Bradford named as City of Culture 2025

[DelayRepay]

Bradford has been named as the UK City of Culture for 2025.

Bradford named as the UK city of culture 2025

City announced winner after months of competition, beating Southampton, Wrexham and County Durham

www.theguardian.com

Bradford, one of the most diverse places in the UK, has been named the 2025 city of culture, a prestigious accolade that attracts thousands of tourists and guarantees millions of pounds of funding and investment.

Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, announced the winner live on BBC One’s The One Show on Tuesday evening, after months of intense competition for the title.


Dorries said Bradford was a “worthy winner” of the 2025 title against stiff competition.

“Art and culture should be accessible to everyone and this prestigious title will help Bradford deliver unforgettable events for communities on their doorstep.

“Coventry has shown us how powerful the UK city of culture title is at boosting investment, attracting visitors and leaving a lasting legacy for local people.”

Bradford 2025, the bidding team, tweeted: “This is our time to celebrate our extraordinary district – and for our young population to become leaders and change-makers to begin an exciting new chapter in our story.”

Congratulations to Bradford!

City of culture attracts a bit of stick, but I spent a bit of time in Hull when they had this honour and I thought there was a great buzz.

 

[dk1]

I had my fingers crossed all through The One Show last night. Well done Bradford.

 

[Bantamzen]

I must admit it was a nice surprise to be named as City of Culture 2025. I'm hoping this is going to give the city some more momentum in moving forward & regenerating itself. Looking forward to seeing what goes on in 2025.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Great! Now I get the chance to re-use this old joke...

"Whose fridge did they look in to find culture in Liverpool Hull Bradford?"

Being serious, congratulations to the city of Bradford- one that gets a bad rap that it doesn't entirely deserve. I'm not sure how effective these "city of culture" jobs are when it comes to actually improving the standard of living for residents, but it's better than being ignored.

 

[xotGD]

I'd rather have Northern Poorhouse Rail serving the city than City of Culture, but at least it should give the area a boost.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Bradford didn't even get the through services to Liverpool, Sheffield and Manchester Airport which Northern promised as part of their Northern Connect service upgrade.

 

[306024]

Probably the biggest city in the UK I know least about. Hope the economic boost is really successful, but can't wait until 2025 for a visit so must go this year too

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Bradford is just perfect, a very diverse place - just right for a city of culture but I'd hoped for Wrexham to win as two English cities already had their turn, time for a non-English city or this could prompt complaints the Union doesn't feel balanced if English cities keep getting the title.

Wrexham likely needs this more than Bradford, it is in a much worse shape being a ghost town and needing investment also Bradford could have got their turn for 2029.

Well done Bradford for 2025, hopefully better luck next time for Wrexham.

I do feel sorry for Coventry, their 2021 tenure clearly came at the worst time - the first two letters in common with a certain virus.

Then again, Coventry had changed a great deal with many improvements that I remember how grotty it looked in the early 90s. The city centre now seems more pleasant to drive around with cosmetic Dutch style facelifts, no traffic lights at all which many were removed when junctions were converted into shared spaces. Not forgetting the formerly ugly area around the rail station & ring road now is a lot better and more pedestrian friendly.

 

[yorkie]

Bradford is just perfect, a very diverse place - just right for a city of culture but I'd hoped for Wrexham to win as two English cities already had their turn, time for a non-English city or this could prompt complaints the Union doesn't feel balanced if English cities keep getting the title.

Wrexham likely needs this more than Bradford, it is in a much worse shape being a ghost town ...

I am not sure it makes sense to say a ghost town should have won this award; it seems to be a counter-intuitive argument to me.

As for Bradford, the city centre seemed to be a never ending building site for many years but is looking much better now since various developments have been completed. We tend to have about one forum meal in Bradford each year and we always get to good restaurants, good pubs and my experiences there have never been bad at all.

 

[xotGD]

Are we saying that the City of Culture should be somewhere with lots of culture, or somewhere a bit grim that needs a boost?

I think Bradford managed to tick both boxes - the culture is within the borough, but the city itself, especially some of the suburbs, offers the grimness.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Bradford despite its flaws has much to offer, I really like the industrial-era architecture in the city centre & Little Germany area also its multiculturalism offers a huge range of eateries to choose from, so many along the Leeds Road!

