Celebrity inventors
By Lisa Firth Hedy Lamarr, who would have been 100 this year, was an A-list star in the 1940s, known for her roles in films such as ‘Samson and Delilah’.
View ArticleFind of the day: vintage chic rockabilly dress
By Lisa Firth While I’ve always loved the styles of the 1940s and 50s, I’ll be the first to admit I’m no fashionista. Previous attempts at a vintage look have
View ArticleLatest read: ‘Reflections on the Cottingley Fairies’ by Frances Griffiths
Frances Griffiths is best known as the angel-faced little girl surrounded by dancing fairies in the first, and most famous, fairy photograph taken in Cottingley in 1917.
View ArticleEe bard gum!
Did Shakespeare have a Yorkshire accent? (First published in Northern Life magazine)
View ArticleYorkshire’s Hedgerow Treats
Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? A walk in the Dales can yield an assortment of recession-busting culinary delights - just grab some Tupperware and help yourself! (First published in...
View ArticleThe Curious Case of the Cottingley Fairies
Did Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle really believe in fairies? Lisa Firth investigates. (First published in the Bingley Rural magazine)
View ArticleThe South: still beautiful
Once described as “everyone’s second-favourite band”, The Beautiful South enjoyed a string of hits during a 20-year career. Continuing their legacy are former members Dave Hemingway and Alison...
View ArticleCute little Cholera Plague
The worst baby names through history (First published in Northern Life magazine)
View ArticleThe Bingley Byron
This year marks 170 years since the death of John Nicholson, “The Airedale Poet”. Nicholson was a feted celebrity within his own lifetime, a Romantic poet from the ranks of the working classes. Yet now...
View ArticleThe lost traditions of Christmas
Many ancient festive customs, such as lighting the yule log and going out carolling, still exist. Others, however, have disappeared into the mists of time. (First published in the Bingley Rural magazine)
View ArticleThe beautiful mind of Hedy Lamarr
By Lisa Firth Dubbed in her heyday “the most beautiful girl in the world”, actress Hedy Lamarr would be 100 years old this month. She epitomised the sultry femme fatale
View ArticleSalt’s Eden
The story of Titus Salt and his model village, Saltaire. (First published in The Local Leader magazine)
View ArticleSalt’s Ruin: The Curse of Milner Field
Like the skeletal shell of the once mighty Titanic lying desolate on the ocean bed, the sparse ruins of Titus Salt Jr's Milner Field mansion at Shipley Glen are steeped in history, legend - and a grim...
View ArticleCarrying on Regardless…
Lisa Firth speaks to Dave Hemingway, drummer and vocalist for chart-topping bands The Housemartins and The Beautiful South. Now playing as The South, Dave and the gang will be performing at St George's...
View ArticleJoseph Wright: from donkey boy to Oxford don
Lisa Firth explores the incredible achievements of Thackley-born Joseph Wright, who taught himself to read and went on to become a famous linguist. (First published in The Local Leader magazine)
View ArticleShed Seven are going for gold!
Lisa interviews Rick Witter, lead singer of cult indie band Shed Seven. Rick and the band scored 15 top 40 hits during the golden era of Britpop in the 1990s, with singles including Getting Better,...
View ArticlePRESS RELEASE: “Tales of Old Airedale: A Miscellany” – local writer releases...
James Berry, the son of a Bradford wool-stapler, held many jobs during his life: beat bobby, boot salesman, pig farmer and even preacher. But it was his gruesome role as
View ArticleThe doomed love of Branwell Brontë
Who was the "diabolical seducer" blamed for sending Branwell Brontë to an early grave? (First published in The Local Leader magazine)
View ArticleThe end of an era, Mr Bingley?
As Bingley finally frees itself, both literally and figuratively, from the shadow cast by the old Bradford and Bingley building, Lisa Firth reflects on the site’s past - and its future. (First...
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