The Ruins of the Church of St Thomas a' Becket

 Built sometime in late 12th - early 13th Century, the Heptonstall Parish Church was known as the Church of St Thomas a' Becket. It was also known as the chapel The Chapel of St Thomas the Martyr. It was built to serve the communities of Heptonstall, Erringden, Langfield, Stansfield and Wadsworth. The Priests were appointed and paid for by the Vicar of Halifax as the church was to serve the people to the west of Halifax.

The church was closed for a time around the turn of the 16th Century due to the murder of a priest, it was said he had performed an illicit marriage ceremony. The church underwent renovations in the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, and a new clock was installed in 1810. This was moved to the new church.

The church was damaged by a storm in 1847 which tore off the roof, damaged the tower and caused considerable damage to the churchyard. The church rate, a tax payable by all parishioners to support the parish church was insufficient to repair the damage. A new church was built in the same churchyard funded by voluntary subscription and this opened in 1854.

The church ruins still stand to this day and occasionally outdoor services are conducted in the remains of the St Thomas a' Becket. There are 9 pictures which can be seen below, they were taken on the 19 November 2016 using a Nikon d3300 SLR camera. I think the snowy weather added to the interest of the building on the day. They can also be seen on Clickasnap full size, resolution and un-watermarked.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share and view my pictures on Clickasnap, all images remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Borders Sunrise and the John Boynton Priestley Statue.

Borders sunrise was a picture I took whilst at waiting at a farm near Kelso in October 2018. The sky was coloured with purples and reds and the farm featured a small lake that the sky reflected off. Sadly all I had with me was my LG phone but I think he picture turned out OK. It was taken on the 24 October 2018.

The next picture was taken in November 2013 using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. It shows that statue of J.B. Priestley which stands outside the National Media Museum, Bradford. John Boynton Priestley was born on the 13 September 1894 in the Manningham district of Bradford. He was a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator, who's Yorkshire background was reflected in much of his work. He served with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment during Word War 1, being badly injured in June 1916. Despite writing before the war his first major success cam at the end of the 1920's with the novel The Good Companions. Priestley died of pneumonia on the 14 August 1984, his ashes being buried at Hubberholme Churchyard, Wharfedale. The exact location of his ashes have never been made public, only a very small number of people attending their burial. A Plaque at the church says they are buried nearby.

The statue made of Bronze, shows Priestley with his coat flapping in a Bradford Breeze. It was unveiled by his third wife Jacquette Hawkes on the 31 October 1986. The sculptor was Ian Judd.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share. All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green, they can also be seen on Clickasnap full resolution, size and un-watermarked.

Fartown Updated.

 I previously wrote a blog post about the history of the Fartown Grounds at Huddersfield in January 2017, recently I started to sort through all the pictures I have taken over the years with the intention of sharing them here and on Clickasnap, this due to my decision to no longer use Flickr as a source of sharing my images. Todays set I have reworked is from the number I took at Fartown in June 2015. They can all be seen below or on Clickasnap where they are full size and Un-watermarked. To learn more about the history of the Fartown grounds please take a moment to view my previous post.

Taken from behind the post looking towards the scoreboard end - eastern
terrace. 

Originally a clock tower until vandalism called for a change, the cricket memorial
tower celebrates the Yorkshire cricketers George Herbert Hirst 1871-1954, Wilfred
Rhodes 1877-1973 and Schofield Haigh 1871-1921. All 3 were born within the modern day area of Huddersfield (Kirklees).

The former cricket ground was one of the homes for Yorkshire County Cricket
Club. They played the first game against Nottinghamshire CCC on the 28 August 1873, playing a total of 76 first class county cricket matches, the last beating Gloucestershire CCC by 67 runs on the 17 August 1955. The ground also hosted Yorkshire for 9 one day fixtures the first being against 
Sussex CCC on 1 June 1969 and the last on May 9 1982 against Worcestershire CCC.

The rugby ground viewed from the scoreboard end.

The overgrown high sided former northern terrace.

The ground viewed from the corner of the scoreboard ens and
northern terrace. The main stand would have stood opposite.

The former cricket pavilion, lying overgrown and seemingly
unloved.

The overgrown scoreboard end.

Despite its historical significance to rugby league and cricket the grounds seem to be a shadow of their former selves, feeling a little unloved and neglected on the whole, the main playing surface looked like a fantastic spot to play the greatest game.

Thanks for looking and fell free to share, all the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Bankfield Museum, Halifax

A small set of pictures taken in November 2014 using a Samsung Galaxy Tablet. Bankfield Museum is a Grad II listed former house which was once owned by Edward Akroyd MP. The house was purchased by the Halifax Corporation in 1887 and became a museum and library soon afterwards, being listed as Grade II in 1954.

