Zero Emission Lorry at National Media Museum, Bradford

I saw this truck outside the National Media Museum, Bradford and chatted to the driver Richard about his new lorry. He sounded well pleased with his elecric lorry, they have had it for 4 months and it costs £22 per week in fuel, and because it is electric with zero emission there is no road tax. Another photo taken because I now carry camera most places I go, you never know what you will see on any day.

From Cannon to Post Box

This photograph shows a double post box used by the Royal Mail which stands on Briggate, Leeds close to the John Dyson building I posted about when I first started the Leeds photo daily.

This is a standard double mail box seen in most cities around the UK, the thing that caught my eye was the inscription at the bottom of the photo "Carron Company Stirlingshire". I am interested in the military of the Napoleonic era, and know that Carron produced cannon for both the British Navy and the British Army during that time. Indeed the Carron company produced a type of cannon called a "Carronade" that was part of the armament of Nelson's flagship HMS Victory.

This week my internet connection will be connected again at my flat, so my posts on this blog should be a lot simpler.  I have taken lots of photographs in and around Leeds over the past few weeks but posting them onto the Leeds daily photo has involded using friends broadband connection.

Buskers - Leeds, Yorkshire

I was walking through Leeds city centre when I spotted the people shown in the photo above walking with musical instrument cases. Thinking there might be a photo opportunity I follwed them for a short while till they decided they had found a suitable place to set up on Commercial street, Leeds.

These buskers are 3/5's of a local band called The Monkeywrenchers, from the left the are Medway Emmy Jane - vocals, mandolin, occasional harp and whistle, Snaggle Tooth Tim - vocals, guitar and last but not least Mademoiselle Brigitte DuBois - fiddle and band Southern Belle.

I am the worlds worst guitarist but I know what I like, I listened to them for several songs and they can play, I would like to see the full band in action.

You can listen to the band and find more info about them including upcoming gigs on The Monkeywrenchers myspace page.

Walking Around Temple Newsam Estate, Leeds, Yorkshire

The photo above shows a fine avenue of trees on the Temple Newsam estate, Leeds.

The Temple Newsam estate is around 6 miles from Leeds city centre and once there you can walk, jog or run around the miles of paths around the estate. There are woodland walks where you can see quite a bit of the local wildlife including foxes, roe deer, hares, rabbits and squirrels to name just a few.

There are 4 varieties of bat on the estate... therefore you can see almost a quarter of the UK's 17 resident species of bat here not far from Leeds city centre. I have often lived in big old buildings with large mature trees nearby, it is funny when you discuss the local bats with neighbours and they say they have never seen them. Like photography for the Leeds daily photo, you mostly see things by really looking and not just giving life a quick glance.

The four species of bats that are resident on the Temple Newsam estate, Leeds are..

Pipistrelle These small bats fly around large trees being quick and highly manovrable.

Brown Long–eared These are the stealth planes of the bat world. They have large ears, which they use to creep up on unsuspecting insects, picking their prey off leaves before they have chance to flee.

Noctule The swift of the bat world. This bat flies high above the treetops, in long straight lines.

Daubenton or Pond Bat.

I will try over the summer to try take a photo of a bat for the Leeds photo daily.

Temple Newsam Estate Stable Block, Leeds

The photo above shows the stable block on the Temple Newsam estate, Leeds. This imposing Palladian building was built on the estate in 1742, today it no longer houses horses but contains a cafe and gift shop.



The above photo taken by me, as are all the photographs that appear on the Leeds Daily Photo show a piglet.

This piglet is a breed called Middle White which today are rare in England. The Middle White is a rare but distinctive breed. This "beautifully ugly" pig more than deserves its fame as a British pork pig of the early 1900s. In the 1930s the Middle White was exported to Japan where the Emperor would only eat pork from Middle Whites.

Indian runner duck at Home Farm Temple Newsam Estate, Leeds, Yorkshire

The photograph above is another from the Temple Newsam estate, Leeds. Here you can see an indian runner duck one off several breeds of duck kept at Home Farm, Temple Newsam, Leeds.

