These pictures came about because of the opportunity afforded to me of working in Bradford city centre. In the 70s and 80s, for anyone clicking on to this site for the first time, will not be aware that I worked in Bradford for an independant photographic store called Bradford Camera Exchange (see Bradford business Directory), prior to that I also worked for Dixons Photographic based in Cheapside (now since gone,as indeed most of that side of the city has, being laid to waste by ill conceived planning), anyway that's enough of local politics. I worked at the North Parade for a number of years before being transferred to the Market Street branch in the 80s to take over the running of it..

Photography had been a passion of mine from a young age, even having an Agfa 127 camera on the last day of my school years, producing a mixed bag of in and out of focus pictures, well at least I loaded it right! So it was no suprise to find that my first job interest would be to do with photography.

These pictures were taken in not the best of weather, and still at a time where not many people ventured out with their cameras to capture urban snow scenes, well I did! Usually with a Olympus XA, sometimes a Nikon F3 with a 35mm f2 lens fitted or a 24mm Nikkor. I just loved taking pictures of the city, its people and everchanging landscape, I'm not much into pretty pastoral scenes, if I have to take country scenes I prefer bleak and barren landscapes, neither am I into sunny day photography, give me snow, rain or dull conditions with the possibilty of an opportunity of night photography, then I'm your man. I think all this stems from been a December baby, I don't know, but there maybe something to it.

So if you can imagine a man in his late twenties and early thirties standing around in a suit in Bradford, taking pictures of people making there way to and from work, shopping or for whatever reason, finding themselves being pictured, well it must have seemed strange. I don't think I always thought of what I was taking, many a shot repeated, but I can always find subtle differences that make it worth leaving in.

People are the strangest of creatures, for why! Well they would moan about the weather, but this would give them an opportunity to discuss with perfect strangers their displeasure with the conditions, rubbish of course, they loved it, well maybe the elderly weren't to keen , but for others it was this great coming together of a mutually shared experience, that extreme being the weather. Customers would make journeys to the shop on North Parade or Market Street to collect a film that I'm sure could have waited a few days.

Getting home then became the hot topic for all at their place of work in the city, now why Bradford should be considered as different to any number of cities in the UK? well geography plays a large part of it, Bradford is bowled shaped, with the city centre being at the base off that bowl 300 feet above sea level in fact, around the rim of the city are the various districts, one of them being Queensbury at 1200 feet. Now what does this all add up to, if you were in the city, you had a good idea that things regarding the journey home were going to be bad if Bradford city centre had a fair covering of snow, and getting worse the further up one went, and as every road out of the city was up a hill to get out of Bradford, then the chances of getting home by vehicle, was in the days of few 4 wheel drives, somewhat negilgible if not downright non negotiable. I'm sure many Bradfordians recall, crashing (sleeping) on their office shop/floor, booking into a hotel or getting as near as possible to a friend's or relatives house near the city centre to stay there for a night. I believe one night the Norfolk Garden (now called the Hilton, situated on Hall Ings) threw open its doors along with The Victoria and Midland hotels to accommodate the city workers one Thursday 76/77, funny how it was always a Thursday.

I recall leaving the shop on North Parade, closing early and heading up to where the car was parked behind Busby's on Manningham, Lane, the car was a relatively new company car, a Morris Marina Coupe 1.3L JCX 958N, I most admit I had second thoughts of driving it through a blizzard, but youthfull arrogance drove me on, I remember driving up Thornton Rd thinking I could cut across the city, by going up Ingleby Rd taking me in the direction of the M606, sadly when I got to the traffic lights at the junction of Thornton Rd, Ingelby Rd, and Whetley lane I could see ther was no way I would make it home that night, certainly not by car. Fortunately my father and his wife lived not to far away , just off Squire Lane , Springroyd Ter, I myself lived there prior to gettting married in 73, and I remember the road was so thick with snow but managed to get it near enough to the house, effectively abandoning it. I recall ringing my wife and explaining as to where I was, and why I had been so long, (probably thought I was in a pub), I brought her up to date saying there was no way I could get home that evening, for even walking would be a few hours treck, and to be honest I was shattered. As you can tell from my tale, Bradford is no ordinary place when it comes to bad weather, snow we can deal with, but cars mixed with very steep gradient hills, well even to this day, the city can be brought to a halt. As for my colleagues, well John (Director) lived over Gomersal way and Des (also a Director), he lived in Wibsey, which is about 800to 900 feet above sea level. As you can tell, challenges galore for people working in the city when it came to bad weather.

I know this piece concerning the geography of Bradford and and the weather does not compare to other places occupying planet Earth, but I can only talk about what I know. However I'm sure there will be one or two rewrites before the year 2011 is over.

Martin. BradfordEye 25th August 2011

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