Bradford - Revision history

Squashua at 18:40, 10 February 2006

2006-02-10T18:40:26Z

Squashua at 22:38, 2 February 2006

2006-02-02T22:38:02Z

Squashua at 15:58, 31 January 2006

2006-01-31T15:58:43Z

PoC: /* Institutions, galleries, parks and museums */

2006-01-11T12:31:44Z

‎Institutions, galleries, parks and museums

PoC: /* History */

2006-01-11T12:30:20Z

‎History

PoC at 12:28, 11 January 2006

2006-01-11T12:28:42Z

New page

{{otherplaces}}
:<div class="dablink">''The larger [[City of Bradford|City of Bradford Metropolitan District]] includes other settlements in the surrounding area.''</div>
{{infobox England place with map|
|Place= Bradford
|Map = Bradford dot.png
|Population = 295, 000
|District= [[City of Bradford]]
|County= [[West Yorkshire]]
|Region= [[Yorkshire and the Humber]]
|Ceremonial= [[West Yorkshire]]
|Traditional= [[Yorkshire]]
|Constituency= [[Bradford North (UK Parliament constituency)|Bradford North]]<br>[[Bradford South (UK Parliament constituency)|Bradford South]]<br>[[Bradford West (UK Parliament constituency)|Bradford West]]
|PostalTown= BRADFORD
|PostCode= BD
|DiallingCode= 01274
|GridReference= SE165325
|Euro= [[Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)|Yorkshire and the Humber]]
}}
'''Bradford''' is the major settlement in the [[City of Bradford|City of Bradford Metropolitan District]], in the county of [[West Yorkshire]] in the north of [[England]]. It became a borough in [[1847]], and received its charter as a [[city status in the United Kingdom|city]] in [[1897]]. The city status was transferred to the Metropolitan District when it was formed in [[1974]] {{ref|city_status}}. It has a population of 295,000 with 478 800 inhabitants in the district as a whole {{ref_label|population|2|population}}.

== History ==

Bradford was long a centre of the [[West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding]] [[wool]] industry. The name is derived from the "Broad Ford" at Church Bank by the site of Bradford Cathedral, around which the a settlement had begun to appear before the time of the [[Norman Conquest]]. The stream, called Bradford Beck, now passes (partly underground) to the [[River Aire]] near [[Shipley]].

Bradford was one of the many English towns which became prosperous during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Bradford's textile industry dates back as far as the thirteenth century, but it was not until the nineteenth century that it became world famous. Yorkshire boasted plentiful supplies of [[iron ore]], [[coal]] and [[soft water]] which were used in cleaning raw wool, and a coal seam which stretched as far as [[Nottingham]] provided the power that the industry needed. Sandstone, Bradford's local stone, provided an excellent resource for the building of the mills, and the large population of West Yorkshire meant there was a readily available workforce.

To support the textiles [[mill]]s and machinery a large manufacturing base grew up in the city, leading to diversification with different industries thriving side by side. Today most of the older textile mills and some of the heavier industries have closed, but Bradford remains one of the north's important cities, with modern engineering, chemicals and financial services replacing the "dark satanic mills" of the revolution.

One of the mills that remains — now in the form of a museum — is Salt's Mill, in the heart of the industrial village and [[UNESCO]] designated world heritage site of [[Saltaire]]. The village was built by enlightened industrialist [[Titus Salt|Sir Titus Salt]] for his many employees. Also still standing is Lister's Mill (or Manningham Mills), once owned by [[Samuel Lister]]. It is believed that the chimney of Lister's mill can be seen from just about anywhere in Bradford.
[[Image:Bradford-panorama-01.jpg|right|thumb|400 px|A panoramic view of Bradford. The giant chimney is that of [[Samuel Lister|Lister's Mill]]]]

The Bradford district also contains the villages of [[Thornton, Bradford|Thornton]] and [[Haworth]] that were the birthplace and home of the [[Brontë]] family. [[Clayton, Bradford|Clayton]] was home to [[Albert Pierrepoint]], Britain's last hangman.

On [[May 11]] [[1985]], 56 people were killed at a fire at [[Valley Parade]]. Centenary Square now contains a monument to the disaster.

