Of Bradford, about Bradford…

Bradford in West Yorkshire is the UK City of Culture in 2025 and the designation is intended to drive regeneration of the district through cultural activities.

Alongside the mainstream programme of events is a series of private initiatives, of which BRADFORDIANA is one. Its launch is intended to fill what I believe is a gap in the promotion of the Bradford district.

I am an amateur photographer who enjoys taking photos of Bradford, the city in which I grew up and where I live. I am interested in its history, in particular as a booming industrial frontier town in the nineteenth century.

There is no disguising that Bradford has its modern day challenges but this is essentially about me trying to do what I can to encourage positive impressions of the place that I call home. The Victorians described the same sentiments as local patriotism.

BRADFORDIANA is a 36 page zine publication to promote interest in Bradford as a place for photography, showcase the diversity of subject matter available as well as to provide a historic record for the future.

Each issue will feature contemporary photographs in both colour and monotone based around a specific theme with images selected from my own archive. The project is a not-for-profit initiative with the objective being to recover costs and there will be no advertising or promotion of commercial interests.

My plan is to produce 12 issues through to the end of 2025 and take it from there. I welcome feedback and suggestions for content.

Launch date: 29th May, 2025

Updates on Twitter: @jpdewhirst

Thanks for your interest!

John Dewhirst

May, 2025

The photographer

  • Some background

    I am a long-suffering Bradford City supporter and in 1984 co-founded The City Gent fanzine. I have subsequently self-published about the origins and history of football in Bradford with a couple of titles currently in progress.

    You can find details of my books at www.bantamspast.net. I provide an online resource about the club’s history at www.johndewhirst.blog and I also edit www.bradfordsporthistory.com.

    My photography is varied and is invariably linked to my interests and travels including industrial architecture, steam railways, Yorkshire Dales landscapes and urban environments. I also enjoy gig photography and my photographs were used by The Stranglers on their last album. Other projects have included coverage of Salts FC and Saltaire Dynamo football clubs as well as the Bradford Literary Festival, not to mention my photos from visits to North Korea.

    I serve as a pro-bono member of the Bradford Place Marketing & Investment Advisory Board.

    I tweet images from@jpdewhirst

Contact

You can contact me through the form opposite and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Alternatively send an email to john at bradfordianadotnet