Category Archives: Art and architecture

Jul 12 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post, Sport

Malt Shovel FC

Saturday 11th July 2026, 1.00pm (day 5,434)

Malt Shovel landscape, 11/7/24

While I believe there might be a different version of football still going on somewhere in the US, here at home we are in the realm of the Pre-Season Friendly. Malt Shovel FC — the name being that of a nearby pub — play in Selby, a place which thereby becomes the 536th different one to appear on this blog and makes its debut with this quite impressive factory backdrop. And it smelt good, too: whatever was being cooked up in there wafted extremely pleasant, and hunger-inducing, scents over the pitch in the second half. It finished 2-1 to visitors Brighouse, in green, but that’s an irrelevance.

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Jul 02 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Working in the dry dock

Wednesday 1st July 2026, 4.40pm (day 5,424)

Dry dock artwork, 1/7/26

At first sight the dry dock on the canal in the centre of Hebden Bridge is another thing that gives it a sense of industrial-age authenticity. Except that up until about 30 years ago, the site was occupied by a petrol station. Not everything is as old as it seems. Still, I quite like having it there: even if the chance to take pictures of arc-welding sparks and so on has now been reduced thanks to the addition of the artwork, with obligatory domain name.

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May 29 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Broad Law, summit architecture

Wednesday 27th May 2026, 11.05am (day 5,389)

Broad Law beacon, 27/5/26

The drive home — with a walk on the way, to the summit of Broad Law, the highest point in the Scottish Borders at 2,760 feet. There was not a great deal to see on the way up, but the top is graced by this construction, a VOR beacon (that is, Very high frequency Omnidirectional Range — so now you know). Should every mountain have one? Well, probably not, but this one does.

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May 24 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

The memorial on Dundee Law

Saturday 23rd May 2026, 1.05pm (day 5,385)

Dundee Law memorial, 23/5/26

Who knows how long The Child will stay in Dundee but for now the place is coming to feel familiar enough. I have developed a habit of ascending Dundee Law each time I come to the city. The view is excellent and the massive memorial on the summit certainly does its job. Making it up to the top from Joe’s flat, without a break, has become a good marker of whether I’m still fit enough for satisfaction.

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May 14 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Glad I packed an umbrella

Wednesday 13th May 2026, 4.40pm (day 5,375)

This collage, featuring the Graphene Institute on the left, indicates quite clearly why I and much of the rest of Manchester city centre got very wet about twenty minutes later. But, yes, I had packed an umbrella, fortunately.

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May 01 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Settling in for the three-hour Director’s Cut

Thursday 30th April 2026, 7.05pm (day 5,362)

Apocalypse Now, 30/4/26

Clare really dislikes Apocalypse Now and I have given up trying to establish why this is. It’s not that she has anything against the genre, as she agrees Full Metal Jacket is a classic, for instance. But she was out all evening….

On the other hand, having sat through the Coppola Cut for the second time, unlike with some movies (particularly The Wicker Man which was butchered in the initial edit) this one doesn’t benefit all that much from the additional material. All it really adds is forty minutes and three pairs of breasts. Nevertheless if you ask me (but not Clare) this remains a work of crazed brilliance.

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Apr 10 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Swindon mural

Thursday 9th April 2026, 10.20am (day 5,341)

Swindon mural, 9/4/26

More use of other people’s art, but Swindon, where I stayed after yesterday’s walk, seems to have quite a lot of it and much of it is pretty good. Better than covering these hoardings with advertising anyway. I have noticed in Manchester that there is a mural which is simultaneously an advert, however: corporate public art in other words…. Let us hope this trend is generally resisted.

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Apr 09 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post, Landscape

The Uffington White Horse

Wednesday 8th April 2026, 10.20am (day 5,340)

Uffington White Horse, 8/4/26

The Uffington White Horse is 360 feet long (110m if you insist) and may be over 3,000 years old. Most of the hill figures carved into the chalk downlands of southern and eastern England are modern imitations but this is the real aboriginal deal. Like most art, it’s designed to be seen straight on, not at some oblique angle from just above its top right-hand corner. But it’s still mighty impressive. Whomever it was first dreamt this up and then managed to organise its production — I say, good for them.

For more pictures from today’s walk see my other blog.

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Apr 07 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Big beetle building

Tuesday 7th April 2026, 11.20am (day 5,339)

Big beetle building, 7/4/26

Surely the title of this post is self-explanatory. I love it. I just wish I could remember exactly where I took this picture: it is somewhere on either Howland St or New Cavendish St, somewhere very close to the BT Tower. But I cannot find it on Google Street View (last updated in that area in about 2021) which suggests it has only been there for a couple of years. Great effect, though: and presumably functional in some form or other. Going on the way all the pipes run into it I assume this is the air-con, or possibly the pillar of the structural integrity of the superframe, or something.

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Apr 04 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Rochdale mural

Friday 3rd April 2026, 6.10pm (day 5,335)

Rochdale skeleton art, 3/4/26

I have no problem using other people’s art to pep up the blog and this is remarkably good. Apparently, with a pair of 3-D glasses on, it comes out even better. So effective is it that I resisted the temptation to post something from this afternoon’s football match, although Rochdale 2 Morecambe 4 was such an unexpected and pleasing result that the temptation was a strong one, I must admit.

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