Bradford has been praised for its cultural diversity. However, this leads to conflicts on occasion. In [[1989]] copies of [[Salman Rushdie]]'s ''[[The Satanic Verses (novel)|The Satanic Verses]]'' were publicly burnt in Bradford. A video-tape documenting this event triggered the world-wide campaign against this book. In [[July]] [[2001]] ethnic tensions led to widespread rioting . Fireworks, bottles and bricks were thrown at the [[police]]. Of the 36 arrested — 13 white and 23 Asian — all but two were from the Bradford area. The local authority has been nationally criticised for being in collusion with the conflicts and tensions, indeed some commentators have noted that their actions, deals and ignorance have contributed to the drugs trade, disaffection, decay and immobile place that Bradford now occupies.

Bradford was one of the contenders for 2008 European Capital Of Culture, eventually losing to the city of [[Liverpool]]. In 2004, the Bradford Urban Regeneration Company commissioned flamboyant architect Will Alsop to create a vision for the City's future and indeed the role of a "City Centre" in the 21st century. Alsop's celebrated plans envisioned four regenerated quarters within the heart of the city — The Bowl, The Channel, The Market & The Valley — each creating new public spaces for commerce, education, leisure and showcasing Bradford's setting within the Pennine mountains.

===Political history===
Bradford was enfranchised as an electoral borough by the [[Reform_Act_1832]] and given two MPs. It became a [[Municipal borough]] in [[1847]] and a [[County borough]] in the [[Local Government Act 1888]]. The County borough was granted [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] by [[Royal Charter]] in [[1897]]. The County borough was merged with borough of [[Keighley]], the urban districts of [[Baildon]], [[Bingley]], [[Denholme]],[[Cullingworth]], [[Ilkley]], [[Shipley]] and [[Silsden]], along with part of [[Queensbury and Shelf]] urban district and part of [[Skipton]] Rural District by the [[Local Government Act 1972]].

== Institutions, galleries, parks and museums ==
[[Image:09_cityhall_bradford.jpg|right|thumb|250 px|Bradford town hall as it stands today. It now stands behind Centenary Square, opened by [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] in [[1997]].]]

The [[University of Bradford]] has around 10,000 students. It received its [[Royal Charter]] in [[1966]], but traces its history back to the 1860's. It has always been a technical and technological institution, and has no true arts faculties; but it still covers a wide range of subjects including medical sciences, optometry, nursing studies, and modern languages. Its [[peace studies]] department, founded by a [[Quaker]] foundation in the 1970's, was for long the only such institution in the UK.

[[Bradford College]] offers a wide range of Further and Higher Education courses, and is an Associate College of the University of Bradford.

The city is well known for the [[National Museum of Photography, Film and Television]], which has an [[Imax]] cinema. There is also an [[Bradford Industrial Museum|industrial museum]], and a [[Bradford Colour Museum|colour museum]], and [[Cartwright Hall]] in [[Samuel Lister|Lister]] Park is an art gallery.

Owing to its heritage as an international trading centre, Bradford boasts some fine [[Victorian architecture|Victorian building]]s, including the Wool Exchange, the [[Medieval era|Medieval]] mansion Bolling Hall, [[Samuel Lister|Manningham Mills]], as well as a fine [[Victorian era|Victorian]] cemetery at Undercliffe.

Within the city there are numerous parks and gardens, including [[Samuel Lister|Lister]] Park, home of Cartwright Hall museum and art gallery and the Mughal Water Gardens, [[Robert Peel|Peel]] Park (the venue for the annual Mela — a celebration of eastern culture) and the local beauty spot of Chellow Dene with its two fine Victorian [[reservoir (water)|reservoirs]] set in pleasant woodland.

There are four [[theatre]]s in Bradford: The [[Bradford Alhambra|Alhambra]] was built by [[Frank Matcham]] and refurbished in the 1990's; the Studio is a smaller studio theatre in the same complex. Both of these are operated by [[City of Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council|Bradford Council]]. The [[Theatre in the Mill]] is a small studio theatre in the [[University of Bradford]] which presents both student and community shows and small-scale touring professional work. [[The Priestley]] is a privately run venue with a medium sized proscenium theatre and a small studio.

[[St Georges Hall Bradford|St Georges Hall]] is a grand concert hall, built by [[Lockwood and Mawson]] in [[1853]]. It is sometimes used for theatrical productions.

Little Germany is a district just east of the city centre which boasts many very fine [[Victorian era|victorian]] buildings. In recent decades it has been somewhat run-down, particularly since Eastbrook Hall was destroyed by fire in the early 1990's. There have been many attempts to revitalise the area, which were not very successful in the 1990's, but more recently there has been a change. In mid 2005 renovation began on Eastbrook Hall.

