Back to the drawing board

Roger Sykes (1946-1953) revisits some of his favourite drawings

CYCLING down the high road from the moors was always exciting. From Buckstones Moss and past the Roman Road and Pole Moor through Outlane and then slowing down for Ainley Top, with wonderful views all the way. Next stop was to rest, sitting on the grass near the prominent entrance gate to the Fixby Golf course, the West Lodge, shown here in a sketch for the Huddersfield Examiner ‘In and About’ column. It enjoys one of the finest views in the West Riding.The Lodge is something of a rarity for the district and it is good that it has survived the construction of the M62 nearby!

The final stage for me was the very steep descent from Upper Edge down into Elland. How we trusted a pair of brake blocks!

At Ainley Top the local diversion was to ride over to one of the two nearby bridges, with trolley buses passing underneath. These days there is only the merged single tunnel under the M62 on the main road from Huddersfield down to Elland.

l Norris Bonser adds:Today the two cottages on either side of the central gateway are no longer in use and the gateway no longer leads to Fixby Hall. The path has been engulfed by a wood, and now leads to a radio/internet mast at the top of the hill behind.The position where Roger made his sketch is now in the middle of a very busy road which was widened and raised many years back. Several trees have grown since Roger’s day and it is therefore sadly no longer possible to replicate his view.