Bradford

West Yorkshire

Bradford is the second-largest of the major towns and cities of West Yorkshire.

City Hall, BradfordSt George's Hall, BradfordThe Wool Exchange, BradfordKirkgate,BradfordTyrrel Street, BradfordThe Paper Hall, BradfordBradford is the UK City of Culture for 2025 which will see the city present hundreds of arts performances and events during the year.

The city is 9 miles west of Leeds, 6 miles north-east of Halifax, 11 miles north of Huddersfield and 3 miles south of the Aire Valley at Shipley.

The city is also the administrative centre of a large metropolitan area extending many miles beyond the city itself and including Pennine moorland, Ilkley Moor, parts of Wharfedale and Airedale and the Worth Valley. There are many separate villages and towns, including Keighley and Ilkley, within the metropolitan district, which has an area about the same size as the Sheffield metropolitan district in South Yorkshire and, at 534,300, close to the same population.

Until the end of the 18th century, Bradford was a small rural market town with farming and cottage industry spinning and weaving among its biggest activities. It experienced rapid growth in the 19th century when it became a major centre for woollen textile manufacturing.

Bradford became a city in 1897, four years after Leeds and Sheffield and in the same year as Kingston upon Hull.

The city has become well-known for its increasing ethnic diversity over the last 200 years. In the 19th century this included Irish and Jewish immigration, after World War II there were settlers from Poland and the Ukraine, and in the latter part of the 20th century there were arrivals from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

National Science and Media Museum, BradfordBradford Grand Mosque, Little Horton, BradfordThe city now has more than 90 mosques, including the Al-Jamia Suffa-Tul-Islam Grand Mosque, or Bradford Grand Mosque, in Horton Park Avenue.

For 50 years Bradford has had an Ice Arena at Little Horton Lane, providing the city and further afield with a venue for public skating, ice hockey and syncronised skating.

Since 1983, the city has been the location of what is now the National Science and Media Museum, originally called the National Museum of Film, Photography and Television.

Adjacent to the City Hall is Centenary Square, a regenerated city park area with lake and fountains providing a modern focal point for Bradford.

Find out more about Bradford's year as City of Culture in 2025 at the official  Bradford 2025 - UK City of Culture website.

City features

The Broadway shopping centre, Bradford Bradford waited a long time for a 21st century shopping centre but, after a 10-year delay in its creation, The Broadway opened with a mix of 70 stores and eateries adding to those remaining in the traditional heart of the city and its Kirkgate Centre, where there is also an indoor market. Nearby the former Rawson Market now has a host of mostly smaller shops as The Rawson Quarter. A wide variety of goods from smaller traders are also available in nearby streets and at The Oastler shopping centre.

Bradford has a Post Offices at Sunbridge Road and The Broadway and sub-post offices in its districts.
The city has a range of banks and building societies and it is also the location of the headquarters of the Yorkshire Building Society, which has its roots in Huddersfield and Bradford.

Bradford has many pharmacies in its city centre and in its districts.

Nightlife in Bradford has seen something of a revival in recent times with the opening of new bars and pubs while in the districts there are still friendly locals to be found.

It is not without good reason the Bradford has been named Curry Capital of Britain for five consecutive years. Bradford is celebrated for its award-winning asian cuisine.

Bradford ceased to be linked to waterways in 1922 when the Bradford Canal linking the city to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Shipley was closed. There are still, however some remains of the canal, which first opened in 1774.

Bradford Cathedral Dozens of parks provide green lungs in and around the Bradford area. The city's largest parks include Lister Park in the Manningham area, which gained Britain's Best Park award in 2006; Peel Park, in the Undercliffe area; Bowling Park, which offers views over the city from between West Bowling and East Bowling; and Horton Park, about one mile south-west of the city centre.

Bradford Cathedral
Stott Hill
Initially the parish church of Bradford, its oldest parts date from 1458, but the parish history can trace earlier churches. The church became a cathedral in 1919 when a new diocese of Bradford was separated from that of Ripon. Major extensions and alterations were made to the cathedral in the 1950s.
More information at the  Bradford Cathedral website.

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Entertainment

Alhambra Theatre

Morley Street
Close to the city centre and a premier touring venue for West End and other shows, the theatre offers ballet, musicals, opera, variety, comedy and drama. The Alhambra also has a reputation for Yorkshire's biggest pantomime. Adjacent to the Alhambra, The Studio is an adaptable small theatre and rehearsal space.


St George's Hall, Bradford

St George's Hall

Bridge Street
Bradford's grand historic concert hall, first opened in 1853, reopened early in 2019 after three years of major renovation work.

Sport

Bradford City

'The Bantams' play at Valley Parade, the Coral Windows Stadium
 Bradford City official website.

Bradford Bulls

Bradford Bulls play rugby league at The Provident Stadium, Odsal. The Bulls' women's team were 2017 Women's Super League leaders and winners of the first ever Women's Grand Final.
 Bradford Bulls official website.

