On April 20, the Diocese of Bradford ceases to exist. By the summer it will be part of the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, On November 25, 1919, King George V had signed the Order in Council which created the Diocese of Bradford and turned St Peter’s Parish Church into a cathedral.

The process was set in motion in January 1917 when the Church of England’s Diocesan Council gave its approval to the idea.

Bradford reportedly won out over Halifax and other areas because of the wealth of the textile industry and its good connections with the national rail network that made travelling to and from the city easy.

On Friday, December 12, 1919, the Bradford Weekly Telegraph announced on its front page the name of Bradford’s first bishop. He was the Venerable Arthur William Thompson Perowne, vicar of St Andrew’s in Birmingham, the son of the former Bishop of Worcester, Dr Perowne.

The news first came out on the Sunday, December 7. Two days later the Bishop designate came to Bradford. The following day he met the gentlemen of the press at the Midland Hotel. Unfortunately a Weekly Telegraph photographer was not among them, for the story on the 12th carried no photograph of the Venerable Perowne.

Instead there was a word picture of the man written anonymously, as was the rule in those days.

“Bradford will discover in its first Bishop a man of medium stature, with a very thoughtful face and laughing eyes, whose courtesy and urbanity always place strangers completely at their ease.

“He also has a clear, resonant voice, and while possessing no tricks of oratory and avoiding any mannerisms, delivers forceful and straightforward sermons and speeches which rivet attention and usually are widely disseminated.

“He loves clear thinking and considered opinion, and for that reason is averse to hasty interviews, which, he says, usually lead to undigested views and when seen in cold print are bewildering.”

If the journalists at the press conference were expecting policy pronouncements, they were disappointed. The Bishop-to-be told them he had first to acquaint himself with the city which included finding somewhere to live. The priority here was a house with suitable reception rooms for receiving guests.

After his consecration on February 2, 1920, he moved into Bishopscroft on Ashwell Road in Heaton and remained there for 11 years until he left Bradford for Worcester in March 1931.

The Right Rev Nick Baines is Bradford’s tenth and last Diocesan Bishop. Later this year an area bishop will be appointed – by Nick Baines, the first Diocesan Bishop of West Yorkshire & the Dales.