Tag Archives: photos

Heritage Weekend 2011

Every year I make a point of visiting churches, homes and halls that are either not open or you have to pay to get in – I prefer to visit the  wonderful places that are only accessible on very few occasions and have been known to plan my visits and routes weeks in advance.

I seem to have visited the local places on more than one occasion and to my disappointment there are no new places signing up to the Heritage Weekend Scheme in Wakefield.  We have an array of wonderful buildings in the area so come on get organised, get volunteers an OPEN next year !

Bardsey Church C Sklinar 2007

Now, back to this year, bookmark these dates 8-11 September – what is open that we can go and visit:-

The Chantry Chapel, Kirkgate, Wakefield  Sunday 11am – 3pm

Clarke Hall, Stanley Road, Wakefield          Saturday 10am – 4pm

National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield Saturday/Sunday 10am – 5pm

St James’s Church, Denby Dale Road, Wakefield Saturday 10am – 12 noon

St John’s Church, Wakefield Saturday 1pm – 4pm

St Peter the Apostle’s Church, Kirktgthorpe, Wakefield Saturday/Sunday 12 noon – 4pm

The Gissing Centre, Westgate, Wakefield Saturday/Sunday 2pm – 4pm

Wakefield Cathedral Saturday 10am – 4pm

Wakefield Civic Society Guided Walk, Saturday/Sunday 12.30pm – 3.30pm


Further information about the above can be found by clicking here as some of the properties have limited spaces and need to be booked prior to your visit.

But you may not live in the Wakefield area and don’t really want to travel far, so what else is open a little further afield.

Here are a few you may wish to visit :-

Lister Lane Cemetery, Bradford ; Manningham Walk, Bradford ; Halifax Playhouse ; Halifax Town Hall ; Shibden Hall, Halifax ; Masonic Lodge, Haworth ; Brotherton Library, Leeds ; Farnley Hall, Leeds.

Heritage Weekend information click here

Open House London information click here


Who Are You ?

Who are You ? How many times have you looked at a photograph and asked that question ? From my experience I can say 100’s if not 1,000’s.

I’m not a betting person but I will guarantee that you will have gathered, inherited or bought photographs of people, not always related but you have wondered…. Who Are You?

Donald Curtis, probably taken in Africa – the Curtis family new the Riach people from Urquhart and Lhanbryde, Moray.

My mum for instance, she served in the ATS during WW2, being posted to Nottingham and Burntisland just across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh.  During her time in the ATS she collected lots of photographs of young men and women all serving their King & Country.  These wonderful pictures showing happy times during an unhappy period in our history are not only part of my family history but are important socially aswell.

These photographs, all in wonderful black and white, either have no information or simply ‘love Willie’ or ‘regards Joan’. But, who is Willie and who is Joan – mum knew who they were, where the photo was taken and when, so why would she bother to write names, places and dates on her ‘memory’ photograph?

So, what to do with all these photographs of her time in the ATS, her youth in the Urquhart area of Morayshire and her work as a housekeeper to Miss Kynoch in Fochabers, plus photographs of a friends son who was now married, had a son and lived somewhere in Africa, possibly South Africa.

A Gallery, a big gallery, that was the idea, with images scanned and questions posed on each picture.  Then I was given access to a local historians collection of photographs –  two very large shoe boxes to be precise, full of thick cards and some of the backs, beautifully decorated, were more interesting that the actual photograph on the front.  Some of these photographs had names and dates on the reverse.  The photographers studios were worldwide.

How to gather all these photographs in one place that seemed to make sense and make it easy for visitors to search and peruse.  I decided to divide in to areas i.e. Bradford, Leeds, Canada, Morayshire etc.

To view this collection of Who Are You’s visit WhoAreYou and enjoy !

London Remembers

Have you family from London or do you just like looking at images of interesting places?

Well if the answer to either of those questions is Yes! Then take a look at this website – London Remembers.

The map page has 100’s of hotspot links to places of interest :-  The Ship Tavern WC2 ; Wynkyn de Worde- father of Fleet Street ; site of Zeppelin bomb ; Hobby-horse bicycle and much more.  If you don’t want the hotspot version you can chose a list – a little easier to work with if  like me, you were mooching.

A good site and lots to keep you interested

To visit London Remembers click here – this link takes you straight to the map but click on the home link to see what else is happening