== Sport ==

Bradford is the home of the very successful [[Rugby league|Rugby League]] side [[Bradford Bulls]] and the less successful [[soccer|football]] clubs [[Bradford City A.F.C.|Bradford City]] and [[Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C.|Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C]].

== Famous Bradfordians ==
*Inspector [[Martin Baines]], race relations officer [[West Yorkshire Police]].
*[[John Braine]] Writer
*The [[Brontë]] sisters, [[Anne Brontë|Anne]], [[Emily Brontë|Emily]], and [[Charlotte Brontë|Charlotte]] were born in [[Thornton, Bradford|Thornton]] on the outskirts of Bradford.
*[[Liam Challenger]] — Film Maker
*[[Ian Clough (mountaineer)|Ian Clough]] — [[mountaineer]]
*[[Frederick Delius]] — Composer
*[[Joolz Denby]] (a.k.a. Joolz) — poet and writer
*[[Adrian Edmondson]] — actor and comedian, most notably ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|Young Ones]]'' and ''[[Bottom (television)|Bottom]]''
*[[William Edward Forster|W.E. Forster]] Politician — commemorated by statue, and is the namesake of Forster Square.
*[[Edward Garvey]] — [[Garda Síochána|Garda Commissioner]]
*[[Gareth Gates]] — ''[[Pop Idol]]'' runner up
*[[David Hockney]] — Artist
*[[Allan Holdsworth]] — Guitarist
*[[Samuel Lister]] — [[Industrialist]] and [[inventor]]
*[[Jon Maher]] Bassist in the band 'Duels'.
*[[Nick McMahon]] — Freestlye BMX
*[[The Black Panther]] — career kidnapper and murderer
*[[Albert Pierrepoint]] — [[executioner]] [[Clayton]] put to death Ruth Ellis the last woman executed in England, and many others.
*[[J. B. Priestley]] — Writer, commemorated by a statue.
*[[Sooty]] — glove puppet
*[[Peter Sutcliffe]] — The Yorkshire Ripper, serial killer
*[[Kimberley Walsh]] — Member of pop group [[Girls Aloud]]
*[[Richard Whiteley]] — Television Presenter
*Sir [[Walter Womersley]], [[World War II]] minister representing [[Grimsby]]
*[[Robert Hardy (bassist)|Robert Hardy]] — bassist of [[Franz Ferdinand]]

[[Morrisons|Wm Morrison Supermarkets]] originated in Bradford. Bradford is the birthplace of rock bands [[Southern Death Cult]] / [[The Cult]];[[Terrorvision]], [[Mission UK|The Mission]] and Asian [[hip hop]] group [[Fun-Da-Mental]].

==Geography==
Bradford is located at {{coor dms|53|45|00|N|01|50|00|W|}} (53.7500, -1.8333)[[World_gazetteer|<sup>1</sup>]].

The Bradford Metropolitan District has an estimated population (2003) of 477,775. About 300,000 of these live within the main city area itself, the rest living in the surrounding towns, villages and countryside.

==Transport==
Bradford is unusual as a major city in not being built on any substantial body of water, and its location in [[Bradforddale]], the valley of Bradford Beck, tended to make communications difficult, except from the north. Nonetheless, Bradford has been well-served by transport systems.

===Roads===
Bradford was first connected to the developing [[turnpike]] network in [[1734]], when the first [[Yorkshire]] turnpike was built between [[Manchester]] and [[Leeds]] via [[Halifax]] and Bradford. In [[1740]] the [[Selby]] to [[Halifax]] road was constructed through [[Leeds]] and Bradford. Several more local and long-distance roads were built through the rest of the century.

Today Bradford lies on several [[trunk road]]s:
* the [[A650 road|A650]] between [[Wakefield]] and [[Skipton]]
* the [[A647 road|A647]] to [[Leeds]]
* the [[A658 road|A658]] to [[Harrogate]]
* the [[A6036 road|A6036]] to [[Halifax]]

The [[M606 motorway|M606]] is a spur off the [[M62 motorway|M62]] [[motorway]] serving Bradford, but it does not come right to the city centre.

===Buses and trams===
Bradford's [[tram]] system was begun by [[Bradford Metropolitan District Council|Bradford Corporation]] in [[1882]]: at first the vehicles were [[horsecar|horse-drawn]], but they were replaced by [[steam engine#steam powered vehicles|steam-driven]] trams in [[1883]], and by [[Electric vehicle|electric]] ones in [[1898]].

