Tag Archives: William Hartley

Brave New Suburbs

Posted on November 15, 2023 by leslie

Brave New Suburbs, by Bill Hartley The urge to live in the country has led to considerable infilling and expansion of North Yorkshire villages in recent years. Across the county there has been a range of new developments some of … Continue reading →

Posted in QR Home | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Atlas Woke

Posted on March 7, 2023 by leslie

Atlas Woke, by Bill Hartley Historical geography has been defined as ‘the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographical phenomena have changed over time’. There used to be a more succinct definition: ‘the study of past landscapes’ … Continue reading →

Posted in QR Home | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Best Westerns

Posted on January 15, 2023 by leslie

Best Westerns, by Bill Hartley In recent years the Western, once thought defunct, has undergone something of a revival. That said, recent releases shouldn’t be confused with what comes under the heading of ‘Modern Western’. This can be defined as … Continue reading →

Posted in QR Home | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Battered and Bruised

Posted on March 31, 2020 by leslie

Battered and Bruised Bill Hartley, on beholding Grimsby The House of Fraser store in Grimsby is set to close. For anyone who thinks that a department store represents retailing at its best, the place is a depressing sight. Large areas of … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs and Comment, QR Home | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Silver Scream

Posted on November 7, 2019 by leslie

Silver Scream Bill Hartley, on the retirement-community racket On a busy urban road near where I live stand a pair of heavy duty iron gates set into a high brick wall. This defensive perimeter has the feel of an institution … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs and Comment, QR Home | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Reform, in Name Only

Posted on August 17, 2019 by leslie

Reform, in Name Only Bill Hartley returns to prison Along with other departments, the Ministry of Justice was required by the coalition government to undertake budget cuts. Prisons were particularly hard hit and according to the Prison Governors Association there … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs and Comment, QR Home | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Cell Phones

Posted on February 9, 2019 by leslie

Cell Phones by Bill Hartley The governor of a women’s prison once confided that she preferred middle aged men for her senior management team and that she was prepared to fly in the face of Equal Opportunities to get them. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs and Comment, QR Home | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Weber’s Epigone

Posted on February 20, 2015 by leslie

Weber’s Epigone  Bill Hartley considers a curious contention Early Islam and the Birth of Capitalism, Benedikt Koehler, Lexington Books, London 2014, 212pps  The Prophet Muhammad was a businessman and entrepreneur. This is one of the many interesting facts revealed in … Continue reading →

Posted in QR Home | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

An Islamic Industrial Revolution?

Posted on January 20, 2015 by leslie

An Islamic Industrial Revolution?                Bill Hartley explores the putative contribution of Islamic civilisation to the development of industrialism Recently I came across a critique of a book The Cultures of the West; A … Continue reading →

Posted in QR Home | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

History for Sale

Posted on October 20, 2014 by leslie

History for Sale  Bill Hartley salvages some buried heritage A community may lose its sense of place and cohesion for various reasons. Economic decline or changes to the built environment are two of the most obvious. Sometimes though it can … Continue reading →

Posted in QR Home | Tagged , , | Leave a comment