Men at work

This British Telecom engineer enjoys a bit of the high life up in the greenery of Wakefield Road.

A journey to Leeds...

Here are some shots I took from the Pontefract-Leeds bus a few weeks ago:

Here the bus is going round the Exscape complex. Note the wild sky, and the reflected image of the bus windows.

Coming away from Exscape, here is a stark silhouette of the old colliery wheel at Glasshoughton, which now serves as a memorial to the mining industry.

Now coming into Leeds, numerous cranes dominate the skyline as more city apartment buildings are constructed.

Crossing the bridge coming into Leeds, here we see some of the new apartment buildings on the river, not far from the Royal Armouries.

Rain, rain, rain ...

... and not only that, but dark as well. I've heard about theories of global dimming, and on days like this I wonder if they are true. Today I wondered if it was worth taking the camera out with me, but then stuffed it in my pocket all the same, and captured a few images.

First up, we have a view up Halfpenny Lane from the "ramp" that connects it with King Street and Love Lane.

Here we have a few little flowers growing out of a wall, which I would not have thought would be their ideal habitat. Well, it just goes to show, life can thrive in the oddest of places.



Finally, I thought I would throw in yet another view of Pontefract's ubiquitous sandstone crags and cliffs, most likely formed through quarrying and road building in the past. These are some of the highest and most dramatic, and are near Halfpenny Lane. I don't think I would like to live in the little house perched at the top.

OK - here's a photo that is not of Pontefract, but, who knows, there may be some past local residents in it. I came across this one walking through Leeds market - the open market that is between the covered market and the bus station, where all kinds of second hand paraphernalia can be found - old tobacco tins, badges, magazines, books, photos, etc.

The location of this shot is evidently one of the terraces of the Houses of Parliament, in fact it may well be the terrace of the House of Commons. You can see Westminster Bridge in the background. It looks as though there has been some kind of ceremony, possibly some kind of presentation, as medals are very much in evidence - particularly on the women, who seem to form the majority of the crowd.

As the photo turned up in Leeds, it may be reasonable to assume that somebody travelled down from Leeds to this event.

The approximate date of this gathering is a bit of a mystery - some have said it may be just after the Second World War. Any ideas? If you think you know the year and the event let us know via the commments.

Ropergate House.

Yes, Pontefract used to have its own cinema: "The Crescent", on the corner of Ropergate and Jubilee Way - except that Jubilee Way did not exist then! Now it's a place to play snooker. I think that it closed down as a cinema in the seventies, and after that was a bingo hall for a while. There was a dance hall also, which I think has been closed down. Here you can still see parts of the beautiful original facades.

And, finally, I couldn't resist sharing some flowers with you - it is springtime, after all. The daffodils and hyacinths are in the Valley Gardens - the hyacinths have a wonderful scent. The daffodils and other flowers above the wall form a beatiful rockery not far from Mayor's Walk.

Well, that's it for now. I hope to be back soon with more images of Pontefract.

Sandstone crags up Dark Lane, (Yes, it really is called Dark Lane!).

It is not unusual in Pontefract to see two pubs side-by-side, here, to the left we have the Green Dragon, to the right we have the Blackamoor Head. In the foreground is the war memorial.

The Counting House: one of the best pubs in Pontefract for ambience, although their prices are a little on the steep side. Tuesday night is student night, usually with some good local bands.

The interesting facade of the covered market.

Here is the tower of St Giles' Church.

Here is the Buttercross - it may once have been a place where butter was sold, now it's a place to sit and watch the world go by.

Let's start off with the town centre: here you are on Market Place looking down towards the Town Hall.

The Pontefract Eye begins!

Welcome to the Pontefract Eye! Here we will be posting views of Pontefract. For those of you who live here, many of the views will be familiar, but some may also present a fresh angle. For those of you who come from Pontefract, or who used to live here, we hope that these images will bring back fond memories. Some of you may not know the town at all, and if so, we hope the scenes will give you an idea of what the town and area are like, and, who knows, you may want to visit.

For those of you who do not know Pontefract, it is a small historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Pontefract's obviously Latin name suggests that it at least goes back to Roman times, and it was certainly a thriving market town by the Middle Ages, the town's medieval layout being a visible testimony to this. Pontefract has a ruined castle, which is mentioned by Shakespeare in Richard III, and an informative museum housed in a beautiful old Art Deco building that used to be the library. The sandstone around Pontefract makes the soil ideal for liquorice growing, and, although the liquorice itself is no longer grown in the area, there are still two confectionery factories in the town, frequently giving the air a delicious smell!

Enjoy today's photos!