Covered Markets of Olde England - Huddersfield Queensgate!

Hello! Huddersfield Queensgate Market is one of yer actual bona-fide buildings of architectural merit, with a roof made of 21 distinct hyperbolic paraboloid parts, and a series of relief panels outside designed by artist Fritz Steller. Overall it's a pretty impressive place, and given that the photographs aren't exactly of the first order, there isn't much scope for the usual facetious comments. I'll try my best with the slim pickings at hand.

Here are the relief panels and a nice bit of landscape gardening. I particularly like the rustic looking man trotting by like a frisky Lippizaner stallion - there's none of that in Castle Market. Place like this make people happy!

After World War Two ended, Robert Capa spent a lot of time in Yorkshire, taking action pictures of covered markets. Here he is accompanying a crack couple of middle aged people past the fruit and veg store. You really get a feel of what it was like there - the smell of concrete and cabbages, the chirp of sparrows that have got trapped inside. On a serious note, just look at that roof. Bluewater doesn't have anything as bold or well-designed.

Sadly, due to an error in the processing lab, Capa lost most of his Queensgate pictures and so we have to end with this tantalising view of John Lewis's Bookstall. THE John Lewis's? I'm not sure but it looks ace, although I will forever be tantalised by the Wiltex sign. The suffix '-ex' suggests a modern and durable man-made fibre: the prefix 'Wilt' suggests the smell that will arise from your armpits after a hot days shopping in late sixties Huddersfield.

If you want to know more about Queensgate, and see what it's like now, go to Huddersfield Gem.

If you want to look round a mind-melting eighties shopping centre or go for a black and white ramble through a provincial English town of the sixties, come back here in a bit. And an additional thanks for the response to the Eighties Grandparents - I think the hauntological community has adopted Grandad Le Mesurier as something of an icon. It's all been rather lovely. Mind how you go!

Grandparents of the Eighties Part Two

We've been to one set of grandparents, now lets visit the others. If they offer you any sweets, don't eat them. I'm not cleaning the car up for your sakes. But we'll talk about cars later.

And here we are! Grandad, and he's a hard character to pin down, what with the twinkly smile and old-Ted hairstyle. Part of me pictures a career in the Merchant Marine and a whole afternoon of risque stories about Sierra Leone and posh officers, but I'm also getting a double dose of John le Mesurier a bit down on his luck, holding court in the front room of his new council bungalow. Anyway, things aren't so bad - there's always Sherry, sat there faithfully, and a footrest to take the weight off while reading the papers.

But let's look around again. You're not telling me there isn't a Grandma right? This isn't one of those aesthetic Grandads with a Daschund and a lavender scent packet on the radiator. Plus, he's sat in Grandma's chair (check out the Grandad-proofing on the cushion and the antimacassar.) But what sort of Grandad sits on the settee? Agh! This is proving to be a stressful visit.

What's the reason behind this picture? Perhaps they were trying to capture the rather globular daschund doing a trick, although it could be one of those photographs people used to take in case they were burgled, to show the insurance man they had a telly. Anyway, here we are and I'm liking the brass hood over the fire and the turtles underneath. The decor is quite larky at first glance; lethally spiky conch on the telly, a little brass beer bump handle, a brass counter bell that goes DING when you strike it - but then have another look around. Anything missing? What have Granny and Grandpa Le Mes done with all those school portraits you sent them? Yes that's it, they must be in the other room. The one we're not allowed in.

Time to go home, and it shouldn't take too long because isn't that a Fiesta XR2 parked outside? You're the greatest, Dad, although it isn't too far beyond the imagination to picture Grandad Le Mesurier screeching up to Fine Fare to get some evening drinkies. Anyway, it's been really rather lovely to see you, thanks for dropping by.

Grandparents of the Eighties

Hello! Aren't you growing up fast? Make yourself comfy. Is he allowed a drink, Keith? Today we're visiting our grandparents at between channels. These pictures were in a hoard I recently purchased. The others in the series were of various non-descript garden scenes, but these two caught my attention straight away because this is an actual view of a real grandma's house in the eighties. Take your shoes off when you get into the kitchen.

Dad and lad have sat down to read The Sun. The haircuts match, but that's where it ends - whereas Dad has cunningly angled the paper to hide what he is looking at, son is checking out an Annabelle Croft-alike on the facing page. There isn't a hint of sideburn between them, as befits the decade. Although there's no sign of a dog, we do have a tank of those swollen-eyed goldfish that fascinate grandchildren so much. Don't bang on the glass.