I have now been doing the Leeds Daily Photo for 3 months.  Over this time my photography has improved no end, I think.  Also I know much more about the city centre of Leeds, as I wander through the streets looking for likely subjects to photograph.



The photo above shows a Scots Grey chicken, years ago I spent some time with the Scots Greys but they were a Scottish Cavalry Regiment, driving tanks. This particular Scots Grey is a now very rare breed of chicken, originating around Lanarkshire in Scotland from at least the 16th century.

Great Barn - Temple Newsam Home Farm, Leeds, Yorkshire

The above photograph shows the great barn, Home Farm on the Temple Newsam estate, Leeds. The great barn was built in 1694, the stone being quarried locally at Halton and Colton, the handmade bricks all 109,450 of them were made at Newsam Green. All the receipts for the work are held in the Temple Newsam estate archives.

It is thought that the barn had repair work done in the 18th century possibly including the date tablet and is incorrectly marked 1744.

In 1979 the Home Farm opened to the public as a visitor centre since then the farm has developed close working links with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and is a registered centre. They have some of the rarest bloodlines of British farm animals and make an invaluable contribution to their continued survival. Home Farm is a working livestock unit with animals sold as pedigree breeding stock or meat.



The photograph above taken as always by me for the Leeds photo daily shows a Tamworth piglet playing in the courtyard of Home Farm, Temple Newsam estate, Leeds, Yorkshire. Small children love visiting the estate because they can get very close to animals that today they mostly only see in books and on TV. Visitors to Home Farm are given a small tub of animal feed pellets, so the animals are pleased to get visitors.

Temple Newsam - Home Farm opening times:

Summer : 10.00-5.00 Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays except bank holidays & occasional events.

Winter: 10.00-4.00 Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays and Christmas day.

Life can be funny, to do the photography at Temple Newsam for this weeks Leeds daily photo, I drove to Leeds through an area I would never normally go and saw the Rag and Bone man posted earlier.

Dovecote - Home Farm Temple Newsam, Leeds, Yorkshire

This photo above shows the Dovecote on the Temple Newsam estate Home Farm, this building dates from the early 18th century and appears on Capability Brown's sketch of the estate of 1762. This building had room for 2,400 birds. Doves were a valuable source of fresh meat in the winter and were very cheap to keep as they often flew off to feed on the neighbouring tenants' land.

There were no windows in the original building; light, air and access for the birds would have been through roof lanterns. A small circular hole beneath the central arch gave access for workers to collect eggs and to clean out the droppings, a valuable fertiliser.



The photograph above shows one internal wall of the dovecote, you can see the individual perches for the birds.

I shall post more photographs from the Temple Newsam estate, Leeds over the next week.

If you visit the Temple Newsam estate you can get in free with the Leeds Card, which is a discount card from Leeds City Council.

Rare Breeds Survival Trust - Temple Newsam, Leeds, Yorkshire

One of the really nice aspects of me doing the Leeds Daily Photo is that I can do a little to promote ideas and things that I value. In doing so I get to explore both new things and places like Temple Newsam that I have not visited for some years. Through my photography I see things in a new light and explore subjects in more depth than I previously did. A nice bonus is that I am now a better photographer, thanks in no small part to the help of my good friend, editorial photographer Lorne Campbell.  Lorne is a very good photographer whose work is also a passion and a patient guide to an amateur like me.

This next weeks post starting today will show some of the animals at home farm Temple Newsam, Leeds.

Temple Newsam is an estate of over 1500 acres on the outskirts of Leeds, comprising of woodland, parkland and farmland landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The house is a magnificent Tudor–Jacobean mansion famous as the birthplace of Lord Darnley and home to the Ingram family for over 300 years.



The above photo is of Home Farm on the Temple Newsam estate Leeds

Europe's largest working Rare Breeds Farm, with over 400 animals, is set within the original estate Home Farm. As can be seen by the ablove plaque Temple Newsam Home Farm is a centre approved by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The The RBST is the leading conservation charity working to restore Britain’s native livestock breeds to their rightful place in our countryside. Their work is funded entirely by membership subscriptions, donations and legacies.

