Things To Do in Bradford
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Bradford Attractions
Bradford's museums, mill shops, and restaurants provide the main attractions for tourists. The city also boasts Bradford University, one of the better regional universities in the United Kingdom.
The Industrial Museum and Horse at Work, Moorside Mills, Moorside Road (tel. 01274/435900; www.bradfordmuseums.org), depicts mill life for worker and owner in the 1870s, and offers Shire horse rides for kids and adults. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday noon to 5pm; admission is free. The Saltaire (www.saltairevillage.info), Salt's Mill, is the restored model factory-community developed in the mid-19th century by mill owner and philanthropist Titus Salt. The 1853 Gallery at Saltaire (tel. 01274/531163) exhibits more than 400 works by local artist David Hockney, among others.
Visitors can travel by steam-driven train on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (tel. 01535/645214; www.kwvr.co.uk) for a tour of Brontë country in Haworth , through Oakworth's Edwardian station and Damen's Station, billed as Britain's smallest rail station. It operates daily in summer and only on Saturday in the winter.
National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, Little Horton Lane (tel. 0870/7010200; www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk), captures the history of photography, film, and television in audiovisual presentations that span 150 years. The five-story-high IMAX screen, the largest in England, explores a dazzling variety of cinematic images in a series of new and continuing exhibitions. Admission to the museum is free; the IMAX movie costs £7 for adults, £5 for children. Advance booking is recommended. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 8pm.
Bradford's textile industry is still represented in dozens of area mill shops where bargain hunters may find a great variety of mohair, pure-wool yarns, fabrics, sportswear, and other clothing and accessories. Some mill shops provide tours of factory spinning, weaving, and textile finishing.
Bradford Nightlife
Alhambra Theatre, Morley Street (tel. 01274/432000; www.bradford-theatres.co.uk), offers a variety of presentations ranging from amateur to professional. At certain times of the year, leading actors of the English stage and screen may appear here. You can also see children's theater, ballet, and musicals. Ticket prices vary depending upon the type of performance. The theater is closed for a few weeks in August.
But perhaps you're just looking for a local pub. In the city center, the Shoulder of Mutton, 28 Kirkgate (tel. 01274/726038), has a beer garden that comes complete with flower beds and hanging baskets. The oldest brewery in Yorkshire, it was originally Samuel Smith's Old Brewery. Lunch is available, and they also sell real ale here. As many as 200 drinkers can crowd in here on a summer night.
As an alternative, try the Fighting Cock, 21-23 Preston St. (tel. 01274/726907), an old-fashioned alehouse with bare floors and 12 different bitters. The best ales are Exmoor Gold, Timothy Taylor's, Black Sheep, and Green King Abbott, but they also sell foreign-bottled beers and farm ciders. On nippy nights, coal fires keep the atmosphere mellow. Bar snacks are among the most reasonable in town; the house specialty is chili (the chef guards the recipe).
