Holiday apartment in Bradford: film culture, industrial history and Pennine landscapes

Bradford combines a globally distinctive film history with urban and rural landscapes. In 2009, Bradford became the world’s first UNESCO City of Film. The Bradford District, with its urban and rural landscapes, has served as a backdrop for numerous film and television productions. Between museum visits, historic sites and extensive trails, the region reveals itself in many different facets.

Culture

The National Science and Media Museum brings together film, technology and social issues. The museum explores the science and culture of light and sound technologies and their impact on our lives. One of its distinctive features is a 52-foot-high IMAX screen, the largest in the region.

Saltaire also represents the combination of industrial history and preserved town structure. The industrial village from the second half of the 19th century is exceptionally complete and well preserved; its layout remains intact. Saltaire is also part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The Saltaire Village Heritage Trail includes ten significant buildings and landmarks.

Literary history is present at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. It houses the world’s largest and most important collection of Brontë manuscripts, artworks, household items and personal belongings. From 1820 to 1861, the building was the home of the Brontë family.

Trails and landscapes

The Bradford District has a network of more than 1,000 kilometres of urban and rural public rights of way for walking, horse riding and cycling. A particularly clearly defined example is the Millennium Way: the walking trail is 45 miles long, and its entire route lies within the administrative boundary of the Metropolitan District of Bradford. Along the way, it offers views of woodland, moorland, streams, reservoirs and picturesque valleys.

Cyclists can also use the Great Northern Railway Trail. It runs for 4.1 miles from Queensbury to Cullingworth and crosses the Grade II listed Hewenden Viaduct. In Bingley, the Bingley Five Rise Locks form the steepest lock flight in Great Britain; the site is designated as a Grade I listed structure.

Industry and history

The Bradford Industrial Museum features permanent exhibitions on textile machinery, steam power, engineering and motor vehicles. Regular demonstrations of working machinery are conducted by staff and volunteers. Little Germany preserves another historic townscape: the district comprises 85 buildings constructed between 1855 and 1890, 55 of which are listed.

Museums and art

The 1853 Gallery at Salts Mill features a permanent exhibition of works by David Hockney. Cartwright Hall opened as an art gallery in 1904 and is located in Lister Park. It displays works by Lowry, Warhol, Lichtenstein and Anish Kapoor.

Bradford City Park is home to the Mirror Pool, the largest urban water feature in the United Kingdom.

Nature

Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve is the first nature reserve of its kind in West Yorkshire. Around 90 per cent of the reserve consists of British habitats of particular conservation priority, including peat bogs, heathlands and wetlands.

Cuisine

Bradford’s culinary offerings include dishes such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Rogan Josh, biryani, kebabs, samosa chaat and large naan breads.

Getting there

Bradford has two important railway stations: Bradford Interchange and Bradford Forster Square.

Other places

Other local pages available: Keighley, Ilkley, Haworth, Bradford, Bingley, Shipley.

To the main travel overview: Yorkshire And The Humber.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Barnsley, Kirklees.