Suprising sight on road to Leeds, Yorkshire

I was driving over to visit Temple Newsam in Leeds to take some photos for the Leeds photo daily. I passed this chap, a rag and bone man, incredible! I did a smart u-turn, very pleased to have my camera on the passenger seat.

As a boy I used to go and spend holidays with my mothers parents in Plaistow in East London, in those days rag & bone men were a common sight. I recall once hearing the sound "raa boh" and going out to swap one of my mothers coats for a goldfish. It took me a long afternoon tracking down the cart to recover mums coat, else it would have been "wait till your father hears about this". Ooops.!

This chap did not mind me with camera, he just leapt out of the picture. We had a little chat about me not seeing another in the last 30 odd years. When I told him about the goldfish, he said that must have been a long time ago, very true.

His horse is called "Tommy".

New Assistant Leeds daily photo?

I was walking along the Leeds - Liverpool canal from Shipley to Saltaire when I paused to change lens on my camera. I put my bag down, and this cat appeared perhaps from one of these cottages adjacent to the towpath. She seemed very interested in my camera bag. So here we have cute cat with unknown (to me at least) name.

Yesterday on this blog I mentioned how easy it sometimes is to get a daily photo by just taking camera around during the day. Today I saw something I have not seen for many a long year, in fact not regularly since my childhood. Hopefully I will sort through todays photographs taken for the Leeds photo daily and it will appear here shortly.

Summer is coming to Yorkshire

Yesterday a good friend rang me and said I should pop round to her garden sometime soon, the frogs are back in her small pond. The photograph I took in her garden in Baildon, not far from Leeds shows a common frog.

On the same day I was out walking around the villages of Harden and Cullingworth when I spotted this butterfly. I only managed one photo of this Small Tortoiseshell
(Aglais urticae) before it flew up and over a stone wall. Yesterday was the warmest day here in Yorkshire so far this year.



When I started this photoblog I was not sure I could take enough decent photographs of Leeds and its surroundings to post one photo each day. I now take more photographs each week than I used to in around 6 months. Also I am more visually aware of my surroundings and see things as potential photos for the Leeds photo daily.

Bird Houses in Haworth

On my trip to Haworth the other day I spotted these 3 bird houses on a wall. I thought they were great, partly because they looked nice but also they are a good way to encourage small birds into your garden.

St John the Evangelist Church Interior - New Briggate, Leeds

I have at last been inside St John the Evangelist Church in the centre of Leeds. Like many churches these days it is mostly locked up, however this church is looked after by the The Churches Conservation Trust.  

The glory of St John’s lies in its Jacobean fittings, particularly the superb carved wooden screen.

Here can be seen another photograph of Saint John the Evangelist Church taken by me for the Leeds daily photo.

Opening hours: Usually open Tues-Sat 11am-3pm.
Directions: In Mark Lane off New Briggate in central Leeds
Transport: Nearest station Leeds

Kissing Gate - Haworth

This photo is of an old metal kissing gate in Haworth, Yorkshire.

This footpath goes from the churchyard out across the moor towards Top Withins. Top Withins is said to be the inspiration for Heathcliff's abode "Wuthering Heights" in Emily Bronte's novel of the same name.

You can see a woman in this photograph in the churchyard, taking a photo through the headstones towards the parsonage, where the Bronte family lived in the 19th century.  The Reverend Patrick Bronte was in 1820 appointed perpetual curate of Haworth church.

Merrion Street Gardens - Leeds

Picture of Merrion Street Gardens Leeds.


Merrion street gardens is a small park just off merrion street in the heart of Leeds. In this view you can see the adjacent Jacobean St John the Evangelist Church of which the Leeds daily photo did an earlier post.  Here can be seen the post on St John's church, Leeds .

Anna and Anna - Millennium Square, Leeds

I was in Millennium Square, Leeds and saw these two girls taking photos of each other. So I thought I would ask if I could photograph them both for the Leeds daily photo .

They are stood in the Mandela Garden, behind them you can see the Leeds civic hall with its twin towers. Also behind them is the bronze work of art called "Both Arms" created by Leeds born Kenneth Armitage.

