Ilford XP2 Super

The Five Lamps

/ James / Leave a comment
The Five Lamps, Thornaby
(08/11/2020)
Minolta AF-DL
Ilford XP2

Thornaby’s five lamps were originally situated on the junction of George Street and Mandale Road, the original was removed to make way for the construction of the A66. The lamps, lit then by gas became a focal point for community life. Meetings would be held here, political rallies, religious gatherings etc…

Following the building of the A66 a replica of the lamps (built at nearby Head Wrightson LTD) was installed to an area on Westbury Street. Years of vandalism (I know, how times change and attitudes too…) lead to the lamps being removed, restored and placed near the junction of Mitchell Avenue and Acklam Road.

But why the five lamps…

Well the story goes that Robert de Thormodbi (you’d be right in thinking that surname sounds an awful lot like Thornaby) was wounded in the Crusades, he promised that if he survived his wounds he would create a shrine to the Virgin Mary. As such five sanctuary lamps were placed and lit in St. Peter’s Church on Thornaby Green.

Equine Path…

/ James / Leave a comment
Pony on the Path
The Black Path (25/10/2020)
Welmy 35, Taikor f/3.5 lens
Ilford XP2 ISO 400 film

This inquisitive creature moves about the Black Path a bit.
He wanted to investigate my Minolta camera when it was on the tripod before I wandered up the path. This one was taken with the Welmy 35, using Ilford XP2 film.

The Black Path

/ James / 1 Comment

The area which the Black Path forges through has been in the news a lot of late, with talk of dilapidation, demolition and redevelopment.

Long Disused, The Black Path
Minolta X-300, Minolta 45mm lens
Ilford XP2

One of the main points is the iconic but dormant tower of the South Bank Coke Ovens. The Dorman Long tower as it’s known is a brutalist icon.

A Long Shot, The Black Path
Minolta X-300, Minolta 45mm lens
Ilford XP2

Disused since the late 1970’s this prominent feature of the landscape was a bunker, used to store coal to be turned into Coke. Coke is produced by heating coal in large airless coke oven batteries to remove hazardous composites; the resulting coke is a tough, but absorbent carbon that is used for reducing the iron in a blast furnace. By-products of the process are coke oven gas, tars, and oils. Which in this case was transported from the ovens to nearby locations for processing.

The Danger You’re In, The Black Path
Minolta X-300, Minolta 45mm lens
Ilford XP2

Many people have walked this path, going to and from work.

Berry Me, The Black Path
Minolta X-300, Minolta 45mm lens
Ilford XP2

I wonder how many stopped to pick some berry’s on the way home…

Hand in Glove, The Black Path
Minolta X-300, Minolta 45mm lens
Ilford XP2

The pipes which lead you along this landscape form a maze, some joining, some ending abruptly, there must be miles and miles of pipework here.

Intersection, The Black Path
Minolta X-300, Minolta 45mm lens
Ilford XP2

I have a certain small amount of sympathy for those that want all of this gone, that want to move on. I can’t ever put myself in that camp. Something needs to remain of our industrial heritage to remind us of those who made Teesside what it was…

For Sight, The Black Path
Minolta X-300, Minolta 45mm lens
Ilford XP2

The Black Path and it’s environs are a feast for the senses.