Bradford Cathedral heritage open days event to explore local ‘Monumental' Connections

The event at Bradford Cathedral will take place on Saturday September 14 from 12noon to 3pm – which is also the third annual ‘Yorkshire Churches Day’.

The 'Monumental' Connections of Bradford Cathedral and its Miniature Model will include many attractions, including two tours; a talk; stalls and representatives from local groups; and much more, all connected within the Cathedral’s monuments and memorials, and place in the city.

Monuments that can be explored include those of the Market Charter, Joseph Priestley and the Canal, Abraham Balme and the turnpike, explorer William Scoresby, and the famous local Jowett family, as well as other connections such as to the Broad Ford, which gave the city its name.

The day will also form part of a longer year-long project to include a model of the Cathedral adjacent to the model town of Chandwell, created by Michael Scott, who will also be presenting at this year’s event.

Running throughout the Open Day there will also be family craft and colouring activities; the Friends of Bradford's Becks will showcase their trail which marks the route of Bradford Beck under the city centre, with guides and a game to raise awareness of the becks in Bradford, reduce pollution and get improvements to the physical environment in and around them; and The Northern Section of the Jowett Car Club will display items of memorabilia and literature relating to the Jowett family and to the production of Jowett cars at their factory in Idle, with members on hand to talk about the history of Jowett car production in Bradford, alongside a video and some classic cars in the Cathedral Close.

Alongside them will be the Canal and River Trust who will be offering a delve into the past as they bring to life the Bradford Canal that served the city for over 150 years. Now defunct, the canal will be brought to life by Colin Sidway, author of “The Bradford Canal” and by The Yorkshire Weaver who brings the cityscapes of old to life through his woven tapestries. There will also be photos and documents from the Canal and River Trust’s archive.

You'll also be able to discover more about the pilgrimages and walks around the Cathedral including the Yorkshire Heritage Way, Tranquillity Trail, and the Bradford Faith Trail

There will be two tours running during the day (each running twice): a general tour of the Cathedral, and a themed tour looking at the monuments related to this year’s theme. These tours will take place at 12:15pm and again at 2:15pm. Booking is essential for these tours, which can be done online.

Finally, there will be a talk by Michael Scott entitled 'Smaller Scale, Wider Perspective: from miniature to marvel on a route less travelled' at 1:30pm

Michael Scott is constructing a stand-alone model of the Cathedral over the next twelve months, and is being documented through a series of videos released on his YouTube channel, with the final unveiling taking place in 2025, when Bradford is the City of Culture. These videos mix details of the creative process with historical information.

Maggie Myers, Director of Education and Visitors at Bradford Cathedral, says: “Following on from the success of our William Morris Heritage Open Day last year, we are delighted that we have another exciting day of talks, tours and information- but on a very different topic. We have embraced this year's theme of "Routes-Networks-Connections" by taking inspiration from the memorials in the Cathedral - to celebrate local names connected with transport, particularly the turnpikes, the canal and cars.

“We will also be highlighting the story of the Bradford Beck, which runs below the Cathedral and is connected with our history. To top it all off, there will be a fascinating talk all about model-making and the exciting prospect of a model Bradford Cathedral!

“It will all add up to a really eclectic mix of information and experiences, so do join us for what promises to be a very interesting afternoon at Bradford Cathedral!"

Free tickets for the tours and talk can be booked now via Bradford Cathedral's Eventbrite page, otherwise you are encouraged to turn up on the day to find out more. There will also be refreshments running throughout the day