Images of Bradford included in national photographic archive

Fountains Café and the Drum Winder bar on Ivegate are among the images of Bradford to be included in the Historic England Archive – a national archive for England’s historic buildings, archaeology and social history.

The images of the Oastler Shopping Centre are particularly relevant as the city centre market is due to be demolished after the new Darley Street Market opens later this year.

After 55 years of serving the people of Bradford, Fountain’s Café closed last year, with some of its signage acquired by Bradford Museums Service.

Drum Winder on Ivegate - photo by Marcus Rattray (Image: Marcus Rattray)

Other Yorkshire images included in the Historic England archive include Leeds Corn Exchange and Scarborough’s Public Market Hall.

Picturing High Streets has been a partnership between Historic England and Photoworks, helping to build a contemporary picture of England’s high streets through mass public participation and community engagement.

Since September 2022, people across England have been responding to an online national call out to submit their photographs of the high street on Instagram under the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets.

Mean Old Scene by Elaine Taylor (Image: Elaine Taylor)

The Bradford images, many taken by local photographers, were first exhibited by Impressions Gallery in Bradford city centre over BD: Festival last Summer, while images of high streets across the country were exhibited in a pop-up gallery space on Bank Street at the same time.

Other Bradford images included in the archive feature Sunflower Café on Sunbridge Road and Broadways Convenience Store on Broadway Avenue.

Broadways Convenience Store by Cath Muldowney (Image: Cath Muldowney)

Tom Frater, regional director for the North East and Yorkshire at Historic England, said: “We were overwhelmed by the amazing responses from the public to our call out for photographs of high streets across Yorkshire and beyond.

“Through contemporary photography, people have captured what makes high streets such special places for social connection, revealed the histories hidden behind shopfronts and celebrated the communities that are keeping them alive today.

'Renowned Pigeon Feeder' - Portrait of a man sitting outside the Oastler Shopping Centre, feeding the pigeons. Oastler Shopping Centre, John Street, Bradford. Photographer: Rais Hasan. (Image: Rais Hasan)

“This new national collection is a truly brilliant historic record of high streets today for generations to come.”

Photoworks director Louise Fedotov-Clements said: “This incredible and ground-breaking national programme has produced a truly unique and important photographic representation of the high street.

"The works highlight a diversity of views featuring the places, people, histories and activities that help us to understand our dynamic relationship to, and the importance of, the high street today.”