Bolling Hall: A Glimpse into Bradford's Past.

Nestled in the heart of Bradford, Bolling Hall stands as a testament to the city's rich history. This magnificent Grade I listed manor house, with its origins dating back to the 13th century, offers visitors a captivating journey through time.

A Brief History

Bolling Hall has witnessed centuries of change. It has served as a family home, a stronghold during the English Civil War,and a symbol of the industrial revolution. The hall's architecture reflects its evolution, with elements of medieval, Tudor,Georgian, and Victorian styles.

Exploring the Hall

A visit to Bolling Hall is a delightful exploration. Wander through the beautifully preserved period rooms, each offering a glimpse into different eras. Admire the intricate details, from the ornate fireplaces to the antique furnishings.

Highlights include:

• The Great Hall: A spacious and impressive room with a stunning inglenook fireplace.
• The Victorian Kitchen: Step back in time and experience the challenges of Victorian domestic life.
• The Servants' Quarters: Discover the lives of the people who worked behind the scenes.
• The Gardens: Enjoy a peaceful stroll through the beautifully landscaped gardens.

Events and Activities

Bolling Hall regularly hosts a variety of events and activities, making it a great destination for families and history enthusiasts. From exhibitions and workshops to themed events and live performances, there's always something to discover.

A Must-Visit for History Lovers

If you're looking for a fascinating and educational experience, Bolling Hall is a must-visit. With its rich history, stunning architecture, and engaging exhibits, it's a captivating destination that offers something for everyone.

The pictures I took were in the gardens, they show the magnificent of the hall on a cool December morning. They were taken using a Nikon d3300 on the 10th December 2022, they can also be seen in a higher resolution on my Clickasnap account.

Clicking the images should open a link in another window to a higher resolution version on Clickasnap. Please take a moment to view my Zazzle stores and Photo4Me profiles via the links below, I offer copies of my images on a number of different products there.

All the images remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Vintage Morris 1000

The Morris Minor 1000 was a British car in production from 1956 until 1971. During this period, over 850,000 were built. The car pictured is a 1967 model and was parked up outside St. John the Evangelist Church, Bierley Lane, Bradford.

The pictures were taken on the 10th December 2022 with a Nikon d3300.

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

Thanks for looking please take a moment to share and follow me on social media, also you can check out my stores on Zazzle by clicking the pictures below, links open in another window.

My Calderdale Unframed Zazzle store features a number of products with images of Calderdale central to the theme.

My Colins Picture This Zazzle store features images on products with various themes and places.

I hope in time to feature all the pictures I have displayed on here over the years.

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Frosty Bridge Across the A650

 Taken on the 10th December 2022 with a Nikon d3300 the frost covered bridge passes over the A650 Wakefield Road dual carriageway between the Sticker Lane and Dudley Hill areas of Bradford. There is not much really to add to the description other than it was early morning as day was breaking and cold, hence the frosty path over the bridge.

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Valley Parade, Bradford.

 The following pictures were the result of my car having repairs done in a garage and me having more time than I expected to pass. I wasn't expecting to be in Bradford more than a couple of hours but my car proved more stubborn than expected and luckily I had my camera and the day wasn't too bad to pass time on.

Valley Parade is a sports stadium in the Manningham district of Bradford, West Yorkshire. Home of Bradford City since 1903 the stadium was originally the home ground of Manningham FC, the first champions of the then Northern Union(rugby league) who opened it on the site of a quarry in 1886. The ground has also been home to Bradford (Park Avenue) and Bradford Bulls RLFC during it's history.

The stadium was largely unchanged from 1908 until it became a 3 sided ground in 1952 when the Midland Road Stand was demolished due to faults found in the foundations. The problems forced the Midland Road (East) Stand to be rebuilt twice and the stadium remained largely a 3 sided ground until 1966 when the East Stand was finally completed.

The Main (JCT 600) Stand which was the scene of one of the worst disasters to occur at a sporting event on the 11th May 1985 when fire swept through the stand resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries to a further 265. Since the disaster the stadium has been completely rebuilt.

These pictures were taken on the 10th December 2022 with a Nikon d3300 camera, clicking any image should open a link in another window to the version on Clickasnap.

The Stadium is all seater and has a capacity of 25,136 spread across 5 stands the north western corner stand being separate to the Kop and JCT 600 stands.

The Main (West) Stand

The JCT 600 Stand also known as the Main Stand is the largest stand with a capacity of 9,004, it's unusual in that the stand only runs 3/4 of the length of the pitch, with offices occupying the last 1/4 of the pitch area. This stand also has a small uncovered area near to the offices.

