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City in West Yorkshire, England
Photo: John Illingworth, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Bradford is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire in the north of England. With a population of about 550,000 (2021) to the east its built-up area runs into that of Leeds, while to the west are Pennine valleys, the "Bronte Country". It's notable for the many Victorian mills and other buildings from its industrial heyday, and for its high Asian population: some 27% of residents describe themselves as "Asian", their families mostly originating from Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir.
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An impressive collection of 85 buildings constructed between 1855 and 1890, during the heyday of Bradford's wool textile industry, now a residential and business district. 55 of them are listed because of their architectural and historical importance.
A wealth of information and interactive exhibits from the history of photography, film and television, as well as the IMAX cinema. You can view archive episodes of Dr Who, The Clangers, Coronation Street and so on.
Museum of early industry with working textile machinery. Car museum and mill manager's house on same site.
One of the oldest buildings in Bradford, with parts dating to the 14th century, now a museum with various rooms in different period décor.
The Bradford Police Museum provides a unique insight into the history of policing, criminal justice, civic enforcement and the development of crime and punishment in Bradford from the early 19th century onwards.
This cheap and cheerful Pakistani restaurant is a Bradford institution. BYOB, cash only.
Restaurant upstairs, cafe-style downstairs. Long-established, relentlessly tatty decor, good food most nights, and very cheap: a starter & main meal should be under £7.
Good up-market Pakistani-Kashmir restaurant. No alcohol.
Gets great reviews for food and service, the family-sized naan is humongous. Bring your own alcohol.
A reliable Italian chain.
Modern curry house with contemporary feel, pricey but value for money. Their spices are hot! Often packed and noisy, difficult to hold a conversation, booking advised at weekends.
Free house, old-style pub. Excellent range of real ales, bottled beers and good grub. A 10-min walk out of the city centre but worth it!
Long established gay pub. Drag nights, karaoke, quiz & cabaret, not necessarily at the same time.
A great pub near Forster Sq Station. A free house with a good amount of guest ales. Great food too. Has won several awards from CAMRA.
A Samuel Smiths pub, all the regular Smiths' brews on draft, low prices. The beer garden is a nice sun-trap, allows smoking. Note there's also a Shoulder of Mutton in Keighley.
Decent functional chain offering, no a/c so hot summers can be uncomfortable. parking £4 per night.
formerly Jurys Inn
It's showing its age.
By train
By bus
The M62 motorway crosses the Pennines and at junction 26 the M606 is a spur into Bradford city. Bradford bus station is within the Interchange, see above.
By bus: see West Yorkshire Metro for timetables and route maps. Your likeliest bus trip is to Leeds, see above.
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