It is fortunate with the larger Leeds being next door as other Yorkshire places are in a much dire condition such as Wakefield with many boarded up shops, so bad there's a free council-managed car park behind the bus station.

 

[Runningaround]

Bradford didn't even get the through services to Liverpool, Sheffield and Manchester Airport which Northern promised as part of their Northern Connect service upgrade.

Even the ''Why should it be a City MK'' has got some for at least one of them

 

[johntea]

The main problem with Wakefield (and Bradford to an extent) is they knock up Trinity Walk / The Broadway (eventually!) which the main retailers obviously want to set up shop at, but then there is no point in keeping their existing branches open, so now you have The Ridings and Kirkgate being rather surplus to requirements!

They could be great places for independent retailers to set up shop...if the rent wasn't so high!

 

[AlterEgo]

Talking of culture, is the film The Lady of Heaven showing anywhere in Bradford?

 

[Runningaround]

Talking of Bradford BBC2's '' Bradford on Duty'' showed a lot of culture.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Also not forgetting gems of the city like Saltaire and Ilkley...

It is a shame the DfT snubbed Bradford by bypassing it between Leeds & Manchester, the new central rail station would help Bradford immensely what with the city of culture awarding also attracting investment, businesses, movers and tourism. Too bad this was short sighted, typically of Shapps with smart motorways being blind to their flaws.

Talking of culture, is the film The Lady of Heaven showing anywhere in Bradford?

Ha ha, every city have groups of nuisance people causing a scene whether it is eco-warriors or nimbys etc. Part and parcel of living in a big city.

 

[Bantamzen]

Also not forgetting gems of the city like Saltaire and Ilkley...

It is a shame the DfT snubbed Bradford by bypassing it between Leeds & Manchester, the new central rail station would help Bradford immensely what with the city of culture awarding also attracting investment, businesses, movers and tourism. Too bad this was short sighted, typically of Shapps with smart motorways being blind to their flaws.

To be fair, a new line through Bradford would be a massive challenge, and as such was never likely to happen. But it would be nice for the government to invest a little more in services around here, and maybe even help spruce up the stations a bit. Oh and more regular trains to places like Saltaire and Ilkley like we used to have would be nice.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

The main problem with Wakefield (and Bradford to an extent) is they knock up Trinity Walk / The Broadway (eventually!) which the main retailers obviously want to set up shop at, but then there is no point in keeping their existing branches open, so now you have The Ridings and Kirkgate being rather surplus to requirements!

They could be great places for independent retailers to set up shop...if the rent wasn't so high!

Good point, the 2025 award may help slowing Bradford's decline as Wakefield's and others are a bit worse.

To be fair, a new line through Bradford would be a massive challenge, and as such was never likely to happen. But it would be nice for the government to invest a little more in services around here, and maybe even help spruce up the stations a bit. Oh and more regular trains to places like Saltaire and Ilkley like we used to have would be nice.

Perhaps a rail tunnel or on-street tram line linking Forster Square and Interchange stations?

 

[Bantamzen]

Perhaps a rail tunnel or on-street tram line linking Forster Square and Interchange stations?

It has been previously proposed to have the line from Leeds through New Pudsey served by tram-trains, which would then run through the city to Forster Square then out along the line to Shipley and beyond, possibly one day out towards the airport.

But this is still very much drawn only in Crayola, and would likely take decades to realise. But there are ways to improve the job without massive expense that would help massively such as restoring the city's train frequencies & maybe a few incentives to increase passenger numbers.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Also not forgetting gems of the city like Saltaire and Ilkley...

Which raises the question: is the Culture Capital awarded to the city of Bradford, or the borough? I'd argue that neither Saltaire nor Ilkley are in Bradford proper, but are simply under Bradford Council for convenience.

 

[MikeWM]

I rather like Bradford, and with its heritage in film and media I find there's quite a bit of interesting stuff there for me to see. It seems a good choice for city of culture.

My main issue - while rather esoteric! - is that I can never find anywhere in the city centre to get a takeaway pizza (or even a burger) in the evening. Which is baffling for a place this size, and maybe I'm missing something obvious (anyone with local knowledge have any ideas?!), but I've stayed at the central Premier Inn 4 or 5 times in the last 10 years and have failed miserably every time.

