Medieval Bradford was a modest market town, which had barely expanded beyond its medieval limits by the end of the 18th century. The boom in the textile industry resulted in rapid growth in the 19th century, when Bradford is believed to have been the fastest growing town in Britain. The demands for land saw the town centre become congested and polluted, resulting in expansion into its rural hinterland, in a frenzy of land sales and house building in the second half of the 19th century. Meanwhile, the town centre saw a succession of transitions due mainly to new street plans and the of the development of the railway infrastructure from the mid-19th century onwards. Such changes, compounded by 20th-century developments, have eradicated much of the early town/city scape – changes which are to be reflected by the forthcoming ‘Historical Map of Bradford’ produced by the Historic Towns Trust.
For more information and to register, please visit:
https://www.balh.org.uk/event-balh-bradford-with-ian-roberts-2025-02-25