Vigilance at dusk

I happened to be walking through the centre of Saltaire at dusk when the sky was still quite light and the floodlights that illuminate the main historic buildings had come on. It all looked rather nice. The lion, Vigilance, still does guard duty, though his name has almost worn off his plinth. The building was originally Saltaire's Factory Schools, opened in 1868 to comply with the 1844 Factory Act that required child workers to be educated for three hours a day as well as working in the mill for 6.5 hours (!)  Children had formerly been taught in the mill's Dining Hall. There was one school for boys and one for girls, in the same building and they took 750 pupils. They had advanced facilities for the time,  including central heating, gas lighting and playgrounds at the rear.  It is now part of Shipley College.

Fustianopolis

Hebden Bridge used to be called 'Fustianopolis' or 'Trouser Town' as it was famous for making the hard-wearing cotton cloth known as fustian, which includes corduroy and moleskin, commonly used for making men's trousers. Of course, the textile industry has largely disappeared from these valleys though there's a newish company called HebTroCo that manufactures jeans and hardwearing men's wear to suit the generally bearded, liberal, creative male population of the town and elsewhere.

The (surprisingly controversial) needle sculpture in the town square represents a fustian cutting knife. It's also, I think, a sundial and the base shows aspects of the town's history. 

Floating or beached?

I've shown this little fella before. He's the first (or last, depending on which way you're walking) of the quirky cast-iron sculptures on the Aire Sculpture Trail. They are based on designs by children from the local Wycliffe Primary School and were made by Mick Kirkby Geddes. The sculpture trail brightens up a footpath that runs along the river bank from Baildon Bridge to join the canal towpath beside the New Mill in Saltaire.

On the same walk, I passed under all the hawthorn trees along the Coach Road. At the moment they are thick with blossom and rather beautiful.

In theory, I could now be making excursions further afield, since the UK government have eased some of the lockdown restrictions. I'm biding my time though. There are still no cafés or pubs open, few public toilets or other amenities. It seems a little premature to start exploring again, when the virus in this country is barely under control. Although I'm getting bored of walking the same local routes, and I sometimes don't know whether I'm floating or beached, much like the little chap in the top picture I'm endeavouring to make the best of it and to stay safe.

Entertaining angels

'Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.'

Hebrews 13: 1-2

I found all these on a recent wander around Bingley Cemetery, a beautiful and peaceful place. I love the character in the angels' faces.

I especially like the one above, she looks like a super hero.

We may not be able to 'entertain strangers' face to face right now, but there are still ways of extending hospitality and encouragement. Let us all be angels - and sunshine!

People Play

I met my daughter at Halifax's Piece Hall recently, for a meal and then a trip to the theatre. We went to see 'Giovanni Pernice: This is Me' at the Victoria Theatre, a touring dance show starring the Italian professional dancer from 'Strictly Come Dancing'. It was colourful, cheeky and actually very funny in parts, with fabulous dancing, lighting and costumes as you'd imagine. We had a very good time, part of our Christmas present to each other. It's not often that just the two of us meet up separate from the rest of the family, so I enjoyed that.

Beforehand I explored the new sculpture installation in the Piece Hall courtyard. Called 'People Play', it has been commissioned from emerging artist Alice Irwin. It consists of nine large, colourful painted metal characters, exploring the concept of childhood, play and also referencing the treatment of children in the textile trade in Victorian times. I found it quite fun, though not especially engaging. Children (perhaps inevitably) seemed more drawn to it and to the holes and spaces within the figures. The Piece Hall is such a vast space that things within it seem tiny by comparison so, although the pieces were substantial, they still seemed a little lost in the space. But perhaps there is food for thought there too... 

It looked more interesting after dark, when a heavy rainstorm created reflections to add to the illuminations created for the exhibition's opening night.

The roar of War

I most often take photos of the stone lion called 'Peace' (see HERE) that sits atop its pedestal in the centre of Saltaire. That's because I love its pose, licking its paws, and because at one time it was the only one that you could capture without overhanging tree branches getting in the way. Since they chopped down the big trees a few years ago, that problem has been removed - and with it the tendency for the lions to go green with lichen. For a change, here is his opposite number, 'War', looking ready to spring off his perch if provoked. (Rumour has it that they do roam the streets at night. I'm never awake to verify this... )

Salt, pepper and plaster dust

Well...  Sir Titus Salt's statue in Roberts Park and a cannon capable of peppering cannon balls everywhere! (I wrote about the cannons HERE.)