Anna and Anna are on holiday in Yorkshire from their home city of Wroclaw, Poland

Red Nose Day 2009

Red Nose day comes to Leeds, yesterday Friday 13th March.

These 3, from left are Kayla, Rich and Louise and they are outside La Senza in the centre of Leeds. They are raising money for Comic Relief 2009. Hats off to La Senza and its staff for doing their bit for this worthwhile charity.

Cobbles and Clay Art Cafe - Main Street, Haworth

Should you visit Haworth and want something to eat I am pleased to recommend Cobbles and Clay the Art Cafe shown above.

They make most of the food they serve on the premises. I called in and had soup, then a cake and coffee it was all delicious.



I loved what it said on the bottom of the "A" board outside their premises.



Cobbles and Clay have a website and it can be found here.

Chair used by Branwell Bronte in The Black Bull, Haworth

The photo above shows the chair in the Black Bull public house on the main street in Haworth that was used by Branwell Bronte. The chair is not where it used to be but is now sited on the stairway in front of a nice window.

Patrick Branwell Bronte (26 June 1817 – 24 September 1848) was a painter and poet, the only son of the Bronte family, and the brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne. The family lived in Haworth at the parsonage which today is a museum.

Post Office St John's Shopping Centre - Leeds

I went into the Post Office in the St John's shopping centre in Leeds the other day to buy a few stamps. I soon changed my mind, I really do not mind queuing, but this was silly. So I took a photograph or two instead.

Here in the UK over the last couple of years the Post Office has done quite a bit of rationalisation and closed lots of branches. This has led to long queues at many Post Offices including as you can see the one shown above. Here they have introduced a ticketing system to cope with the numbers of people coming through the doors. The central Post Office I used to go to in city square has closed and is now a restaurant which is great if you want to eat but no good if you want to mail something.

Payphone and Cash Machine - Briggate, Leeds

I am always surprised when I see a public payphone on the street, because I and I think all my friends have mobiles. These days you rarely see anyone using a payphone. I saw this payphone/cash machine on Briggate adjacent to McDonald's, perhaps this is a way for companies to cross subsidise them.

This is not post I had planned for today, I left my laptop at a friends in error so have had to use a photo from my memory stick.

Bronte Family Monument - Haworth Church

This is the monument to the Bronte family inside St Michael and All Angels Church, Haworth. As can be seen all but the father Patrick died before their 40th year. I often see this kind of monument when visiting churches and churchyards and am often saddened by the short lives that many people lived in a previous age. This can be seen vividly from this earlier post of a headstone in Haworth churchyard.

The memorial above reads:

In Memory of

MARIA WIFE OF THE REV P. BRONTE A.B. MINISTER OF HAWORTH.

SHE DIED SEPT 15th 1821, IN THE 39TH YEAR OF HER AGE.

ALSO OF MARIA HER DAUGHTER; WHO DIED MAY 8TH 1825 IN THE 12TH YEAR OF HER AGE.

ALSO OF ELIZABETH, THEIR DAUGHTER; WHO DIED JUNE 15TH 1825, IN THE 11TH YEAR OF HER AGE.

ALSO OF PATRICK BRANWELL, THEIR SON; WHO DIED SEPT 24TH 1848, AGED 31 YEARS.

ALSO OF EMILY JANE, THEIR DAUGHTER; WHO DIED DEC 19TH 1848, AGED 30 YEARS.

ALSO OF ANN, THEIR DAUGHTER; WHO DIED MAY 28 1849, AGED 29 YEARS.

SHE WAS BURIED AT THE OLD CHURCH SCARBOROUGH.

ALSO OF CHARLOTTE, THEIR DAUGHTER; THE WIFE OF THE REV A.B. NICOLLS B.A.

SHE DIED MARCH 31ST 1855, IN THE 39TH YEAR OF HER AGE.

ALSO OF THE AFORENAMED REV. P. BRONTE A.B. WHO DIED 1861 IN THE 85TH YEAR OF

HIS AGE HAVING BEEN INCUMBENT OF HAWORTH FOR UPWARDS OF 41 YEARS.
"THE STING OF DEATH IS SIN, AND THE STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW, BUT THANKS BE TO

GOD, WHICH GIVETH US THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 1COR. XV. 56, 57.

