Lives Remembered - John Morrison
22 March 1951 to 23 May 2024
From Chris Ratcliffe
Monday 15 July 2024
John Morrison, who died on 23 May 2024 aged 73, was one of the earliest contributors to the HebWeb, back in the late 1990s. Starting in April 1997, just before the last Labour landslide, John wrote a comic column we called View from the Bridge, affectionately mocking our town and area. So successful was the column that Pennine Pens published it as a book, also successful.
The book's initial notoriety was helped by the then editor of the Hebden Bridge Times pulling the review that they had commissioned from local journalist, Issy Shannon. We were then able to put up posters all around town saying "The Book they want to ban". It went on to sell like hot cakes, and we published two more volumes, Back to the Bridge and A Bridge Too Far. All episodes of John's original column are still available here online.
John's main occupation was as a landscape photographer illustrating books, specialising in photographs of the north of England. Born and bred just north of Leeds, he has produced nearly 50 books. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers' Guild.
For those who don't know John, or for those who would like to be reminded of his humour, here's a few links.
View from the Bridge - all 98 episodes
Farewell to John Morrison - John leaves Hebden Bridge to live in the Lake District
A Sideways Look - the column which did not appear with the Green Page of October 2001 of the Hebden Bridge Times
From Kerry McQuade
Tuesday 16 July 2024
What a nice, funny man, with a wicked, no-nonsense attitude.
I remember one of his stories from back in 2012. He lived in a ground floor flat next to what used to be Holts the greengrocers at the main traffic lights in town (now a shop). He enjoyed several drinks one evening - Friday 22 June - and fell asleep on the sofa in front of the TV.
He woke up in the early hours with the alarming notion that the TV was floating round the sofa. This seemed so absurd he just turned over and went back to sleep. When he woke in the morning the whole flat was under feet of water and he was in the middle one of Hebden Bridge's worst floods to date.
From George Murphy
Thursday 18 July 2024
Best wishes to John Morrison's friends and family at this sad time. I admired his photography, which I came across in many a B&B over the years, and often laughed out loud at the dark humour in his View from the Bridge books. Chris Ratcliffe and Issy Shannon should be congratulated on the strategies they used to bring John's work to the attention of a wider public.
From Casey Morrison
Friday 19 July 2024
When John left Hebden Bridge (in 2004) he moved to the Lake District near Lake Windermere, which gave him easy access to the remoteness of Lakeland scenes for his photography and articles on walking routes and daily bird watching. The solitary life of a writer in the wilderness suited him, and he became a sort of natural mystic, communicating with the tress and wildlife around him and deeply connected to the changing seasons and the Lakeland weather.
After a few years, in 2012, he bought a camper van so he could park up overnight to be up at dawn to catch the light and dramatic atmospheres. Living in the van allowed him to travel all over the country and visit friends and family. This turned out to be one of the most productive and enjoyable periods of his life. He could write, photograph, walk and socialise, without the worries of looking after a house.
He then moved to a small hamlet in East Yorkshire, Asselby (in 2019) where he enjoyed proximity to Nature Reserves such as Brockholes. Living in a converted Sunday School was paradoxically where he wrote most critically on faith and spirituality, arguing that one's own moral compass is superior to any organised religion and its dogmas.
John kept a blog of his journey on Broken Cloud
His main interests were philosophy, music, photography, birdlife, and cricket and humour. He worked tirelessly at his writing projects throughout his life.
He enjoyed returning to Hebden Bridge frequently over this period, to visit friends in The Fox and Goose.
In December 2023 he received a terminal diagnosis from a brain tumour and it was his wish to return to the Yorkshire Dales he loved and hear birdsong from his window. His sons found him a perfect spot to be cared for in Grassington, where he was able to have friends and family reunions before peacefully passing away in late May 2024..
He was cremated at Rawden in North Leeds, followed by a wake at the White Hart in Yeadon on June 10th next to the cricket pitch he had both played and watched matches over the years.
John brought outstanding satire to Hebden Bridge and deserves to be remembered both as a brilliant writer and photographer.
John's wake
From Susan Press
Monday 19 August 2024
I first met John way back in 1997 when I wrote a piece about him for Big Issue In The North and we became friends and drinking buddies in the Fox. I didn't realise he had left Hebden so long ago because he would come back regularly and it was always lovely to see him as he was wonderful company. I used to cook Christmas Dinner most years for pals who were on their own and John was a welcome guest on two occasions. Much fun, fizz and festivities enjoyed by all. I always expected him to come back to Hebden one day so it was a shock to hear he was terminally ill and I was so sorry to hear of his death. I won't forget his wit, intelligence and the many happy hours we shared putting the world to rights over a pint. Sad news indeed.
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