The Midland Road (East) Stand

The Midland Road is a single tier stand with a capacity of 4,500, around the turn of the Millenium former chairman Geoffrey Richmond had a plan to add a second tier to the stand increasing capacity in the East Stand to 10,000. This stand is used to house away fans.

The Kop

I think this picture shows what traditional British Football Stadiums are about, having been built up around the housing that surrounds the stadium. The Kop Stand towering above the terraced housing on Rear Rock Terrace. I'm led to believe that the reason the main stand is oddly shaped is because of the right to light the houses on the eastern side of the ground enjoy prevent major development.

The Kop is the 2nd largest stand at Valley parade holding 7,492, unusually for Kop stands in British Football it has 2 tiers, traditionally Kop stands only having a single tier.

TL Dallas (South) Stand

The TL Dallas South Stand is the smallest stand at Valley Parade holding 1,840 people, it is 2 tiered and hemmed in by Holywell Ash Lane making further expansion unlikely. It is dwarfed by the rest of the stands at the ground and traditionally housing away fans.

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All the images when clicked should open a link to the un-watermarked, higher resolution version on Clickasnap.

All the images remain the copyright of Colin Green.

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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Queensbury Tunnel (Updated)

 I previously posted about the Queensbury Tunnel in December 2017, a number of the pictures that were featured in that post were lost over time so I recently thought I would go back and have a look at what I had and repost them. The full set can be seen here, on Flickr, and on Clickasnap, with some put together to make the following video available to see here and on YouTube, please take a moment to subscribe to my channel.

The video features modern and vintage images taken along the trackbed from Strines Cutting to the former site of Queensbury Station. The Historical images and ones inside the tunnel that are not mine are all Creative Commons licensed or copyright unknown. Credits are given were possible.

Strines Cutting was a railway cutting on approach to the southern portal of Queensbury Tunnel. It was approx. 1030ft long and 59ft deep and ran through solid rock. The cutting was crossed by an Aqueduct that carried Strines / Ovenden beck over the railway. This bridge is still standing today although the ground below is now infilled and it looks more like a wall across some waste ground. The cutting is now largely filled in with only a short section to the tunnel entrance still remaining although this is mostly flooded as drainage along the cutting and in to the tunnel has always been an issue.

Queensbury Tunnel was built by the Great Northern Railway to provide a link from Holmefield Station, Halifax to Queensbury Station allowing travel beyond to Bradford and Keighley. Construction was started in May 1874 and took over 3 years to complete opening to goods traffic on the 14th October 1878. Passenger trains not being introduced until December 1879 when the station at Queensbury was completed. It was to be another 5 years before those same passengers could complete the journey to Keighley, the line from Queensbury to Keighley making slow progress due to financial issues.

Once completed the tunnel ran for 7503ft making it the longest on the Great Northern Railway and also one of the deepest in the country. There had been plans to have 8 air shafts, the plans changing then to 7 and finally 5 due to significant water ingress (the tunnel and cutting has always suffered issues due to water drainage). The deepest shaft completed was 379ft deep, although shaft number 5 would have reached a depth of 414ft had it been completed. Around 700 men were involved in the tunnels construction and at least 10 are thought to have died during the build period with many more injured. 

Once opened the tunnel was operational until the 1950's, the line suffering as passenger numbers declined, but freight traffic remained busy until after the 2nd World War. The high cost of maintaining the tunnel and cutting made the tunnel an early favourite for closure during the post war economy measures and the now with hindsight short sighted decision was made to close the line to traffic. Passenger services were withdrawn on the 23rd May 1955, with goods traffic withdrawn on the 28th May 1956. The line through the tunnel was then mothballed until 1963 when it was finally uplifted.

There is now a campaign for the tunnel to be reopened as part of a cycleway connecting Bradford with Halifax. Engineers are currently trying to push through a scheme to abandon and fill the tunnel with concrete. I  am hoping the people campaigning to save the tunnel are successful in the fight. To find out more please take a moment to view the site at http://www.queensburytunnel.org.uk/

Strines / Ovenden Beck Aqueduct. Strines cutting used to run to a depth of approx 59ft beneath where I was stood to take the picture.

The southern portal of Queensbury Tunnel after it had been drained to allow engineers to asses the damage inside. The entrance rocks are what remains of Strines Cutting.

This is what the entrance to Queensbury Tunnel normally looks like.

Taken on the former Queensbury - Thornton - Keighley trackbed looking towards the former site of Queensbury Station. Opened in 1879 the station was triangular in shape, when opened being one of only 4 shaped that way in England. The station had connections with Bradford, Halifax, Keighley and beyond. The station was 400ft lower than the town and closed to passengers in 1955, and goods, excursion traffic in 1963, other than trackbed nothing of the station now remains.

