Return Visit to Bradford, 2013

Bradford

West Yorkshire

Visit to Bradford

June 2013

My Visit to St Bede's School

I lived in Bradford, West Yorkshire, until the age of 18, then moved to Edinburgh, in 1963, after leaving school.

I returned to Bradford for a couple of days in June 2013, to have another look at the school, St Bede's Grammar School at Heaton, 50 years after I left the school and moved to Edinburgh

St Bede's School Frontage and Pupils' Entrance

During my visit, I had chance to look around the city again, and see how it had changed since I used to live there. Here are my brief comments on a few of the things I saw.

Food

At the time of my visit, Bradford was about to host the World Curry Festival. I did not sample any of the curry, or any of the ice cream or fish & chips on offer here in the centre of the city !

Ice Cream Shop + Fish & Chip Shop, Sunbridge Road, City Centre

Clean Buildings

Some of the older buildings in the City Centre including the City Hall and the former Wool Exchange are now looking much cleaner and brighter than they used to.

The former Wool Exchange

The clock of the City Hall is in lower-left corner

The City Hall - It was known as the Town Hall when I lived in Bradford

The City Hall on a quiet Saturday morning

The City Hall and a Bradford Lamp Post

The City Hall and two Bradford Lamp Posts

Mosques and Sikh Temples

I saw several Mosques and Gurdwara (Sikh Temples) that I had not noticed on previous visits to Bradford. Bradford now has 77 mosques and 6 Gurdwaras

Source: UK Mosque Searcher web site and Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara web site.

Tawak'Kulia Mosque, 48 Cornwall Road, off Manningham, Bradford

Tawak'Kulia Mosque, Manningham, Bradford - 2013

Mosque on the Hill, Bolton

This view is taken from close to Bradford Forster Square Station Entrance

Mosque on the Hill, Bolton, Bradford - 2013

Forster Square Redevelopment

I expected to see a new shopping centre at Forster Square open, as it was shown on my AZ Street Map of Bradford & Leeds, published in 2009, with an estimated completion date of 2010. However, building work seems to have hardly begun on it . It's, no doubt, one of the casualties of the recession.

Looking across the open area at Forster Square, awaiting development

A notice on the fence describes this area as
'"Bradford Urban Garden - to be used by everyone in Bradford
District for arts, cultural and community activities".

Posters advertising 'The Broadway Bradford' to be built in Forster Square

Looking across Bradford Forster Square

Background: The former GPO stands in front of Bradford Cathedral

Horses

I was interested to see that there still seems to be at least one rag & bone / scrap metal merchant travelling the streets by horse and cart. Unfortunately, I had no chance to photograph it. Maybe next time ...

When I last visited Bradford, about 3 years earlier, I saw several horses tethered beside the main roads leading to Wakefield and Eccleshill, but I did not notice any this time.

Businesses

I found several businesses that I thought might have vanished long ago. I was pleased to see Arnold Laver, timber merchants, still in business at Canal Road.

I remember standing outside the trolley bus depots as a child, when I had an interest in buses. I see that:

- the small trolleybus depot (or trolleybus shed as we called it) at Bolton Junction has been demolished, probably long ago.

- the large trolleybus depot works at Thornbury was being used by a wholesale lighting business when I last saw it.

- the trolleybus depot at Saltaire is now looking very smart. It has become a bar and restaurant, named The Old Tramshed.

Businesses

The many and varied small businesses around Bradford could make a good topic for photography one day. I saw several interesting businesses as I walked through the city, but took only these two photos:

Mr Ink's newly opened premises and car - Manningham Road

S&J Motor Factors premises and car, beside Tesco - Manningham Road

Mills

Bradford used to be the world centre for the woollen industry, with mills throughout the city. I passed the mill on Moorside Road on my way to primary school, and used to hear its loud 'hooter' sounding daily to announce the start or end of shifts. The mill has now been converted into an Industrial Museum.

On my recent visit to Bradford:

- I visited Lister's Mill. Most of the old mill has now been converted to housing, providing 300 homes.

- I visited Salts Mill at Saltaire, which has been converted to shops and cafes and galleries. The improved road from Bradford and the railway from Bradford Forster Square Station both now provide good access to Saltaire.

Here are sculptures outside Forster Square station, Bradford, incorporating what look like old railway lines and cobbles:

Reply

Thank you to Bob Henderson who replied:

"I suggest that the rails in these sculptures would be tram rails."

Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh: June 28, 2013

Signpost and Sculptures to the south of Bradford Forster Square Station

Here, we zoom-in on one of the two sculptures.

The arches in the background are supporting Cheapside

Sculpturesclose to Bradford Forster Square Railway Station - 2013

The old cable tramway from Saltaire to Shipley Glen has re-opened, though it was not running on the day of my visit.

The Bradford artist, David Hockney, was one of the people who were enthusiastic about converting Sir Titus Salt's large mill at Saltaire to become an art gallery. This gallery now includes an exhibition of Hockney's work.

I discovered that Hockney used to live in Eccleshill, and that he could often be seen pushing his pram of art equipment around the streets. I lived in Eccleshill at around the same time, in the 1950s, but I cannot remember ever seeing anybody who might have been Hockney.

10.

Lister Park

Lister Park (also known as Manningham Park) lies about a mile from the city centre, beside Manningham Lane. The park was donated to the city by S C Lister who built the nearby Lister Mills in the late 19th century.

I used to visit Lister Park, to go swimming to the Lido (open air pool) or to watch the bees entering and leaving their hive in the basement of Cartwright Hall.

The Lido closed long ago but I was pleased to see that the park has been renovated and now has:

- rowing boats and paddle boats on the lake.

- flower gardens, and a water garden beside the stream.

- a bandstand, now being used again for concerts.

- Cartwright Hall, with ornamental flower garden, sculptures, art galleries, and Gents' toilets with their original Victorian fittings, but no bees!

The front of Cartwright Hall

The back of Cartwright Hall

At Cartwright Hall in Lister Park, I saw Hockney's painting of Moorside Road, Fagley. That's the road that I used to walk along every day, 4 times a day, to and from school.

This Wikipedia web site gives a brief history of Lister Mills, They used to be the largest silk mills in the world, employing 11,000 men, women and children.

Lister Park was given the award of 'Britain's Best Park' in 2006. This page on the Bradford Leisure Services web site gives more info about Lister Park

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 25, 2013