How to spend a day in Bradford
As the West Yorkshire city becomes UK City of Culture, Bradford 2025 creative director Shanaz Gulzar shares just some of its cultural highlights.
A version of this article first appeared in the winter 2024 issue of Art Quarterly, the membership magazine of Art Fund.
Known for its rich industrial heritage and vibrant cultural landscape, Bradford is poised for a major transformation as the 2025 UK City of Culture. Celebrated for its diverse South Asian communities, its historical role as a wool capital and its world-class museums and galleries, Bradford is set to host a year-long celebration of art, culture, and creativity. This prestigious title promises to bring new energy to the city’s ever-evolving identity. Let’s embark on a day-long journey through some of Bradford’s most iconic cultural landmarks.
Our day begins at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, nestled in the scenic Lister Park. The building itself is an architectural gem, its Edwardian façade reflecting Bradford’s industrial prosperity in the early 20th century. Inside, visitors can explore a diverse collection of art, ranging from Victorian-era works to contemporary pieces. Bradford District Museums & Galleries was one of the first UK local authority museum services to start collecting works by South Asian and Black artists, and Cartwright Hall showcases this wonderful collection, reflecting Bradford’s multicultural identity.
As part of Bradford 2025, in the year that the UK marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of JMW Turner, Cartwright Hall is set to host the Turner Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the contemporary art world, celebrating British and international artists who push the boundaries of creative expression.
A short trip from Cartwright Hall is the Brontë Parsonage Museum, an essential stop for literary enthusiasts. The museum, housed in the former home of Charlotte, Emily, Anne and Branwell Brontë, provides an intimate glimpse into their lives and writing processes. It holds the world’s largest collection of Brontë manuscripts, letters and personal possessions, offering a rich understanding of the sisters’ literary genius. The surrounding moorland, the setting for novels such as Wuthering Heights, is as atmospheric today as it was in the 19th century. These moorlands will host our outdoor exhibition ‘Wild Uplands’, a series of new artworks set under the big skies and epic views at Penistone Hill, Haworth.
Whilst out in the Bradford district, stop at the internationally renowned Salts Mill in Saltaire, home to the largest permanent collection of David Hockney paintings in the world and the Peace Museum, the only accredited museum of its kind anywhere in the UK, recently relocated with support from City of Culture funding. Dedicated to peace, non-violence, and social justice, the Peace Museum’s collection includes banners, posters, and artefacts from peace protests and campaigns, offering a powerful reminder of Bradford’s activist roots.
Next, we visit Cliffe Castle Museum and park. Once a grand Victorian mansion built by local textile magnate Henry Isaac Butterfield, the museum is today a treasure trove of fine and decorative arts, natural-history exhibits and a remarkable collection of period furnishings that reflect the opulence of Victorian life. The museum’s glass conservatory and formal gardens make it an idyllic place to wander, while the stunning interior features ornate stained glass, ceramics and an impressive geological gallery.
During Bradford 2025, in partnership with the British Museum and Bradford District Museums & Galleries, Cliffe Castle Museum will be the venue for ‘Ice Age Art Now’. This exhibition will feature work by people living in Europe at the end of the last Ice Age, some as much as 32,000 years old, and shows how artistic creativity existed thousands of years before traditional art histories suggest, alongside contemporary art and new commissions. To the south of the city centre, Bolling Hall Museum, in a building that dates back to the Middle Ages, is another venue telling stories of Bradford’s past inhabitants.
From history, we move to the future at the National Science and Media Museum, which will reopen in 2025 following a multimillion-pound transformation. Located in the heart of Bradford city centre, it demonstrates the pivotal role Bradford played in the development of cinema and television, as well as the broader impact of media, photography and technology on our lives.
No art lover’s visit to Bradford would be complete without stopping at Impressions Gallery, one of the UK’s most celebrated spaces for contemporary photography. A short walk from the National Science and Media Museum, this gallery has long been known for showcasing thought-provoking photography that engages with social issues such as identity, belonging and migration. During Bradford 2025, Impressions Gallery will present ‘Nationhood: Memory and Hope’, a major exhibition by Ethiopian artist Aïda Muluneh that examines migration and displacement through the lens of international photographers and local communities.
Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture runs from January to December and celebrates contemporary culture in all forms, so there’s never been a better time to explore this city’s unique blend of art, history and innovation. From contemporary photography to literary heritage, and from peace activism to cutting-edge media, a day in Bradford offers a rich tapestry of experiences that will leave any art lover inspired and intrigued.
Beyond art in Bradford
Eat
Bradford is known as the curry capital of Britain. To discover a unique fusion of South Asian and British culinary traditions, head to MyLahore or try Prashad for a full vegetarian experience. For cheese and wine time, give Pavé Deli in Haworth a go.
Shop
There’s the vibrant South Asian fashion scene on Leeds Road for the Eastern style. For arts materials, a proper Yorkshire cream tea, David Hockney work and lots of books visit the historic Salts Mill in Saltaire village, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Relax
If after a day of exploring museums and galleries, shops and restaurants, you need some time for yourself, go for a walk in the beautiful moors that inspired the Brontë sisters. They are truly beautiful in all seasons, but especially stunning when the heather is in bloom in August.
A visual artist and creative director of Bradford 2025.
The more you see, the more we do.
The National Art Pass lets you enjoy free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, while raising money to support them.