Dickens - Hard Times

"It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood, it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage."

I have to say Hard Times is not an easy book to read (or it wasn't for me at any rate) and these particular quotes really got me on the hop.  This is partly because we don't do a whole lot of red brick in South Australia, or of smoke and ashes either.  But I knew exactly how I wanted this image to look.  This isn't quite right I have to say, but given my processing skills it's the best I can do.

I was very lucky there was a vacant block right at the back of a local strip shopping centre, because if there had been a building in the way, I wouldn't even have seen this angle let alone get a shot.

AND I'm even encouraged to go back and have another read of the book. 

Thanks to Hildasrose and Chantler63 for devising this fiendish challenge.