New book: 111 Places in Bradford You Shouldn't Miss

Join Cath Muldowney for a guided tour of locations and venues off the beaten path, from ‘the Saville Row of the North’ to a backstreet anarchists’ music collective.

Says Cath: “Put your boots on and roam the moors above Haworth, or put your dancing shoes on and head to the independent bars of North Parade. Feast on fabulous world cuisines or sample real ales from local breweries. Visit Little Germany, with its towering Victorian textile warehouses. And don’t forget to look up - the architecture is stunning.”

Cath’s discovery guide, 111 Places in Bradford That You Shouldn’t Miss, heads away from the crowds and opens up the hidden nooks, little known trails and oddities of our district. It’s a fascinating guide for both locals and tourists.

The city, says Cath, “is emerging from its industrial past and developing into a powerhouse of artistic creativity and unique attractions. Many of its landmark buildings have been transformed to serve the 21st century. It has modern sculptures and street art alongside historical statues. Travel outside the city centre and you’re in spectacular countryside, with satellite towns and villages adding their own flavour to the melting pot. Parks, formal gardens, water features and the ‘Tree for every child’ project breathe life into the city. Feats of engineering include the Five Rise Locks, Hewenden Viaduct and Chellow Dene Reservoirs. Undercliffe Cemetery is a Victorian gem, and museums hold art and treasures from far and wide, telling the story of Bradford’s fascinating history.

“Building on is history of welcoming people from around the world to live, Bradford is a City of Sanctuary, reflected in the array of restaurants, shops, bars and attractions. Grassroots clubs sit alongside national treasures like the Alhambra theatre. From Hockney originals to urban street sculpture, world class theatre to the world’s longest-running folk club, Yorkshire puddings to chicken biryani, this vibrant city will surprise you - in the best possible way.”

Cath’s composition of 111 must-see places, accompanied by her striking photographs, includes intriguing places we may have walked past and never really noticed, and places so tucked away we’ve missed them. There’s the mini market 10 minutes’ walk from the Interchange -Alyonka & Aryana, established by a man who came to Bradford from Afghanistan, and longed for the food of his childhood. Named after his wife and daughter, the food store, with “sunshine yellow frontage and giant Russian doll murals”, sells food from Ukraine, Latvia, Russia, Armenia and Kazakhstan. A deli counter is “piled high with cooked meats, fish, fresh carp, golden chanterelle mushrooms and much more”.

Then there’s Manning’s Musicals on Westgate, established over 30 years ago. Entering the shop, writes Cath, is “like stepping onto the set of a film featuring the quintessential music shop. Owner Malcolm will wince if you call it a guitar shop, because guitars are just the beginning. This musical emporium has everything from an American truck horn to vintage accordians and steel drums.”

There’s High Royds Memorial Garden, a quiet two-acre plot that’s the resting place of 2,861 residents of the former psychiatric hospital; Bierley Woods, originally the 18th century botanical gardens of Bierley Hall, with ponds, waterfalls and druid stone circles; Bowling Park, with life-size bear sculptures; and Queensbury Navy Memorial, a poignant tribute to men who lost their lives building Queensbury railway tunnel.

Cath takes us to Idle Working Men’s Club, which counts Michael Jackson, Roger Moore and Paul Gascoigne among its honorary members; Cobbles and Clay, “a cafe that can multi-task” on Haworth’s Main Street; Keighley Bus Museum, a treasure trove of almost 100 vehicles in an old foundry; and Nightrain, a rock bar in a once semi-derelict building, the “pride and joy of director/promoter Keith, inspired to set up his own venue after touring with his Nirvana tribute band”.

Nightrain is a live music venue and rock bar in Queensgate, Bradford (Image: Submitted)

Among the public art explored is the Delius Leaf, a 20ft tunnel sculpture flanked by the Great Victoria Hotel and Bradford Crown Court, paying tribute to composer Frederick Delius, born to German parents at Claremont; the Fibres sculpture, made from old railways lines, at the Forster Square station arches; and Grandad’s Clock and Chair, as it’s known locally, the sandstone model in Little Germany’s Chapel Street that “may be a playful nod to a mill owner’s office or a reminder of the Victorian families who shaped Bradford”.

The ghost room at Bolling Hall is in the book (Image: submitted)

Other places featured, in a chapter each, include the 1in 12 Club, Keighley Picture House, Manningham Mills, Beckfoot Bridge, Ponden Kirk, Bradford Club, Shipley Glen Tramway, St David’s Ruin, The Sweet Centre, Denso Marston Reserve, the Record Cafe, Bombay Stores, Tapestry Arts and Rimmington Pharmacy.

Bombay Stores, a popular family-run business since 1982 (Image: submitted)

Cath Muldowney has lived in Bradford most of her life. She worked in local government before becoming an antique dealer, specialising in “unusual and bizarre items.” As a photographer, she has a passion for social documentary, portraying urban landscapes and people she meets in them.

She loves to travel - but always comes home to Bradford.

Twinkletoes opened 60 years ago, one of the first dancewear specialists in the North (Image: Submitted)

The book is a guide to places off the beaten track (Image: submitted)

* 111 Places in Bradford That You Shouldn’t Miss, published by Emons Verlag, is available at bookshops and online.

Visit 111places.com/111-places-in-bradford