Other things to note; the phone with one of those little phone number holder things next to it (from the days when we wrote down a phone number ONCE, and then that was it), a letter rack nailed to the wall, a sizeable antimacassar on the velour sofa and the obligatory grandparent accessory, an ashtray.

Here she is! And I have to say that the photographer has crept up on their subjects twice, because Gran isn't aware of the presence of the camera - she's more intent on watching Spurs on the telly! This Maysles Brothers-like unobtrusiveness lets us have a good look around. Brass things on the wall, and what looks like a video with a wig on. This is some serious kit - my parents didn't have a video for years and when we did get one I'd get told off for rewinding for too long 'Because it will wear out'. There's either a packet of cards or a packet of cigs on the gas fire, although looking directly down from there gives us a clue as to what's in the box.

One last thing before I give you a mason's handshake that conceals a pound coin - look at the photographs. On the windowsill, above and beneath the telly ... that's real love that is. There are more covered markets, shopping centres and bits and bobs to come, but I have to confess that there wasn't just one set of grandparent photographs ...

Covered Markets of Olde England - Coventry!

Ever wanted to go to a covered market in 1973? Um, well you can, even if you don't want to because this is the subject of my latest batch of photographs. Upon acquiring them I thought 'Why would anyone actually take these?', but after my recent holiday to Valencia I found myself photographing all sorts of shops and new buildings so I answered my own question : a 1973 version of myself.

But enough. These two had 'Coventry' written on the back of them so I'll start here.

It's warm enough to leave your coat at home, but the gentleman in the foreground has decided to go fully buttoned up - matching suit and tie, even when buying the groceries. No sign of standards slipping there, although I wonder what's on the mind of the be-dungaree'd chap on the right? Robin Askwith or Robin Nedwell? I'll leave that to you. The rotunda caught my eye first, but then I was drawn to the various pieces of British cast-iron peeping through the railings on the roof. I can indentify a TR6, P6 Rover and some sort of Ford estate, lest we forget that once we made and designed things. Any idea about the rest?

The camera is not a passive observer here - it has startled the middle-aged couple in the centre and caused the centre-parted young lady on the right to pretend to look at the fruit and veg stall in order to capture her best side. Things I like; the terracotta ceiling, the uniformity of hanging signage and the presence of the young lady in the blue velour jacket. She's in the first picture too -

Is the photographer's girlfriend tagging along, checking out the bargains whilst he pursues his obsessions with covered markets, or is he doing something else - maybe following someone? I leave you to decide. There will be more Covered Markets of Olde England later. Be seeing you!

Seventies Recreation

These undated photographs show us the range of free time activities available to seventies youngsters - hanging about on the rec, graffiti, go-karts and, er, shopping trolley jousts.

No-one on the swings and no sign of those roundabouts that were banned by councils across the country, but some proto-This is England grafitti on the slide. Nice. Like a crime-scene photograph.

Great care went into siting this playground - on the wasteland behind the estate, near the garages. Note the slide, which appears to utilise the ladder used to climb into a Vulcan bomber.

Nothing really - just hanging around. I do wonder why the photographer took this picture. Is this 'Blow Up'?

Trolley jousting. God help the Bowie fan who walks along here.

Marc Bolen.

Arsenal shit bast. Pre-graffiti culture graffiti is interesting in its banality. There are no 'street names' for Eddie Kelly. Some of it looks as if it were written in blood (that or Cresta).

This is the most fun, and the photograph that conforms most to the nostalgic view of pre-computer childhood. I've no doubt that modern parents would have something to say about go-karting down the middle of the road, especially with pre-crumple zone Austin landcrabs lumbering in the opposite direction.

More slices of pre-digital life to come soon, along with some full-colour covered markets. Get your bargains here, although probably after I come back from holidays. Be seeing you!

1982

More Sheffield, and this time we have materialised in 1982. Tumultuous times for Britain but not reflected here on the streets of Steel City, where shoppers rest on uncomfortable benches, old men huddle in the stygian gloom of the Hole in the Road, Reliant Robins wobble through city traffic and guitar-'n-violin buskers entertain Chinese tourists. And I'd fortgotten that WH Smiths' old corporate colours were brown and orange. The one jarring note is the grafitti in the Hole in the Road, something reflected in other grafitti photos I have recently acquired.

Sex Sells ...

... nozzles, tubes and outdoor safety showers.

All of the ads are taken from trade magazines from 1974-5. Women are still used in advertising in much the same way, so not much has changed since these were published, although I doubt you would see smoking now.