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. I took these pictures on the 19th November 2016 with a Nikon d3300, they can also be seen un-watermarked and higher resolution on Clickasnap. Click any image and a link will open in another window.

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Borders Sunrise and the Statue of J.B Priestley, Bradford.

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.

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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.

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.

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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, Click and image and a link should open in another window.

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Tuel Lane Lock and Tunnel, Sowerby Bridge

Tuel Lane Lock and Tunnel are situated near the start of the Rochdale Canal at Sowerby Bridge, Near Halifax, West Yorkshire. Opened in May 1996, the lock replaced locks 3 and 4 and is the deepest lock in the United Kingdom at a fall of 19feet 8inches.

The canal originally ran under a canal bridge which can still be seen just inside the mouth of Tuel Lane Tunnel and carried on in the open to Lock 3 alongside Christ Church and the pub at where the modern day Tuel Lane Road and car park entrance meet, lock 4 being sighted between the current lock and Bridge 1a at Tower Hill. These were lost sometime in the 1940's -50's when Tuel Lane was diverted and widened to it's current location, the locks and canal also been infilled to create the car park that still occupies much of the modern day site. The formation of the Rochdale Canal Society in 1974 led to the canal moving up agendas and a report in 1991 in to the benefits of the canal being restored led to a eventual grant of £2.5 million from derelict land grants towards the cost of reopening the lock and tunnel. I previously posted about the lock and tunnel in a post dated 19 November 2017, this post includes a number of picture of the lock, canal and tunnel before closure and prior to re-opening, they are not my pictures and where possible they are credited to the copyright holder, have a look at that blog post to see them and learn a little more about the canal.

These pictures were taken on the Rochdale Canal by me on section between Bridge 1a Tower Hill to Lock 2, passing the tunnel and lock. They were taken in June 2014 using a Polaroid is2132 bridge camera. They can be seen below and on Clickasnap where they are un-watermarked and full resolution.

Rochdale Canal towards Tuel Lane Lock and Tunnel, pictured from
under Bridge 1a Tower Hill.

The Rochdale Canal close to where Lock 4 was
originally sighted.

Tuel Lane Lock

Rochdale Canal away from Tuel Lane Lock towards Bridge 1a
Tower Hill. Lock 4 was sighted somewhere along this stretch.

Tuel Lane Lock, the lock keepers office is sighted to the right
of the picture.

Tuel Lane Tunnel looking down from the lock.

The lock gates give an idea of the depth of the lock.

Tuel Lane Tunnel from the other side, the original bridge that 
carried Wharf Street is just inside the tunnel mouth and the 
same shape and style as it's modern entrance.

Lock 2 towards Tuel Lane Tunnel entrance.

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Warley Autumn

 Another single shot picture taken whilst walking in Warley, Near Halifax, West Yorkshire. I am currently going through a number of pictures I have on my iPhone and this was one I thought worth sharing. The colours and lack of leaves on the trees gave the impression to me of autumn ending and winters approach nearing.

You can see a full resolution and un-watermarked version of this picture on my Clickasnap account, click the picture to view in another window.

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The Phone Box

 The phone box is a picture I took in Heptonstall on the 2nd August 2020. Phone boxes in recent years have become a bit of a novelty due to the rise in mobile phones and you rarely see them in such rural settings. I believe the phone box here is now used as a small (very) community library and although the phone still remains i am also told that you can no longer make calls from it. I didn't try it to find out so can not confirm this.

I took this picture using my iPhone, the 2nd picture is the same but I gave it a bit of treatment on photoshop.

Both pictures can be seen full resolution, and un-watermarked on Clickasnap, click either to view.

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 All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Frosty Sunrise

 A single picture this time taken on my phone. I was driving through the village of Wing near Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire and whilst sat waiting in the traffic I was taken with the sun rising over the frost covered field I was alongside. I grabbed the phone and the picture below was the result which is one of my favourites,

It was taken on the 6th February 2020 using my iPhone.

The picture can also be seen full resolution and un-watermarked on my Clickasnap account, click the image to view.

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The Rishworth Branch Line December 2013

 One of my favourite places to explore with my camera is the remains of the Rishworth Branch Line, a railway that connected the Ryburn Valley with the mainline at Sowerby Bridge. The line had stations and halts at Rishworth, Ripponden, Triangle and Watson's Crossing. Much of the line remains in tact with a number of Bridges still providing crossings over the former trackbed. The Scar Head Tunnel is still running underneath the Norland Hillside although inaccessible for people wanting to look inside, and the platform at Rishworth still remains although now covered by vegetation. The former pedestrian bridge, Ripponden Bank road bridge and wooden trellis bridge that connected Rishworth Station with the turnpike have all been removed since the line closed in addition to all the station buildings.

The Rishworth Branch line was opened as the first stage of a much bigger scheme to shorten the railway connection between Sowerby Bridge and Littleborough by approx 5 miles by tunnelling underneath the Pennines separating Lancashire and Yorkshire. This plan was abandoned when the company responsible ran in to a number of difficulties in completing the line to Rishworth.

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway line along the Ryburn Valley was authorised in 1865 and the line to Ripponden completed in 1878. This was extended to Rishworth in 1881 with stations opening there and in Triangle the same year. Upon completion the line was built to double track but for much of it's life only utilised one line with the 2nd track being used to store carriages.

At the turn of the 20th century motor railcars were introduced along the line and this led to a new halt opening at Watson's Crossing in 1907, this was probably the height of the lines usage as growing competition from trams and motor cars led to a decline in passenger numbers and this service was withdrawn on the 8th July 1929 with only goods traffic continuing. The line between Ripponden and Rishworth was closed in March 1952 due to engineering issues and completely on the 1st September 1958. Much of the former trackbed is now accessible for walkers, although some stretchers are in private ownership.

The pictures were taken on the 7th December 2013 with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

These first set of pictures were taken on the stretch of line from Scar Head Tunnel to the site of Triangle Station.

Scar Head Tunnel Portal

The former site of Triangle Station

The next selection of pictures were taken on the lines remains between Triangle Station and Ripponden Station.

The former Ripponden station used to sit at the top of the abutment.

The following pictures were taken on the line between the site of Ripponden Station and the Rishworth terminus. This section was the last to open in 1881 and also the first to fully close in 1953.

The former trackbed through this section was so wet on the day I was there it resembled a canal rather than the former trackbed of a railway.

The former Rishworth station platform still remained, although largely reclaimed by nature, when I visited it had been 60 years since it had seen a train and 84 since a passenger had waited on it stone concourse.

This was the entrance to Rishworth Station which was reached by a wooden trestle bridge, which constantly had issued regarding stability. The bridge was strengthened in the 1920's and was one of the reasons that led to the closure of Rishworth station in 1953 some 5 years before the rest of the line, when the bridge was demolished.

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Clicking any image should open a link in another window to the un-watermarked, higher resolution version on Clickasnap.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.