Mill Chimney, Hebden Bridge, Calderdale, West Yorkshire

Mill chimney at Colden Clough, above the town of Hebden Bridge, Calderdale, West Yorkshire. It's ironic to think how much time I must spend looking for that point that gives perfect un-broken views. I know I spend ages walking to points of differing elevation or angle, usually to see the view over or around trees or buildings that interfere, or don't quite work with the background. It's always going to be perfect just over the next ridge, or the other side of the valley. (And at times never is) Funny then how shooting straight through the trees here seemed completely apt. If anyone has seen images of the Calder and Colne Valleys early this century, with black smoke billowing from the textile mill chimneys (My granparents worked in the mills), it's easy to imagine that the whole area was being swallowed up by smog and heavy industry. So I find it fascinating to see how the tables have turned now, and it's the landscape that is swallowing up these industrial ruins.