IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Old Corn Mill Lane, BRADFORD, BD7 2LB

Pigeons and herring gulls circling Tesco this morning. There is a multitude of bird life around here and probably wildlife too. Plenty of food for stray cats and free roaming ones who prefer to hunt for themselves. 200 years ago, this area was farmland and according to the archives, tenants on Westcroft Road back then included a farmer, a blacksmith and a wheelwright. Please take a look in Bradford Archive Library if you have an interest. Despite far too many takeaways lower down Great Horton Road which create the impression of a city suburb, Great Horton is a thriving village community in and of itself and has tons of history to explore, not least the presence of the Great Northern Railway.

This photo is taken from a smaller elevation beneath the Tesco car park elevation in Great Horton which forms part of the wasteland beneath the store. Properly fenced to avoid falls (particularly from this section which is a sheer drop down) and with the creation of steps in places, this would make a great public footpath but currently is a scramble for those foolhardy enough to attempt it. Cats love it and love to drag you along behind them! I'm guessing that this smaller elevation was once part of Westcroft Mills before demolition. There are young trees growing on the embankment itself as well as below but angry young people seem to want to take their inner rage out on these, probably following being told off by their parents.

A rough track on the left of the picture leads to a tree lined plateau on top of this embankment and out of shot on the left is the vast ivy covered wall which forms the elevation for Great Horton Tesco car park. The slope to the right of the wall is strewn with litter through fly-tipping and at the base of the slope is the remains of a tall fence which was clearly once used to secure this site. Clearly this wasn't a success and besides myself, a number of young people use this route to return from football games in the park or generally as a quiet place. I am trying to cultivate patches of the site whilst retaining its wild nature (for which read, there is an enormous thorn tree growing in the middle of this site which is unlikely to be coming up anytime soon...).

Photo taken from former Westcroft Mills elevation beneath the larger elevation for Great Horton Tesco car park. If you walk your dogs along the route below, you might like to bear in mind that your every move is being watched from here by the local cats who are of course plotting world domination...

This shows the ivy covered elevation for Tesco car park. Beneath the wall, I have been cultivating patches of the land that Tesco did not put to use.

Shows leaning tree beneath Great Horton Tesco car park elevation which makes a great viewing point for looking out over Westcroft Road. As the dog walking track is unsuitable for all but the bravest cats, this path is generally the one taken by cats in the neighbourhood, being on higher ground. Beneath the tree I have been removing stones and digging the soil to create a flowerbed by the wall. This spot is shaded by overhanging branches so planting flowers here may or may not be a success. Watch this space!

This is land that I am using and cultivating for my own nefarious purposes. It is a beautiful site that unfortunately attracts a great deal of litter, both accidentally on windy days when bins get blown over and deliberately because some people are selfish idiots who cannot dispose of rubbish correctly. Go figure!