About Bradford

Find out more about Bradford

The city of Bradford originally began life as a Saxon Village located next to a ford, where it gained its name. The Metropolitan city can be found along the foothills of the Pennines and is in close proximity of the Yorkshire Dales, as well as a key city in the west ridings of Yorkshire.

A city by charter in 1897, Bradford was originally a well-known market town for the county during its foundation years, before progressing in the industrial revolution years to become the wool capital of the world by the 19th Century. Bradford is also seen as one of the earliest industrial settlements and a boomtown of the revolution. Its growth in terms of population and investment, as well as its overall success is mainly down to its easy access to supplies of Coal, Iron Ore and Soft Water, which was key to this type of industry.

Textile mills can be commonly seen all over the city and are fine examples of Victorian Architecture, built from local sandstone mined from nearby quarries. Another example of fine architecture in the city is the Grand Italianate City Hall. A grade 1 listed Venetian Gothic building was designed by the architects Lockwood & Mawson and was officially opened in 1873. This is another example of a building that was made from the local Gainsby sandstone.

Cartwright Hall, named after Edmund Cartwright, is another popular attraction in the city, which is located in the district of Manningham. This Civic Art Gallery was opened in 1904 and is the home of an extensive collection of Victorian and Edwardian works, which were donated by the famous Samuel Lister. In honour of Samuel, the gallery is set in Lister Park, which has some of the best scenic views of the city’s skyline.

The most popular and visited museum in the United Kingdom outside London is the National Media Museum, which is located in the heart of Bradford’s city centre. Opened in 1983, the former Museum of Photography, Film and Television covers 7 floors and is home to three cinemas, two auditoriums, a permanent interactive gallery, two special exhibition galleries and a number of learning activities in the form of tours and educational talks.

If this wasn’t enough for you, the museum is also home to the working studios of BBC Bradford Radio, online and television set, where visitors are given the opportunity to go behind the scenes. Aimed for research and study purposes, the museum is also home to a public research and extensive collection centre, ideal for anyone wishing to pursue film or television research. Entry to the museum is completely free and also has café and bar facilities, as well as a museum shop.

The city is also the home of Bradford City Football Club, who play their home games at Carol Windows Stadium, Valley Park, which suffered a deadly fire back in 1985, which saw the loss of 56 supporters.

The city is also home to the University of Bradford, which was established in 1966. The university is known to specialise in media, nursing and graduate management studies and is ranked first in the world for Peace Studies, which was also first University in the world to offer such course.

Bradford is a city that definitely doesn’t lack educational, cultural and historical experiences and is an ideal location if you are looking for a property in an area that has so much to offer.

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