There are so many fascinating things to discover about Bradford from its history to its pop culture icons, here are some answers to your most-asked questions about the district:
What is Bradford Known For?
The Bradford district has long been at the forefront of people’s minds thanks to its longstanding history with the wool industry, with the city once being referred to as the ‘Wool Capital of the World’. The evidence of this can still be seen today, not only in the large number of mill buildings in the area, but also in the purpose-built mill village Saltaire which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Bradford is famous for plenty of other things too though. The famous Brontë sisters lived and wrote their amazing literary works in Thornton and Haworth, just a few miles from Cottingley, where years later another group of young girls would stage photographs of fairies which would fool some of the world’s leading minds including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Today Bradford still stands proud as the world's first UNESCO City of Film, welcoming productions from across the globe. David Hockney was born here and many of his famous works can be found here in the galleries at Cartwright Hall and Salts Mill. One of the countries best-loved heritage railways still whisks passengers through the countryside and hikers in their thousands flock to Ilkley to set off across the beautiful moorlands.
The city is also famous for its spicy cuisine and is often referred to as the curry capital of Britain with many popular and authentic curry houses found throughout the area serving up tasty authentic Asian cuisine.
Famous Faces
Over the years many of the country’s best and brightest have been Bradfordians. From incredible scientific minds to creators of music, art and literature, talented folks have always come from the district – it must be something in the water! Here are just a few of the amazing famous folks who hail from Bradford:
- Nobel Prize-winner Sir Edward Appleton (Investigations of the physics of the upper atmosphere)
- Academy Award-winner Simon Beaufory (Best Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire)
- Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë
- Harry Corbett, the creator of Sooty
- Physicist Albert Crewe
- Ann Daniels, part of the first all-woman team to reach the North and South Poles
- Stephen Frayne (formerly known as Dynamo)
- Singer Gareth Gates
- Artist David Hockney
- Author Eric Knight, creator of Lassie
- Singer Zayn Malik
- Captain Sir Thomas Moore
- Playwright J B Priestley
- Presenter and chancellor of Bradford University Anita Rani
- Actor Michael Rennie
- Actress Mollie Sugden
- Presenter Alan Titchmarsh
- Singer Kimberley Walsh
- Singer Ricky Wilson
- Elsie Wright, co-creator of the Cottingley Fairy photographs
What’s In A Name?
- Did you know, the name Bradford comes from the old English Brad and Ford. This refers to the ‘broad ford’ over Bradford Beck which once sat near where Bradford Cathedral now stands.
- The name Ilkley is thought to come from either the old name Olicana from the Roman settlement which stood on the same grounds as Ilkley Manor House or to have been derived from the old English name ‘Ylla’.
- The name Haworth can be found as far back as records from 1209 with the name thought to refer to a hedged or hawthorn enclosure.
- Keighley is believed to come from ‘Cichelai’ meaning ‘Cyhha’s farm’ (though the spelling has changed often over the years).
- Shipley comes directly from the old English ‘Sceap’ and ‘leah’ which rather sweetly means ‘sheep meadow’
- Saltaire is of course named for its founder Sir Titus Salt and is the newest of the big settlements in the district.
Bradford Trivia
How many of these fun facts about Bradford did you know?
- St George’s Hall in Bradford is the oldest concert hall in Britain.
- Charles Darwin stayed in Ilkley in 1859 during the publication of his great work ‘On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection’.
- The famous chef Marco Pierre White trained at the Box Tree restaurant in Ilkley.
- Bradford’s City Park contains the UK’s largest urban water feature.
- The district is home to over 4000 listed buildings.
- Keighley is recorded as having the first modern town-twinning agreement after entering an agreement with Poix-du-nord in France.
- When Salts Mill was completed in 1853 it was the largest industrial building in the world.
- In 1906 Bradford became the first place in the UK to serve school dinner.
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