Essential Hotels > England > West Yorkshire > Bradford

Not only does the West Yorkshire city of Bradford stand out for being particularly multi-cultural, it is also known for its role as a leading player in the film industry. In fact, it is the first city in the world to have been named a UNESCO City of Film thanks to its heritage in film production and its subsequently popular National Media Museum, the most visited museum outside national capital London. Despite this prominence and an economy that diversified hugely throughout the 20th century from its former textile days, Bradford remains one of the most deprived areas in the country according to the ONS, with plenty of unemployment and a sadly high infant mortality rate.

Bradford is found in the foothills of the Pennines on the western edge of Yorkshire and is a short distance to the west of Leeds, a city with which is shares an airport. The M606 leads into the south of the city and there are also several other major road networks in the surroundings. Bradford is home to a number of Victorian buildings, although only a couple of structures, such as the historic cathedral, date to before this time. Areas such as Little Germany portray plenty of Victorian buildings, while the likes of the Wool Exchange and the City Hall also exhibit these renowned designs.

The city of Bradford rose to prominence in the 19th century as a leading textile manufacturing centre, known at its height as the ‘wool capital of the world’. It was long before, in Saxon times, that the region was first settled and it had become a small town by the Middle Ages. In 1070, Bradford was destroyed in an uprising although later it grew once more as the wool trade developed. In the 18th century the upturn in manufacturing sparked the town’s development and trade was encouraged with the spread in road and canal use. Wool spinning and cloth weaving became popular in the 19th century and this paved the way for rapid growth during the Industrial Revolution. This did, however, mean the town was particularly polluted due to the number of factories, and so disease was rife and life expectancy was low. Bradford received a city charter in 1897 but throughout the 20th century its textile industry declined. Tourism later grew, thanks in part to the development of the film industry, while since the 1950s the city has seen plenty of immigration, with more than 20 per cent of the settlement made up of Asians. In 2010 Bradford was named a City of Sanctuary – a place that welcomes and includes those seeking sanctuary.