Also, in the background, the tower of Saltaire's URC church. Sadly the recent storms have apparently caused a large part of the ceiling plasterwork in the church to collapse inside. It happened overnight last week so thankfully no-one was injured but the church has had to be closed for obvious safety reasons. It looks as though it may be a while before it can be fully inspected and the necessary remedial work can be carried out. Hopefully the money can be found to restore it. These old buildings have so many problems. It's quite a tragedy as it is unique and beautiful inside.

Girls in the Wind

'Girls in the Wind' may have been on display at The Hepworth for a while but I'd never noticed it before. A small bronze sculpture by Betty Rea (1904-1965), it depicts two young friends, their hair and clothes blown by the wind. I liked the liveliness and movement in it, which contrasted with the heavy feel of the bronze itself. 

Rea studied at the Royal College of Art and stayed faithful to figurative work when others were moving towards abstract modernism. In an art world largely dominated by men, these depictions of women by a female artist have a significant place. 

The ethereal sculpture below attracted me. Called 'Double Vision' and created by Leeds-born artist Caroline Broadbent, it is made of nylon and explores duality and liminal space. The dress is a metaphor for the person, the meeting point for the inside with the rest of the world. 

Wakefield windows

I had a trip to The Hepworth in Wakefield with a friend just before Christmas. I wanted to see an exhibition that included some of David Hockney's early work and, anyway, it's a while since I'd visited, there's a great café and it was chance to catch up on news with a good friend. We enjoyed ourselves, though it's arguable that both of us would have come away with better photos had we not been distracted by chatting!

As always, the building itself excites me as much as the work on show. It's all about light and shadow, with some wonderful views from the windows. In the photo above, I managed to frame the spire of Wakefield Cathedral in one of the characteristic holes in a huge Barbara Hepworth sculpture.

Below is a striking hand-painted bronze sculpture by Rebecca Warren. I think it's a representation of a human form, though to me it just looked lumpy! I liked the colouring and patina though - and I loved its juxtaposition with the glowing golden branches of the willow tree outside.

The sculpture was more attractive in close-up. I could see a face (perhaps an angel) in this bit, though it wasn't meant to be a face.

Storm Ciara

Storm Ciara dumped a whole load of torrential rain, along with gale force winds, on the UK on Saturday night through to Sunday. The towns in the Calder valley were again badly affected by flooding, despite considerable sums being spent on flood defences since the epic disaster of December 2015.

In Saltaire, the floods weren't as bad as 2015. Compare my picture below with the one HERE, taken in 2015 from about the same spot. This time the water didn't reach the Half Moon Café and the alpaca statue. In 2015 the alpacas were standing in water up to their necks.

It's quite scary though, watching the force of so much water. It can do a lot of damage. They were busy putting up flood barriers to protect The Boathouse Inn, which was badly damaged in 2015. When I was there on Sunday, the water had not quite reached the level of the terrace. In theory the river level was supposed to peak about the time I was there but I haven't had chance to go back to see if it got worse or better.

I'm not sure the dog in the picture below can understand why he can't walk along his usual route around Roberts Park. It looked as though the cricket pitch playing surface was spared. I'm sure the greenkeepers will be relieved.

Press photography exhibition

The exhibition I went to see at Cartwright Hall was Assignments 2019: British Press Photographers' Association. It didn't disappoint, having some wonderful examples of sport and documentary work taken all over the world on assignments by British press photographers. I particularly enjoyed a shot of the footballer Harry Kane, caught in a balletic pose during a match (third pic). The exhibition is on until mid-April, so there is still time for local folk to see it.

The area in which the exhibition was displayed also holds two sculptures. One is by Anish Kapoor: 'Turning the world inside out', a massive stainless steel piece, purchased in 1997, that reflects its surroundings in a beguiling manner. The other is a Francis Derwent Wood marble (1921), called 'Humanity overcoming War'. (Oh, that we could!) Derwent Wood also created the statue of Sir Titus Salt that stands in Saltaire's Roberts Park.