On [[20 June]], [[1911]], Britain's first [[trolleybus]] service opened in Bradford, between Laisterdyke and Dudley Hill. It was often known as the '''trackless''', in contradistinction to trams. The last trolleybus service in Bradford - and indeed in Britain - ceased operation on [[26 March]], [[1972]].

===Canal===
The [[Bradford Canal]] was a four-mile long spur off the [[Leeds and Liverpool Canal]] at [[Shipley, West Yorkshire|Shipley]]. It was planned and built as part of the original Leeds and Liverpool project, to connect Bradford with the [[limestone]] [[quarry|quarries]] of [[North Yorkshire]], the industrial towns on both sides of the [[Pennines]] and the ports on each coast. It opened in [[1774]], closed in [[1866]], reopened in [[1871]], and finally closed in [[1922]].

===Railways===
The [[Leeds and Bradford Railway]] opened Bradford's first railway station at the bottom of Kirkgate on [[1 July]], [[1846]]. It offered a service via [[Shipley]] to [[Leeds]] and through Leeds to other centres, including [[London]]. The line was soon absorbed by the [[Midland Railway]], and the station was rebuilt in the early 1850's and again, much larger, in [[1890]]. Today it is a small utilitarian station dating from [[1990]], called [[Bradford Forster Square railway station|Forster Square station]], though it is somewhat distant from the site of its predecessors, and from Forster Square itself. It connects directly to [[Leeds City station|Leeds]], [[Ilkley railway station|Ilkley]] and [[Skipton railway station|Skipton]], and there is a limited direct service to [[Kings Cross railway station|London King's Cross]].

The [[Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway]] opened its station at Drake Street on [[9 May]] [[1850]], on its line between [[Manchester]] and [[Leeds]]. The [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] opened a third [[terminus]] at [[Bradford Adolphus Street railway station|Adolphus Street]] in [[1854]], serving [[Leeds]] and other places on its network, but the station was too far from the centre, and the two companies eventually agreed to build a joint station to replace the L&Y's station at Drake Street. This was [[Bradford Exchange railway station|Bradford Exchange station]], opened in [[1867]]: Adolphus Street remained as a goods terminal. The Exchange Station was completely rebuilt in [[1880]], with ten platforms; but by 1973 it was too large and again was rebuilt on a different site. In [[1983]] that station was renamed '''Bradford Interchange''' when a bus station was built alongside. It connects directly to [[Leeds City station|Leeds]], to [[Manchester Victoria station|Manchester Victoria]] and to [[Blackpool North railway station|Blackpool]]. [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/b/bradford_exchange/index.shtml See this site]

Both stations are under the control of the [[Metro (West Yorkshire)|West Yorkshire Metro]] as part of the [[Leeds-Bradford Line]] routes.

From the 1870's the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern]] built several suburban railway lines around Bradford:
* from [[Laisterdyke railway station|Laisterdyke]] via [[Idle railway station|Idle]] to [[Shipley and Windhill railway station|Shipley and Windhill]]
* from [[Bradford Exchange railway station|Exchange]] to [[Queensbury, West Yorkshire railway staion|Queensbury]], and thence to [[Keighley railway station|Keighley]] and [[Halifax, West Yorkshire railway station|Halifax]],
* from [[Low Moor railway station|Low Moor]] to [[Dudley Hill railway station|Dudley Hill]], thence to the [[Pudsey]] loop, and to [[Dewsbury railway station|Dewsbury]].
These all closed at various times between the 1930's and the 1960's.

There have been many schemes to build a link between Bradford's main rail termini, but none has ever come near fruition. The main practical difficulty is the great difference in elevation: the [[Bradford Interchange railway station|Exchange/Interchange]] station is already at the bottom of a long slope, steep by railway standards, but it is several metres higher than [[Bradford Forster Square railway station|Forster Square Station]]

===Air===
* In 1931, Bradford and Leeds councils jointly opened Yeadon Aerodrome, now known as [[Leeds Bradford International Airport]].