Clicking any image should open a link in another window to my railway images album on Clickasnap.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

Low Moor Railway Station, Bradford

Low Moor Railway Station is a new station on the Caldervale line between Bradford and Halifax, West Yorkshire. Opened in April 2017 at a cost of £10.8 million pounds the station serves the villages of Low Moor and Oakenshaw and it's location close to the M62 and M606 motorways see's it promoted as a park and ride station.

The station has limited facilities with a small shelters of both platforms, there are card only ticket machines that mean tickets must be purchased prior to travel. The station is unmanned and has no refreshments, toilets or cash machines available. Access to the platforms is via steps or lift. The station was used by 133600 passengers in 2017 - 18 or approx. 2570 per week, and this figure will only continue to grow as recent timetable changes mean more stops at the station. 

The first station at Low Moor was opened at the same location in July 1848, and it's early years saw the station very busy as it was the terminus for both the line from Halifax and the Spen Valley line which ran through Heckmondwike, Liversedge and Cleckheaton. The line through to Bradford not complete until 1850. The station remained busy until the 1960's when it was marked for closure along with the Spen Valley route by the infamous Dr Beeching, with closure arriving on the 14th June 1965 to passengers with goods traffic withdrawn 2 years later.

The set of pictures were taken on the December 30th 2019 using a Nikon d3300 SLR camera. They can be seen here and on Flickr with selected ones also available to view on Clickasnap.

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

Here's a video slideshow I put together for YouTube.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.

St. Paul's, Denholme: A Silent Sentinel Overlooking the Worth Valley

Nestled on a hillside overlooking the charming town of Denholme, West Yorkshire, stands the imposing yet melancholic shell of St. Paul's Church. A testament to Victorian ambition and a poignant reminder of shifting demographics, this Grade II listed building, consecrated in 1846, now exists in a state of quiet redundancy, its story etched in weathered stone and silent stained glass.

A Victorian Vision: Origins and Architecture

St. Paul's was erected during a period of rapid industrial expansion in the Worth Valley. Denholme, like many surrounding towns, experienced a surge in population, necessitating the construction of new places of worship. The church, designed in the Gothic Revival style, reflects the prevailing architectural tastes of the mid-19th century. Its construction speaks of the era's commitment to creating grand, spiritually uplifting structures.

Key architectural features that warrant attention include:

• Materials: The church is constructed from locally sourced stone, a hallmark of Yorkshire architecture. This material not only provides durability but also lends a sense of continuity with the surrounding landscape.
• Gothic Revival Elements: Observe the pointed arch windows, the intricate stone tracery, and the (now likely deteriorating) stained glass. These elements are quintessential to the Gothic Revival, a style that sought to evoke the grandeur of medieval cathedrals.
• Tower and Spire: The church's tower, once a prominent landmark, likely featured a spire, which is a common feature in parish churches of this period. (If the spire is no longer present, this fact should be noted with possible reasons why.)
• Plan and Layout: Research the original floor plan. Was it a traditional nave and chancel layout? Were there any notable features within the interior, such as a gallery, a specific type of pulpit, or particular stained glass windows? (This would be where online photos would be a great resource to cite.)

Decline and Redundancy: A Reflection of Changing Times

St. Paul's served its community for over 150 years, witnessing generations of baptisms, marriages, and funerals. However, by the late 20th century, the church faced dwindling congregations, a common trend in many rural areas.

• The church's closure in June 1997, due to structural and safety concerns, marked a significant turning point. The final service within its walls was a poignant moment, signaling the end of an era.
• The farewell service held in the new graveyard on September 5, 1999, further emphasized the church's redundancy, highlighting the community's shift towards alternative places of worship or changing religious practices.
• The fact that the church became a private residence is a common solution for redundant churches. This shows the difficulty in maintaining such large structures.

Current Status: A Private Residence and Grounds

As noted, St. Paul's has since been converted into a private residence. This transformation presents a unique situation, blending historical preservation with contemporary living.

• It is crucial to emphasize that there is no public access to the interior of the building. The current owners have a right to privacy, and any attempts to enter the property without permission would be a trespass.
• While the grounds may be accessible for those wishing to visit loved ones buried in the graveyard, it is imperative to contact the owners beforehand to ascertain the current access policy. Do not assume that public access is granted.
• The fact that the building has become a private residence, does give it a chance of survival, where otherwise it may have fallen into total disrepair.

 I took these pictures in July 2016 with a Nikon d3300 camera, clicking any image below should open a link in another window to my Colin Green Photography store on Zazzle.

Thanks for looking. please take a moment to share and follow me on social media and check out my portfolio on Photo4Me via the link below.

All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.