Bradford at Work: People and Industries Through the Years

Paul Chrystal

Feb 2018 · Amberley Publishing Limited

About this eBook

Bradford is rightly proud of its industrial heritage. This West Yorkshire city rose to prominence during the nineteenth century as an international centre of textile manufacturing, particularly worsted. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, becoming known worldwide as ‘Worstedopolis’. The area’s access to a supply of coal, iron ore and soft water facilitated the growth of Bradford’s manufacturing base, which, as textile manufacturing grew, led to an explosion in population. Bradford at Work explores the life of the city and its people, from pre-industrial beginnings through to the present day. In a fascinating series of photographs and illustrations it takes us from the city’s early days as a major steel town and then a growing centre of the wool trade, through the Industrial Revolution, the traumas of the war years, post-war industrial decline and into the technologically advanced world of today. It shows how Bradford has transformed itself from a textile town into a centre of education and innovation, as well as a burgeoining tourist destination, becoming the first UNESCO City of Film with attractions such as the National Media Museum, Bradford City Park, and the Alhambra Theatre. The book also covers industry in neighbouring Saltaire and Shipley, chapters on the often forgotten local cotton industry, the industrial village of Ripley Ville and Leeds Bradford Airport.

About the author

Paul Chrystal was educated at the Universities of Hull and Southampton where he took degrees in Classics and wrote his MPhil thesis on attitudes to women in Roman love poetry. He appears regularly on BBC local radio the World Service as well as publishing features for national newspapers and history magazines. He has been history advisor for a number of York tourist attractions and is the author of many books on a wide range of subjects, including histories of northern places focussing on Yorkshire, social histories of tea, chocolate and confectionery and various aspects of classical literature and Roman history. Paul lives near York and is married with three grown up children.