Bronte Parsonage - Haworth

This is the Parsonage in the centre of Haworth made famous as the former home of the Bronte sisters.

The sisters Charlotte (21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855), Emily (30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) and Anne (17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849), were writers. Their novels caused a sensation when they were first published and are are still read today.

The Parsonage is today a museum and home to The Brone Society, one of the oldest literary societies in the English speaking world.

Soldiers from The Yorkshire Regiment

The Yorkshire Regiment were recruiting in the St John's Centre, Leeds and had these two soldiers Cpl Chris Tompkins and LCpl Lewis Dean on hand to give information to anyone interested in the army and especially their regiment.

I served in the military a long time ago and was pleased to see that they were happy to represent their unit for my camera. I was not surprised by this The Yorkshire Regiment was only formed recently on 6 June 2006 as part of the restructing of the infantry, but the merged battalions that became The Yorshire Regiment have a long and proud history.

1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (ex 1st Battalion, Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire)

2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) (ex 1st Battalion, Green Howards)

3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) (ex 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding))

4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (ex Prince of Wales's Own company of the East and West Riding Regiment, Green Howards company from the Tyne-Tees Regiment and two companies of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment from the East and West Riding Regiment), all formerly titled and known as the Yorkshire Volunteers.

Spring Daffodil

OK, I am a few days late, but spring has arrived in Yorkshire at last.



I spoke to soon, this morning I photographed this flower in Lister Park, Bradford and as you can see it was pretty cold.

Bronte Parsonage Museum Haworth

This sign is on the wall of the Bronte parsonage in Haworth. The parsonage is maintained by the Bronte Society in honour of the famed Bronte sisters — Charlotte, Emily and Anne who all achieved fame as novelists.

Door With Cat in Haworth

Walking around Haworth I spotted this cat and he or she gets to be the first cat to feature on Leeds Daily Photo. I liked the door and bell, but the cat is a bonus.

I have been informed by my good friend Bridget in Saint Paul, MN that this cat is a female.

Clamped in Car Park Haworth

As can be seen in this photo if you should visit Haworth, please ensure you park within the rules, else this could be your car. Haworth has a reputation locally for being very strict about parking within the town. I was not surprised when I saw this car clamped in one of the town car parks.

Amended 03 Oct 2011

As has been pointed out in the comments this small car park is privately owned and run. From comments in the press both nationally and locally, if you park in the Changegate car park at Haworth you will probably leave Haworth irate at being clamped and poorer by around £90. If you do not think it could happen to you his more famous victims are Baroness Betty Boothroyd (first lady speaker in the house of commons) also the Prime Minister of New Zealand!

Apart from the notorious clampers in the one car park Haworth is a very nice place to visit and I recommend a bite at the Cobbles and Clay cafe.

Black Bull Public House - Haworth

The Black Bull pub in the centre of Haworth adjacent to the church and within 100 yards of the parsonage. Which was very handy for Branwell Brontë (26 June 1817 – 24 September 1848) who was a painter and poet, the only son of the Brontë family, and the brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne.

Branwell became an alcoholic, was addicted to laudanum, between these two it masked the onset of tuberculosis, which only became apparent when he collapsed outside the house. He was diagnosed as in the terminal stages by a local doctor and died shortly afterwards, Emily Brontë died of the disease in December of that year and Anne Brontë the following May.

At one point Branwell acted as Secretary of Haworth Temperance Society of which the Rev.Bronte (his father) was President

Haworth Churchyard Headstone of Denby Family

When I visted Haworth churchyard I noticed this headstone adjacent to the path. Just another stone till I read a bit...


In memory of Sally daughter of Isaac and Ellin Denby of Hillhouse who died Nov 1st 1807 aged 4 years

Also in memory of John their son who died Feb 13th 1811 in the 2nd year of his age.

Also John their son who died in his infancy 1812.

Also Jonas their son who died Feb 13th 1816 in the 3rd year of his age.

Also of the above named Isaac Denby who died March 6th 1861 in the 87th year of his age.

To think some people today think life is hard!