University

University of Bradford

City Campus, Richmond Road, and Emm Lane Campus
Founded in 1966, the University of Bradford has its main campus at Richmond Road just over half a mile to the west of the city centre. Its faculty of management and law is based at a parkland campus at Emm Lane around two miles north north west of the city centre.
More details at the  University of Bradford website.

Museums

National Science and Media Museum


Pictureville, Little Horton Lane, Bradford
The museum near the city centre reopened in January 2025 after prolonged closures since 2023 with some refurbishments completed and some continuing. It has three cinemas including Yorkshire's biggest IMAX screen and a Wonderlab experience, which features fun interactive experimentation with light and sound. The history of photography is explored in the Kodak Gallery on Level -1. Previously the museum had galleries on seven floors, but while the museum is now reopen its Gallery 1 on Level 1 and Power Up gallery on Level 6 will not be reopening until April 2025 and its Sound and Vision galleries on Level 3 and Level 5 will not open until June 2025. Previously popular Animation and Experience TV galleries have been permanently closed as has the Games Lounge which featured retro computer games. Original models from Wallace and Gromit and Morph featured in the closed animation gallery and Wallace and Gromit again featured in a one-day special event "A Grand Day Out" in January 2025. The museum has reduced daily opening hours of 10am to 5pm each day with its cafe closing an hour earlier. Free tickets can be booked online. Cinemas are open into the evening. Changes to the museum have been made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
More details at the  National Science and Media Museum website.


Bradford Industrial Museum

Moorside Road, Eccleshill
The museum is housed in a Victorian worsted spinning mill, Moorside Mill, in Eccleshill, about 2 miles north east of the city centre. It has textile and engineering exhibits and displays of steam power, motor vehicles and printing machinery.
Further details at the  Bradford Industrial Museum website.

Bradford Police Museum

City Hall
At the site of what was Bradford's police station for 100 years, the museum has a vast range of memorabilia from the city's policing history and guided tours of the original police station cells and a preserved Victorian court room.
More information at the  Bradford Police Museum website.


Places to visit


Bolling Hall, Bradford

Bolling Hall

Bowling Hall Road
About 1 mile south of Bradford, Bolling Hall is one of the city's oldest buildings with its earliest parts dating from the 14th century. The manor house has a rich history and has rooms furnished to represent many of the periods in its life.
More information at the  Bradford Museums - Bolling Hall website.

Salt's Mill, Sailtaire

Saltaire

Near Shipley
About 4 miles north-north-west of Bradford, Saltaire village on the River Aire is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The huge Salt's Mill, a former textile mill, is at the centre of a late 19th century village of stone houses which were built for the mill workers by architects employed by mill owner Sir Titus Salt. More information on our page about Saltaire.



Travel

Bradford Interchange station Bridge Street

Bradford Interchange StationBradford Interchange is very conveniently placed close to the city centre, City Hall and entertainment venues and the bus interchange. It is a terminus station but many east-west trains operate as through services, able to arrive and reverse out again in under two minutes. Both of Bradford's unconnected stations have services to Leeds — a total of six trains an hour during weekday daytime, four of those from this station. The fastest journeys are from Interchange to Leeds in as little as 18 minutes, although more usually around 21 minutes, while also calling at the park and ride station at New Pudsey.

1234 Southbound⁗ 4
Low Moor 6 - Halifax 13 - Brighouse 24 - Mirfield 31 - Wakefield Kirkgate 45 - Pontefract Monkhill 1hr 4min - Doncaster 1hr 32min - London Kings Cross 3hr 13min
Low Moor 7 - Halifax 14 - Brighouse 24 - Huddersfield 37 -1234 Westbound
Halifax 11
Halifax 11 - Hebden Bridge 21 - Burnley 42 - Accrington 51 - Blackburn 59 - Preston 1hr 18min - Poulton le Fylde 1hr 35min - Blackpool 1hr 41min
Low Moor 6 - Halifax 13 - Sowerby Bridge 19 - Mytholmroyd 24 - Hebden Bridge 29 - Todmorden 36 - Rochdale 47 - Manchester Victoria 1hr 0min - Eccles - Newton le Willows 1hr 20min - Earlestown - Warrington 1hr 40min - Runcorn East - Frodsham - Helsby - Chester 2hr 0min1234 Eastbound
New Pudsey 8 - Bramley 12 - Leeds 23
New Pudsey 8 - Bramley 12 - Leeds 23 - Cross Gates 30 - Garforth 35 - East Garforth 37 - Micklefield 40 - South Milford 23 - Selby 55 - Brough 1hr 14min - Hull 1hr 27min
New Pudsey 9 - Leeds 23 - Church Fenton 43 - York 53
Typical fastest journey times in minutes.
Red - stations in West Yorkshire ticket area.
⁗ Only 4 trains daily. Pontefract: Mon-Fri 3 ; Sun 0.
♠ No Sunday service - change at Leeds for stations to Hull.

Station managed by: NORTHERN.   Operator/s: NORTHERN, GRAND CENTRAL.

NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station info
External link to National Rail live departure board for services at this station (opens in new tab).