The other issue - though not really an issue with Bradford in itself! - is that this Premier Inn is the only one I've stayed in in recent times where the free wifi doesn't seem to work in the rooms (though it is ok in reception and indeed in the stairwell). It was like that in 2019 and was still like that a few months ago (when I checked in, my first thought was 'oh, this is *that* Premier Inn with the wifi that doesn't work properly, darn' - and indeed it still didn't...) On the plus side, it is one of the few in the area that seems to always have reasonably-priced rooms available.

 

[Bantamzen]

Which raises the question: is the Culture Capital awarded to the city of Bradford, or the borough? I'd argue that neither Saltaire nor Ilkley are in Bradford proper, but are simply under Bradford Council for convenience.

If you walked from the city centre along Manningham Lane towards Saltaire , with the exception of Lister Park you would not once see a break in residential areas. So finding a dividing line of what might be the boundaries is almost impossible. Like all other cities, Bradford has grown and comsumed towns and villages around it. Saltaire is definitely Bradford.

As for Ilkley, well there is the small matter of a big old moor between it and Bradford. However Ilkley will benefit greatly from being part of the City of Culture 2025, as I understand it from people currently instigating plans for events. As for the question as to whether it should be part of Bradford, the same could be asked of Otley being part of Leeds.

I rather like Bradford, and with its heritage in film and media I find there's quite a bit of interesting stuff there for me to see. It seems a good choice for city of culture.

My main issue - while rather esoteric! - is that I can never find anywhere in the city centre to get a takeaway pizza (or even a burger) in the evening. Which is baffling for a place this size, and maybe I'm missing something obvious (anyone with local knowledge have any ideas?!), but I've stayed at the central Premier Inn 4 or 5 times in the last 10 years and have failed miserably every time.

The other issue - though not really an issue with Bradford in itself! - is that this Premier Inn is the only one I've stayed in in recent times where the free wifi doesn't seem to work in the rooms (though it is ok in reception and indeed in the stairwell). It was like that in 2019 and was still like that a few months ago (when I checked in, my first thought was 'oh, this is *that* Premier Inn with the wifi that doesn't work properly, darn' - and indeed it still didn't...) On the plus side, it is one of the few in the area that seems to always have reasonably-priced rooms available.

I must admit that finding a good pizza is hard, however I will recommend Pizza Pieces on Market Street underneath the Wool Exchange. Their pizzas are simple but delicious, and it has been run by the same Italian family ever since it opened.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

My main issue - while rather esoteric! - is that I can never find anywhere in the city centre to get a takeaway pizza (or even a burger) in the evening. Which is baffling for a place this size, and maybe I'm missing something obvious (anyone with local knowledge have any ideas?!), but I've stayed at the central Premier Inn 4 or 5 times in the last 10 years and have failed miserably every time.

Yes, that can seem strange, Bradford is probably not as convenient as Leeds that you could expect to find anything anywhere. The Leeds Road would be a better bet for food & takeaways but this could be quite a trek from the city centre.

Maybe some could be found in the Broadway centre that may be open after the shops have closed?

Hopefully the 2025 award may open up new opportunities to offer more food options in the city centre in the evenings.

Which raises the question: is the Culture Capital awarded to the city of Bradford, or the borough? I'd argue that neither Saltaire nor Ilkley are in Bradford proper, but are simply under Bradford Council for convenience.

Fair enough, if you are nerdy enough like me if you notice the little things like the street furniture like the lighting & traffic lights in Ilkley which are different to to neighbouring Craven district & Leeds MBC but are identical to the rest of Bradford because Ilkley is part of Bradford MBC therefore I associate Ilkley as Bradford but that's just me...

 

[MikeWM]

I must admit that finding a good pizza is hard, however I will recommend Pizza Pieces on Market Street underneath the Wool Exchange. Their pizzas are simple but delicious, and it has been run by the same Italian family ever since it opened.

Looks very nice, but it doesn't appear to be open in evenings?

Looking up its location, you've reminded me that one of the other nice things about Bradford is that it has one of the best interiors of a Waterstones I've been in, anywhere

Yes, that can seem strange, Bradford is probably not as convenient as Leeds that you could expect to find anything anywhere. The Leeds Road would be a better bet for food & takeaways but this could be quite a trek from the city centre.

Maybe some could be found in the Broadway centre that may be open after the shops have closed?

