FROM early trolleybuses to the then shiny new magistrates court, images of Bradford past will be beamed into the city centre of the present this Easter.

Fascinating images of the past century in Centenary Square - showing how it looked in the early and mid-20th century, long before the days of the City Park and Mirror Pool - will be revealed on the Big Screen, in a partnership with Bradford Museums and Galleries and Bradford UNESCO City of Film.

Called The North in Focus, the exhibition will feature images - including many previously unseen - from the extensive collection of Bradford Museums and Galleries.

Themed exhibitions will change every two months and the first one, which started yesterday, features a collection by Bradford’s famous father of photography, CH Woods. The series of images, entitled, Right here, Right then, features images taken in and around Centenary Square and will run on the screen every day at 12.15pm.

Bradford Museums and Galleries manager, Maggie Pedley said: "We are delighted to be bringing the images of Bradford Museums Photo Archive to the heart of the city to be displayed so prominently. The original photographers would have been amazed to have their work displayed on such a grand scale.”

David Wilson, director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, said: “This is a really exciting project for the city. Some of these images have never been seen before and are newly digitized for the screen. I look forward to seeing them up on the Big Screen."

Situated in front of the National Media Museum in City Park, with its Mirror Pool and shooting fountains, the screen brings cutting-edge film and creativity to the heart of the city centre. Up to 300,000 people pass the screen each month, offering valuable exposure for filmmakers to showcase their work.

The programme for the Big Screen, compiled by Bradford City of Film and Bradford Council, is aimed at highlighting innovative and creative local content, and providing a voice and focus for local communities and organisations to share stories and information.

The Bradford Museums and Galleries photographic archive is housed at Bradford Industrial Museum in Eccleshill. Consisting of more than 350,000 glass and film negatives and prints, it includes a number of significant collections:

• CH Wood - For most of the 20th century this respected photographer and his company recorded life in the Bradford district and throughout the north of England. The company was particularly well known for its aerial photography.

• Christopher Pratt - A third generation member of the Bradford furniture manufacturer and retailer, Christopher Pratt became passionately interested in photography from an early age. His images give a unique view of Bradford's society and industry prior to the First World War.

• Belle Vue Studio - Although it opened in 1902, Manningham’s Belle Vue Studio became a popular destination in the 1950s for those coming to live and work in Bradford from other parts of the world. It was particularly popular with newly-arrived Asian families arriving in the 1960s. This collection holds 17,000 individual, group or family portraits.

• Bradford Heritage Recording Unit - Set up in 1983, the unit was established with the aim of creating an audio and photographic archive reflecting all aspects of everyday life and leisure in and around Bradford. In addition to donated prints, the collection contains images taken by photographers working for BHRU between 1983 and 2003.

• The archive also holds a considerable number of smaller collections of negatives and prints donated to Bradford Museums and Galleries.

* For more about the exhibition visit bigscreenbradford. For more about Bradford Museums Photo Archive and to see online collections, visit bradfordmuseums.org/photolibrary