Gargoyles

Driffield's ancient All Saints Church has a fine selection of small family friendly gargoyles. Here's a couple of the cutest. These look to be in remarkably good condition and I suspect they may be modern (when I say modern I mean Victorian) replacements as the church was extensively restored by Gilbert Scott in the late 1870's. 

Driffield Church

This is the fifteenth century tower of All Saints Church, Driffield taken against the light, in fact against all that opticians advise, straight into the sun. 

The Weekend in Black and White continues here.

Cat on a cool car roof

This cool black cat saw me from a distance and kept staring straight through me in the way cats do. Seemed only reasonable to take his picture. The church reflected is Driffield church.

The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles

Took myself off to Driffield yesterday afternoon, don't know why I bothered since there's nothing much there but it's a trip out of the house. By the beck I came across this old pump that's seen better times. Why they needed such a tall pump I don't know but the road is called Laundry Lane so that might have something to do with it.

Barmston Drain

The Beverley and Barmston drain to give it its full name drains the land between Beverley and Driffield and runs to the west of the river Hull joining it just before the mouth of the river. The pictures here are from the stretch near Sculcotes Lane in Hull. It's pleasant enough now with a tarmac footpath, almost civilised, but when the gas works and electricty power station were operating up to the 1960s the drain was used for cooling the plant and waste hot water was pumped back into the drain making it steaming and polluted. Houses backed on to the drain it was all very Dickensian. Here's Philip Larkin in 1964 having a stroll by the drain while reading one of his more depressing verses.

Now the drain is crystal clear and well stocked with fish and there's abundant wildlife. Of course where there's drains there's rats.

Fly in the ointment

Just outside Driffield the river Hull passes round an eyot and at this time of year everything's turning nicely Autmnal. The river is very clear and you can see some really big fish in it. All in all very nice, almost bucolic. 

Shame then that right behind you is Bradshaw's grain mill with its constant noise of turbines driven by the river and deliveries from big lorries.

From the train

Harpham is a little village about half way between Driffield and Bridlington. The train goes whizzing past so this is about as much as you can see. Harpham's claim to fame is that St John of Beverley was born there in the 7th century, they've been dining out on that ever since.

Blackheaded Gull

Took a trip out to Driffield the other day with a view to taking some photos. I managed this one and about half-a-dozen more when the batteries in my camera went flat. I had another camera but the batts had died in that too; so I was not the happiest of bunnies.

A poor life this if, full of care,

...We have no time to stand and stare?

These beauties were by the Driffield canal the other day; not once did they let me out of their sight. 

What's in a name

I have said before that pubs really shouldn't change their names. This might now be called Original Keys but you can be sure that locals still call  it the Cross Keys. It's on Driffield's Market Place opposite a hotel whose sign is below, I'll let you guess the name.

Driffield Navigation in January

I posted a shot from this spot in June when all was green and leafy. It was so gloomy when I visited the other day that I thought why not a monchrome shot.

A bend in the river

 The weather is stuck at the moment under a high pressure which means for the east of the UK we get good old anticyclonic gloom, day after day of cloudy skies drifting in off the North Sea. At least it stays dry so I can get out and about. Here's the River Hull taking one of its many twists and turns near the source at Driffield. The area around here is a protected site of scientific interest with many special plants and animals.

The Old White's Sugar Mill, Driffield

This old building is gradually falling in decay. I believe there are plans to demolish and build flats.

Old Crane, Driffield

Took a little trip out to Driffield the other day. It was an unseasonably warm day; as you can see Autumn has barely affected these trees. I've posted some more photos here.

Driffield Navigation

About 18 miles due north of Hull is Driffield, the Capital of the Wolds. It's a pretty enough little town that has probably seen better times. The picture shows the Navigation built to connect Driffield with Hull and the Humber. This waterway is really the River Hull straightened out and made navigable. Nowadays it mainly pleasure craft that use it; the last commercial traffic was in the 1940s.