The buildings are set in the park of Akroyden and overlooked by All Souls Church. The displays include, local history, textiles, art, toys and jewellery and throughout the year features a changing set of temporary displays. The building is also home to the Duke of Wellington Regimental Museum. It is free to enter and open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 - 16.00. The is also a car park and the building is set in the grounds of Akroyden Park to pass the time.

There are a total of 10 pictures which can be seen below or on Clickasnap where they are full resolution and un-watermarked.

This painting can be seen covering the ceiling just inside the
main entrance.

Bankfield Museum from the car park.

Bankfield from Akroyden Park

Duke of Wellingtons Regiment uniform from the Crimean War

The fireplace in the library with textile displays in the cabinets. The 
marble busts are life size and from left to right are Edward Akroyd, his father
Jonathan and then his wife Elizabeth.

The house chapel

This was on display in the regimental museum and was given to coalition
forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq to help identify the most wanted members
of the Iraqi government.

The library ceiling which features images of William Shakespeare, John Milton, Alfred
Tennyson and Geoffrey Chaucer all poets admired in the era the roof was painted. When I
visited, a fellow admirer told me that the local council once had a plan to
paint over the ceiling. What an act of vandalism that would have been had it come to pass.

Another view of the library.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share, all the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

St Peters Church, Langley Burrell

 My job takes me all over the country and on May 5th 2018 I was at the large Wavin site at Chippenham, Wiltshire. On my way to Wavin driving down the B4069 from the M4 motorway I passed a sign for St Peters Church and knowing that I was overnighting nearby I thought it might pass a bit of time on later in the evening to go and have a look around. I'd not expected to go off on an explore so was without any camera gear other than the one in my mobile phone.

The church occupies a secluded spot close to the road and without the sign i'm not sure I would have ever known it was there. On the day I visited the interior was closed but the grounds were accessible and I spent a bit of time having a wander around taking pictures.

There has been a church on the site since Saxon times, approx the 9th Century with some of the lower structures of the modern church around the porch and nave being Saxon built. The church has been renovated and extended many times over the centuries, with only the 16th century leaving the church unchanged before more work took place later. Since 1890 the church has undergone restoration to the chancel, nave and aisle, repairs to the tower in 1890 and 1926, electric was installed in the 1920's and heating in the 1960's. The church is an Anglican place of worship and is in the diocese of Bristol.

There are 11 pictures to see below and on Clickasnap, they were taken on March 5th 2018 using an LG mobile phone. The pictures on Clickasnap are full resolution and un-watermarked versions of the ones here.

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share, all the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Flowers

Flowers is a set of 7 pictures taken in various locations and at various dates over the last few years, I don't normally picture flowers, simply because I know absolutely nothing about them but occasionally i take an interest and picture.

The 7 pictures below can be seen on Clickasnap un-watermarked and full resolution, I have provided the date and location of where they were taken.

Taken at Allan Park, Sowerby Bridge, 15 May 2016

This is part of a slide collection I digitised, it was taken at
Grassington, North Yorkshire in June 1977

Taken at Allan Park, Sowerby Bridge 15 May 2016

Taken outside Cross Stones (St Pauls) a defunct church above
the Calder Valley at Todmorden on the 22 April 2017

This was taken whilst I was following a track close to the Worth Valley
Railway at Haworth on the 19 June 2015

Taken on the towpath alongside the Rochdale Canal at
Luddenden Foot. 14 August 2016

Taken whilst walking the Rochdale Canal near Luddenden Foot
14 August 2016

Thanks for looking and please take a moment to share, all the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

4 single shots from my iPhone

 I am currently sorting through a number of pictures i took with my iPhone and here is a small selection of single shot images, these were taken on differing dates around areas of Calderdale, West Yorkshire.

Bridge 5 on the Rochdale Canal. The bridge crossers the canal near
Luddenden Foot. This is looking east in the direction of Sowerby Bridge.

Baitings Dam, supplies water to the city of Wakefield. The dam
can be found in the hills above Ripponden, West Yorkshire.

The church of Thomas a Becket. The ruins can be found in the church
grounds of St Thomas the Apostle, Heptonstall it's modern day replacement.

Bridge 5 on the Rochdale Canal. The bridge crossers the canal near
Luddenden Foot. This is looking west in the direction
of Hebden Bridge.

All the pictures can be seen un-watermarked and full resolution on Clickasnap.

Please take a moment to share, all pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.