Heritage Open Day, Saturday 14th September
This was another busy open day at the Cathedral, based on this year’s Heritage Open Day national theme of Routes, Networks and Connections. We opened this theme as wide as we possibly could, to attract new audiences who might not otherwise visit the Cathedral, creating our ‘Monumental’ Connections of Bradford Cathedral and its Miniature Model” event. There were many different attractions, including two tours, a talk, as well as stalls and representatives from local groups, with everything connected in some way to the Cathedral’s monuments, features and location in the city.
Monuments that were explored in the tours included those of the Market Charter, Joseph Priestley and the Canal, Abraham Balme and the turnpikes, Arctic explorer and scientist Rev. 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 also provided an introduction for a year-long project to create a scale model of the Cathedral adjacent to the model town of Chandwell, the work of Michael Scott, who presented a talk all about his work.
Typical visitor feedback from Heritage Open Day:
- “A fascinating lecture which has given me ideas to follow up.”
- “An excellent educational and entertaining visit.”
- “As a member of a local wildlife group we used the event along with other community organisations to raise the profile of the group amongst local people interested in wildlife at a time when Bradford is preparing for City of Culture 2025.”
- “Good to learn more about other community groups connected to the event organiser-to see what work is going on out in the community.”
Recent Adult Tours
On Saturday 5th October we welcomed a large group of around 90 people from the Victorian Society, who were holding their annual general conference in Bradford over that weekend, with members visiting a number of locations with Victorian features and heritage. The group was particularly interested in the Morris & Co. stained glass but also enjoyed finding out about the Cathedral’s Victorian features and interesting figures connected with the Cathedral during Victorian times.
Feedback from the Victorian Society: “Many thanks to you and your team for the great help you all gave to the 80+ visitors from the Victorian Society on Saturday afternoon (you’ll have noticed many of them quite foot sore on arrival from their previous tours!) and for the additional, unexpected things you, and the Cathedral volunteers, arranged for us at the end of what must have been a busy day for you all. Talking afterwards to visitors, several mentioned how helpful they found the self-touring sheet/map you had prepared.”
Bradford Faith Trail
On 5th October we completed another successful season for the monthly Bradford Faith Trails, with around 260 people taking part over the March-October period. The Faith Trail has continued in popularity this season, with large numbers of general members of the public, as well as public organisations such as the police, fire service and the NHS taking part, along with walking groups, church groups, U3A groups and secondary school students. The filming of the June Faith Trail by the BBC, for a segment in the “Sunday Morning Live” programme that was broadcast in September, means that we have already taken bookings for next year. The Faith Trail resumes in March and runs until October. If you haven’t yet participated in one of the Trails, why not join us for one of the 2025 Trails? The Faith Trail is a unique opportunity to learn more about some of Bradford’s faith communities.
Visitors’ Book
Our Visitors’ Book records that visitors in the last 3 months came from the local area and all over West Yorkshire, as well as from Bridlington, Wetherby, Stockport, Manchester, Birmingham, Carlisle, Nottingham, Oxford, Northampton, Southampton, South Shields, Sunderland, Wirral, Nantwich, London, Windsor, Cumbria, Lancashire, Essex, Sussex, Worcestershire, Somerset, Surrey, Kent, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
From further afield, we have had visitors from: Dunblane in Scotland, Caerphilly and Flintshire in Wales, Dublin in Ireland, several parts of France, Bologna in Italy, Zurich in Switzerland, Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Mumbai in India, Alberta, Ontario and Ottawa in Canada, Melbourne in Australia, Palmerston in New Zealand, Arizona, Alabama, California, Colorado Springs, Idaho and Ohio in the USA, as well as from Germany, the Netherlands, China, and East Timor.
Here is a small, representative selection of comments from the Visitors’ Book for this period:
- “Had a wonderful experience, and a chance to say a prayer in the chapel.”
- “Beautiful service and music and lovely, friendly congregation. Thank you.”
- “Beautiful. Glad to see your Fairtrade efforts. Thank you for Evensong.”
- “Really beautiful cathedral. Thank you for the morning prayer session. Felt very welcome.”
- “Such a lovely cathedral to visit, really peaceful and a wonderful atmosphere. The volunteer helpers have been so knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you.”
- “Will go down in my memory as the friendliest cathedral ever visited.”
- “Thank you for the warm welcome and information about the Cathedral’s history. I’m celebrating having visited 40 cathedrals and this has been a real highlight.”
- “Immaculately presented. Tranquil atmosphere enabled time for reflection. Hospitable guides and staff were friendly and helpful.”
- “Such stunning windows and so honoured to do a few tapestry rows.”
- “Such a wonderful visit and a big surprise to see the William Morris windows here! A lovely welcome too!”
- “Good to come back and remember good times as Archdeacon of Bradford.”
- “Trip down memory lane. I was a chorister here, 1958-61.”
- “Lovely memories of visiting in the 1980s. Wonderful to now visit as an adult.”
- “An old Bradfordian coming home for a few days. The peace here is amazing.”
- “Lovely and lively church.”
- “We had a wonderful time here doing arts and crafts activities. Thank you.”