Bradford Forster Square station Forster Square

Bradford Forster Square StationBradford Forster Square is a terminus for Northern electric train services to the north of the city to Skipton, to Ilkley and to Leeds. Both of Bradford's unconnected stations have services to Leeds — a total of six trains an hour during weekday daytime, two of those from this station. Forster Square also offers two daily LNER services reversing at Leeds to continue to London Kings Cross.

123 Northbound etc ⇆2
Shipley 7 - Leeds 22 ⇆ (dep) 30 - Wakefield Westgate 43 - Doncaster 1hr 5min - Grantham 1hr 36min - Stevenage 2hr 21min - London Kings Cross 2hr 48min
Frizinghall 3 - Shipley 7 - Baildon 10 - Guiseley 16 - Menston 19 - Burley in Wharfedale 22 - Ben Rhydding 26 - Ilkley 32
Frizinghall 3 - Shipley 7 - Saltaire 11 - Bingley 15 - Crossflatts 17 - Keighley 21 - Steeton and Silsden 26 - Cononley 31 - Skipton 39
Frizinghall 3 - Shipley 7 - Apperley Bridge 12 - Kirkstall Forge 17 - Leeds 26
Typical fastest journey times in minutes.
Red - stations in West Yorkshire ticket area.
⇆2 Two trains per day - reverses at Leeds. Italics - one train.

Station managed by: NORTHERN.   Operator/s: NORTHERN, LNER.

NATIONAL RAIL - Departure and station info
External link to National Rail live departure board for services at this station (opens in new tab).


Bradford Interchange Bridge Street

Most buses in Bradford and all inter-town services operate into Bradford Interchange, at Bridge Street, where there is also one of the city's two stations. A few local services not calling at the Interchange have stops at Hall Ings or Market Street.

Destinations include Cleckheaton 32, Bingley 35, Leeds 37, Morley 39, Batley 42, Leeds Bradford Airport 45-55, Halifax 46, Huddersfield 46, Keighley 50, Dewsbury 57, Wakefield 1hr 9min, Otley 1hr 12min, Harrogate 1hr 24minTypical fastest journey times in minutes.
Red - places in West Yorkshire ticket area.

 Metro - Bradford Interchange
Link to Metro - external web page with details of services and buses at this bus station.

Bradford Interchange bus station has reopened on January 5, 2025, after being closed for a year. See our Bus travel page for further details.

Road travel

Bradford ring road is linked by the M606 motorway to the M62 which provides for east-west journeys across West Yorkshire and a route towards the M1. It also often provides a faster but less direct route to other big towns and cities in West Yorkshire.

Leeds Bradford Airport Yeadon

Leeds Bradford Airport offers national, European and international flights. It is situated near the small town of Yeadon around 6 miles north-east of Bradford city centre (8 miles by road). A2 and A3 buses run from Bradford Interchange to the airport in about 50 minutes.

Further details on our Air travel page.
More information at  Leeds Bradford Airport website.

Emergency services

West Yorkshire Police  West Yorkshire Police website.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service  West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service website.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust  Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust website.


Local government

Metropolitan district council

City of Bradford

The City of Bradford authority covers an area extending many miles beyond the city itself, including areas of moorland of The Pennines and Ilkley Moor, parts of Wharfedale and Airedale and the Worth Valley.

The area includes many separate small towns and villages, among them Addingham, Baildon, Bingley, Burley in Wharfedale, Haworth, Idle, Ilkley, Keighley, Saltaire, Shipley and Silsden.

Councillors are elected across 30 wards with three councillors per ward.

One councillor per ward is elected for a four-year term on each of three years out of four.

Political composition after May 2024 election:

49 131310 5
90 members
Link to  City of Bradford MDC website.

See our Yorkshire.guide Gazetteer for more about the  Bradford metropolitan district and places within it.

County strategic authority

West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Covers some combined services of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire -  Bradford,  Calderdale,  Leeds,  Kirklees and  Wakefield — which were at one time provided by a West Yorkshire metropolitan county council, with the addition of the non-contiguous unitary authority area of the City of  York council as well as the unelected Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. Since 2021 it has operated with an elected mayor as chairman and decision-maker for some responsibilities. These include transport, housing and planning and finance powers. The responsibilities also include those of Police and Crime Commissioner, a role substantially delegated to an appointee deputy mayor.

Elected mayor: Tracy Brabin Labour & Cooperative
 West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.


Police and Crime Commissioner

The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire
This role has become one of the many responsibilities of the West Yorkshire elected mayor since May 2021.

 West Yorkshire Combined Authority website.


Fire Authority

West Yorkshire Fire Authority
The fire authority is made up of elected members of each of the five metropolitan district councils of West Yorkshire - Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds, Kirklees and Wakefield.
 West Yorkshire Fire Authority web pages.


Parliamentary constituencies

Bradford West
Elected MP: Naz Shah Labour

Bradford East
Elected MP: Imran Hussain Labour

Bradford South
Elected MP: Judith Cummins Labour


National government region

Yorkshire and the Humber

Ceremonial county

West Yorkshire

Historic

Municipal borough 1847-1889
County borough 1889-1974 (within the West Riding of Yorkshire)
City charter from 1897



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