Photography in Cartwright Hall is not, I think, encouraged but I did manage these quick snaps on my phone. I hate it when they forbid photography, as I think seeing pictures encourages other people to visit. The lighting (as so often) created a lot of reflections on the glass of the pictures. I don't know why they don't use non-reflective glass. It's daft when you can't properly see the pictures you've come to view!

Seventy days of Sculpture

RHS Harlow Carr has a sculpture exhibition to celebrate the Garden's 70th birthday. Most of them left me cold, I have to say. I think I'm getting very picky in my old age! There were some rather heavy-handed chainsaw carvings, some resin things that looked like twisted veins and a few smaller pieces that, whilst not unpleasant, didn't seem very exciting. The one I liked best was the hen (above) standing on a garden fork handle, made by Mark Irwin from twisted wire. It had some character and would fit quite nicely into a domestic garden, I think. There were some representations, by David Watkinson, of leaves and seeds that were kinetic, gyrating in the breeze. They seemed quite fun and attractive, though I would imagine those bright metal 'leaves' might soon dull and spoil.

There was also a variety of leaves and plants, like foxgloves and ferns, made from metal by James Wilkinson, an artist blacksmith. They were cleverly done, though I would really rather have the plants themselves in my garden. Despite the fact I wasn't personally that keen on some of the exhibits, nevertheless I think it's a great idea for the RHS to showcase the work of artists and they do that very faithfully at Harlow Carr. There is always some kind of exhibition going on and they have a small art and craft gallery shop in the Old Bath House too.

Skipton Castle Woods

My camera club had our last outing of the season, meeting up in Skipton to explore the woods behind Skipton Castle. As I've mentioned before in other posts, the Springs Branch of the Leeds-Liverpool canal passes behind the castle (see left) for about half a mile. It was built for the Earl of Thanet in 1773 to transport limestone from his quarry, which was brought by tram through the woods and dropped down chutes into canal barges. The busy industrial history of this area is long gone and it's now a peaceful oasis behind the town of Skipton. The waterfall is nothing more exciting than a large drainage ditch that pours into Eller Beck, alongside the canal. After all the rain we've had, there was a lot of water.                                     

Up until recently, the Springs Branch canal was still navigable and a small boat conducted tours up here from the marina in central Skipton. A huge rockfall from underneath the castle has now blocked the canal, and it doesn't look as though it could be reopened without a lot of expense. Rather worrying too, is that the fall was below the foundations of Skipton Castle on the crag above. Nasty! 

The 9' high willow sculpture The Huntress looks even better against the autumn leaves than it did in March when I last walked here. A little further along, Eller Beck falls away in a ravine and the ground was covered in fallen leaves. Autumn seems to be hastening on.

Cats of Saltaire

Another in the occasional series: 'Cats I've met whilst wandering around Saltaire'. Well, who doesn't love relaxing with the Sunday papers and getting a tickle under the chin?

Or perhaps staking out a high vantage point on a wall, watching the world go by, is more your thing?

I spotted these two spotted ones on a wall too. Roar!

Terence Lister sculptures

Saltaire Festival 2019
One of Saltaire's larger gardens on Albert Road was hosting a number of sculptures by Terence Lister, an artist based in Huddersfield. Most of them were depictions, in one form or another, of the human body. I really liked the wooden panel, below, which used the wood grain as well as some gentle carving to subtly suggest the curves and shaping of a nude torso.

This wooden head also had so much character:

Two figures that might suggest Adam and Eve were placed beside a tomato plant - a love apple. I'm sure that wasn't an accidental placement.

These were attractive displays of very good work. Much of it appealed to me. Pity I'm not wealthy!

Bird life

                                                   
Saltaire Festival 2019 An almost hidden gateway off the busy Saltaire Road...  a curving, secluded path ... and a tiny, charming, hidden garden complete with a wildlife pond. Saltaire is full of surprises and the Festival's Open Gardens enable visitors to discover some of them.

This year's Festival did not have the usual sculpture trail as part of the Open Gardens, but some residents had organised their own art exhibits. Hiding in the magical little patch above, there were a series of bird sculptures and ceramics by Jo Whitehead, Kate Rawnsley and Sarah Muller. They were celebrating the birds that live alongside us and enrich our lives, whilst also marking the tragic decline in song bird numbers.

I particularly liked the small bowl, below, cradling two little eggs; the combination of shades of terracotta and blue grey was beautiful.