement.

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Another favourite blog - the one that gives rise to my title 'Saltaire Rouge' - is Virginia's blog: 'Paris Through my Lens'.  V shows, daily, wonderful pictures of Paris, its well-known bits and hidden secrets too.  She has a regular slot within it called Paris Rouge. V is a skilled, versatile, consistent photographer and I would rate her photos as some of the best around.  She has a breadth of subject matter, including some great portraits, and her blog keeps my attention, week in, week out.