Anything I told you about Huddersfield would just be rehashed from Wikipedia, but I will tell you that this park is still there and appears to be popular. One of the park's most popular events is an annual Caribbean Carnival. I don't know who came up with that idea, but I think it would be a nice gesture if folks in the Caribbean reciprocated with a Yorkshire Festival of some kind.
I like this second card very much. The scan may not show the metallic quality of this silver print, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
There appears to be a sign on the left for Marshall's Pianos and a hotel on the right the ____ Imperial Hotel. Of course, the first thing I did was to get on Google street view and go for a little walk around the area. New Street is still there, but it seems to feed into lots of other interesting streets, so off I went. When you walk with Google, you walk down the middle of the road. That may be why this poor lady looks the way she does. What happened to her legs? Do you think I should call a virtual ambulance? And look at all the Sumo wrestlers in the windows!
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These walks down the middle of the road are particularly disconcerting when you forget that the Brits drive on the left-hand side. I feel lucky to have survived this virtual adventure. I walked briskly into a dead-end street, turned around, ended up at a massive bus station and then decided to head out to the countryside on Ashes Lane. It was so green and beautiful, and I was captivated by the stone walls. I may have to visit for real some day.
Here are the backs of the cards in the same order. Sadly, no messages.
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Now fancy that, you came all the way to Huddersfield and you didn't call in for a chat and a cup of tea. Greenhead Park is still going strong - it has just had a revamp - and New Street hasn't changed all that much except the building facing the far end of the street is now a McDonalds. The Caribbean Festival reflects the cultural contribution of the towns' fairly large West Indian population to that generally happy mix which is multi-cultural Huddersfield today.
ReplyDeleteO I know Huddersfield well - great to see the old postcards. The woman is aghast at seeing the google car - which reminds me - I saw one of them the other in a place called "Tan Yard Brow" and I'm just about to do a blog post about it on my Ackworth-born blog.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing I only virtually went to Huddersfield as I soon lost my bearings :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful postcards!
Alan,
ReplyDeleteIf I had done proper research, I would have known about the West Indian population in Huddersfield. Now the Caribbean Carnival makes so much more sense. It sounds fun in any case.
I never heard of that place which is a pity because I think it's really a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteI just hope there is a message even a simple greetings from their vernacular or language would be great.
http://strawberrypost.blogspot.com/
The little old lady had her legs vibrating with fear, as she was SUMOnned to look at those store windows.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing more manicured than the Huddersfield lady is the landscape.
ReplyDeleteMaybe.
Looking at the New Street card, I wondered if it was common for carriage wheels to get suck in trolley tracks? Never really thought about it before- perhaps they were big enough to not fit in the track- but I'm always attentive to the tracks when riding my bike around town, so guessed it might be a similar situation.
ReplyDeleteI love those Google "walks", too. You can travel the world and not have to pay for an airplane ticket. I'm always hoping that I don't appear in one someday like that Huddersfield lady did. I have a friend whose brother appeared in one.
ReplyDeleteNice to see where Alan lives.
Barbara
thank you for the image of Greenhead Park, I have a photograph of me in my new coat in the park in 1956. I was looking for a photo of the park. I remember New Street, too, we spent Christmases shopping there when we were kids
ReplyDeleteGandha
For anyone that likes to see pics of Huddersfield
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/Huddersfieldthenandnow/