
They’re right chuffed about the accolade
The City of Bradford wins for 2025 against a record 20 other initial bids
Emily Allen: Columnist
Photography: Tom Gill
Well known for its stunning Victorian architecture and literary links to the Brontë sisters, Bradford and its surrounding districts have been crowned the UK City of Culture for 2025. The Visit Bradford 2025 initiative doesn’t only promote the city itself, but also its surrounding districts of Haworth and Brontë Country, Ilkley, and Saltaire. Situated roughly 170 miles north of London, the city has a proud industrial heritage stretching back to the medieval era, and was once called “The Wool Capital of the World.”
Nestled within the South Pennines moors, Bradford grew as a market town throughout the middle ages, and by the reign of King Henry VIII, it had overtaken Bradford as the most prominent manufacturing town. Several of its oldest buildings, including Bradford Cathedral and Boiling Hall, can still be visited today. Over the next 200 years its prominence grew, fuelled by its success in the cottage wool industry. The Bradford Canal was built in 1747, linking Leeds with Liverpool to encourage trade.
By the early 19th century, when Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Brontë were born in a terraced house in Thornton, Bradford ( (who later moved to nearby Haworth, still within the modern-day Metropolitan Borough of Bradford), the city had became a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution; not only was it the centre of wool production in Britain, its mining fortunes also continued to increase, and by 1868 it contributed a quarter of all coal and iron produced in Yorkshire.
Many mills were built in and around Bradford during this time, including Salt Mill that manufactured textiles, and Lister’s Mill, which manufactured silk.
CHANGING TIMES
The city began to suffer from deindustrialisation in the 20th century, with the closure of the textile and wool industries that had ensured the city’s prosperity for centuries, and Bradford, much like most of post-industrial Northern England, faced challenges including poverty, unemployment and social unrest. However, the city’s fortunes once again began to turn around the millennium. Starting in 1995, Bradford held an annual Bradford International Film Festival (BIFF) for almost 20 years, and in 2009, it became the first UNESCO City of Film. Its National Science and Media Museum was redeveloped by the Science Museum Group in 2017, and now has a large research facility.
The city centre boasts a wealth of listed Victorian architecture, including the Cartwright Hall art gallery and the italianate city hall. A plethora of exhibitions, walks, and activities exploring the city’s heritage and culture are set to welcome visitors who visit this year, keen to explore the providence of the latest city to have taken on one of the most prestigious and transformative titles in UK culture – and there promises to be something for everyone.

From Wool Industry, the Bronte Sisters, to the world’s first UNESCO City of Film
Pic by Stephen Widua
Bradford’s successful bid to become the 2025 City of Culture is rooted in its rich and diverse cultural heritage. The city boasts a unique blend of history, art, and community that reflects the multicultural tapestry of its population.
Progress, Industry, Humanity.
Visitors can look forward to the Bradford Literature Festival, the Yorkshire Games Festival, a five-day extravaganza at the National Science and Media Museum, and the 2025 Bradford Film Festival, the first in ten years, which will host screenings, workshops, and panel discussions featuring acclaimed directors and emerging local talent. Grassroot performers and singers will take to pop-up stages across Bradford this year, and performing arts including plays and musicals celebrating Bradford’s heritage will take place across the city.
Foodies can enjoy the wide range of independent bars, restaurants, and cafés, pop-up food stalls, and of course, curry houses, with Bradford having held the title “Curry Capital of Britain” for six years in a row.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saltaire will take centre stage, with interactive exhibits and workshops inviting visitors to explore its unique origins. Visitors can learn about the history of this model village, originally built for mill workers, while exploring the vintage fair and enjoying live performances.
The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway runs through the heart of Brontë country, and hosts a yearly Beer and Music Festival.
Away from the city centre, visitors can ramble across the rugged and beautiful Ilkley moors (made famous in the folk song “On Ilkla Mooar Baht ‘at”) and the brooding Pennine hills surrounding Haworth that inspired the Brontë sisters’ novels, with walking (or biking) tours guiding visitors around Bradford’s stunning landscapes.
For literature lovers, a visit would not be complete without a visit to the Brontë Parsonage, and the beautiful cobbled streets of Ilkley and Haworth boast food markets, independent shops, and chocolate box views.

The Bradford 2025 initiative is more than a celebration; it’s a springboard for the city’s next chapter. With plans for long-term cultural investment and infrastructure improvements, this year is shaping up to leave a lasting legacy, as Bradford enjoys its well-deserved moment in the spotlight.
© 2025 Houghton & Mackay. All Rights Reserved. The content in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission to the rights owners. Top Banner Photo (Train Viaduct): Steve Sewell. Prose: Emily Allen.