There's definitely places to sit down and have a meal, eg. around where the new(-ish) Light cinema is located. But a distinct lack of takeaways (that I've found, at least).

Though Leeds city centre isn't that great for takeaways either, in my experience. A bit better than Bradford but still rather lacking when compared to most other city centres.

 

[Bantamzen]

Looks very nice, but it doesn't appear to be open in evenings?

Ah yes, I usually go before a Bradford City game for some pizza slices and a bottle of Peroni. But if you are around before 7pm, it's well worth a go. For my nighttime pizza I use a place in Shipley called Le Monde. Their pizza sauce is just top notch.

Looking up its location, you've reminded me that one of the other nice things about Bradford is that it has one of the best interiors of a Waterstones I've been in, anywhere

The Wool Exchange is a remarkable building to say the least, as demonstrated in Waterstones. But if you like a pint, there is the Exchange underneath (and next to Pizza Pieces) which is a vaulted bar and quite a nice place to chill. And if you look up at parts of the ceiling you can see where there were once hatches leading to the wool trading floor, as sellers would keep the stocks at the level the pub is at (and there are at least two below that are blocked off) then hoist up samples for the buyers.

There's definitely places to sit down and have a meal, eg. around where the new(-ish) Light cinema is located. But a distinct lack of takeaways (that I've found, at least).

Yeah that's a problem, if you don't want curry there's not a lot of choice. Hopefully that will change soon.

 

[xotGD]

So the purpose of City of Culture is to give us more pizza shops in the city centre.

That's why County Durham didn't win - already plenty of options for pizza and parmo!

 

[dorsetdesiro]

So the purpose of City of Culture is to give us more pizza shops in the city centre.

That's why County Durham didn't win - already plenty of options for pizza and parmo!

It might offer us some cuisine options that aren't there at the mo - Mongolian, Kazakh maybe?

- - - - - -

I'm told there's a doc showing on BBC2 about the city this Thurs, looks like another cop show so probably not a good advert for 2025. Bradford seems to be a regular staple on UK cop shows like those on 5Action or Sky Crime!

 

[mm333]

It might offer us some cuisine options that aren't there at the mo - Mongolian, Kazakh maybe?

I miss the Russian Restaurant, which closed in 2013 after two arson attacks in a week.

Not sure it would be getting much business these days though.

 

[ChrisC]

Bradford is a city that I had not really been to and explored until about 6 or 7 years ago. Therefore I do not know what the city centre and shopping areas were like before the days of the new Broadway Shopping Centre. I have stayed in the centre of Bradford 4 times during these last few years, firstly at the Bradford Central Premier Inn and then three stays at the Midland Hotel. I love the Midland Hotel and it’s often far cheaper to stay there than a budget hotel in nearby Leeds. Hotel accommodation in Bradford is usually less than half the price of similar accommodation in Leeds and that’s the main reason why I first visited. Also for visiting places like Haworth, Saltaire, Skipton, Ilkley, Worth Valley Railway and other West Yorkshire attractions it is more convenient than Leeds with reasonable transport links.

I really like the centre of Bradford, that is the whole area between Bradford Interchange and Bradford Forster Square Stations including the City Park, Broadway Shopping Centre and the Little Germany area towards the Cathedral. There are some lovely old building some of which are very grand, some nice open spaces, plus an excellent theatre and a good museum. However you don’t have to stray very far outside this small well kept central area before you find yourself in very run down and almost derelict streets and certainly streets that I wouldn’t walk down after dark. I have found walking back from the Alhambra Theatre to the Midland Hotel late at night feels relatively safe compared to many other city centres. Generally I found it very strange that this central area of Bradford always seems so quiet in the evenings with very few people about. There are very few restaurants in this central area of Bradford where you can get a decent meal in the evening which also seems strange for a city of this size. Are all the restaurants and other nightlife venues situated on the main roads out of Bradford in areas like the Leeds Road and nothing in the actual city centre? I didn’t risk walking to them on my own after dark as the walk from the city centre to these areas didn’t look too safe after dark. I do live in a quiet village so don’t tend to be very comfortable in unknown city areas at night.

It will be interesting to see if being City of Culture brings more restaurants etc to the city centre or helps develop and tidy up some of the derelict areas immediately outside that central area.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Thanks to ChrisC, indeed another gem of Bradford - Haworth - I forgot about it!