==External links==
*[http://www.bradfordinfo.com/ Bradfordinfo.com]: Facts and figures about the Bradford Metropolitan District
*[http://www.mapsandstats.com/ MapsAndStats.com]: Maps and statistics Bradford Metropolitan District
*[http://www.visitbradford.com/ Visit Bradford]
*[http://www.bradford.gov.uk/ Bradford local Government page]
*[http://www.city-of-bradford.com/ The City of Bradford]
*[http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/ Bradford Telegraph & Argus]
*[http://www.kingsdr.demon.co.uk/cinemas/ Bradford Cinemas History]
*[http://www.brad.ac.uk/ Bradford University]
*[http://www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/ Bradford College]
*[http://www.lbia.co.uk/ Leeds Bradford International Airport]
*[http://www.bronte-country.com/ Bronte Country]
*[http://www.edwardexley.co.uk/ Edward Exley Limited]
*[http://www.bradford-net.com/ Bradford-Net Local Search]
*[http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/boh/boh_main.htm Bolling Hall]
*[http://www.bmedia.org.uk Bmedi@ (Bradford's new media industry)]
*[http://www.bradfordurc.co.uk Bradford Centre Regeneration URC]
*[http://www.bitethemango.org.uk Bite The Mango Film Festival]
*[http://www.bradfordmuseums.org Bradford Museums Galleries & Heritage]
*[http://www.nmpft.org.uk National Museum of Photography, Film and Television]
*[http://www.immanuel.bradford.sch.uk/ Immanuel C of E Community College Bradford]
*[http://www.relocationbradford.com For companies thinking of relocating to the district]
*[http://www.pubutopia.com/pubs/B/Bradford/index.html Bradford pubs] Customer ratings and reviews of pubs in Bradford
*[http://www.imrahobby.tk] website of the Immanuel model railway association based in Immanuel CofE College in Idle Bradford

==References==
*Gary Firth, ''A History of Bradford'' Phillimore 1997. ISBN 1-86077-057-6
*Elvira Wilmott, ''The Ryburn Map of Victorian Bradford'' 1987. Ryburn. ISBN 1-85331-004-2. (The map itself is a reproduction of the ''Plan of the Town of Bradford ... revised and corrected to the present time by Dixon & Hindle'', 1871)
*{{note_label|population|2|population}}[http://www.bcsp-web.org/mapguide_site/maingeo.cfm BCSP] (Internet Explorer only)
*{{note|city_status}}[http://www.medway.gov.uk/orc20030304r-5.pdf?file=10698 minutes] Minutes from Medway council explaining why Rochester has lost its City status.

[[Category:Bradford| ]]
[[category:Cities in England]]
[[Category:Cities in Yorkshire]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

@@ Line 172: / Line 172: @@
 *{{note|city_status}}[http://www.medway.gov.uk/orc20030304r-5.pdf?file=10698 minutes] Minutes from Medway council explaining why Rochester has lost its City status.
-[[Category:Historical Locations]]
+[[Category:Historic Locations]]
 Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 One of the mills that remains &mdash; now in the form of a museum &mdash; is Salt's Mill, in the heart of the industrial village and [[UNESCO]] designated world heritage site of [[Saltaire]]. The village was built by enlightened industrialist [[Titus Salt|Sir Titus Salt]] for his many employees. Also still standing is Lister's Mill (or Manningham Mills), once owned by [[Samuel Lister]]. It is believed that the chimney of Lister's mill can be seen from just about anywhere in Bradford.
-[[Image:Bradford-panorama-01.jpg|right|thumb|400 px|A panoramic view of Bradford. The giant chimney is that of [[Samuel Lister|Lister's Mill]]]]
+[[Image:bradford-panorama-1.jpg|right|thumb|400 px|A panoramic view of Bradford. The giant chimney is that of [[Samuel Lister|Lister's Mill]]]]
 The Bradford district also contains the villages of [[Thornton, Bradford|Thornton]] and [[Haworth]] that were the birthplace and home of the [[Brontë]] family. [[Clayton, Bradford|Clayton]] was home to [[Albert Pierrepoint]], Britain's last hangman.

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 == Institutions, galleries, parks and museums ==
-[[Image:09_cityhall_bradford.jpg|right|thumb|250 px|Bradford town hall as it stands today. It now stands behind Centenary Square, opened by [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] in [[1997]].]]
+[[Image:bradford-city-hall-1.jpg|right|thumb|250 px|Bradford town hall as it stands today. It now stands behind Centenary Square, opened by [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] in [[1997]].]]
 The [[University of Bradford]] has around 10,000 students. It received its [[Royal Charter]] in [[1966]], but traces its history back to the 1860's. It has always been a technical and technological institution, and has no true arts faculties; but it still covers a wide range of subjects including medical sciences, optometry, nursing studies, and modern languages. Its [[peace studies]] department, founded by a [[Quaker]] foundation in the 1970's, was for long the only such institution in the UK.