Bradford City Centre history

There is a lot of history in Bradford City Centre.

It covers the original core of the Victorian city and retains elements from different stages in its history and development.

Below provides an overview of the city centre’s development.

1086

Bradford is one of the earliest settlements of the region and was recorded as a manor, which included a number of dependent townships, in the Doomsday Book.

13th to 17th Century

Bradford’s prosperity was founded on the woollen trade and a fulling mill was recorded in Bradford in 1311. Bradford parish church was built in a number of stages over the 14th and 15th centuries with other elements added later.

Ancient thoroughfares such as Westgate, Ivegate and Kirkgate were established during this period and are testament to the medieval development of the town. During the 17th Century, Bradford’s cloth industries were small and the cessation of the manufacture of one particular type of cloth led to economic hardship.

18th Century

By the early 18th century the increasing momentum of the Industrial Revolution led to the initial expansion of Bradford’s textile industry. In 1734 Bradford was linked to the Turnpike network.

New roads were built to accommodate new buildings; Market Street (formally New Street) was established 1787. During the 1770s, the construction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was a turning point for the city with a link directly into the core area of textile markets and manufacture.

19th Century

Bradford grew rapidly during the 19th century, which was heavily influenced by the Industrial Revolution. The situation and an excellent base for the textile industry during this period and several important mills were built around the city. The development of industry went hand in hand with the establishment of banks and many fine late 19th century bank buildings still exist.

The establishment of the railway connecting Bradford to Leeds was constructed in the 1840s and a station, now known as Forster Square Station, was opened in 1846. Bradford became a municipal corporation in 1847 and the quality of life for those living in the town began to improve.

20th and 21st Centuries

The woollen and worsted textile trades began to decline in the early decades of the 20th century leaving mills and warehouses empty. Bradford diversified and the financial industries began to grow as a result.

Bradford parish church gained cathedral status in 1919. Following World War II the textile trade underwent a period of revival and many Asian and Afro-Caribbean immigrants were welcomed into Bradford to fill vacant positions. The textile industry was once again in decline by the late 1970s. The city underwent a period of massive restructuring post war and many Victorian buildings were replaced with modernist structures typical of the 1960s and 70s. The city is now once again undergoing change with investment in the city increasing and many older buildings being brought back into use and the late 20th century buildings being replaced with new developments.