Bradford cafes, record shops, and landmarks on calendar

From Lister Park and the Alhambra Theatre to the much-missed Fountains Cafe, Anne-Marie White wanted to celebrate what Bradford offers to the world.

It is the furniture designer and illustrator’s fourth year of making calendars for Yorkshire cities.

Her Modernist-inspired artwork also features cafes and popular record shops across the North. She has drawn cherished spaces like Kirkgate Underground Market’s For Love of Rock, Bingley’s Five Rise Records, and Leeds’ Jumbo Records.

But it wasn’t until the pandemic when Anne-Marie, who grew up in Leeds and now lives in Shipley, dabbled with digital illustration. 

Anne-Marie said: “I've enjoyed drawing ever since I was a child but I started digital illustrations in this style during lockdown to keep myself occupied when I was recovering from Covid and couldn't do anything else. 

“I'm a furniture designer by trade and now work with a mix of this and illustrating which is a nice balance. 

“This is the fourth year of producing calendars, the Bradford one sits beside others including Shipley and Saltaire, Leeds, and Scarborough as well as more niche ones.

“For the pictures on the Bradford and Shipley calendars I wanted to draw the buildings I most admired such as the brutalist High Point and the former Richard Dunn Sports Centre as well as celebrating attractions such as the ice rink. I also wanted to include Fountains Cafe which sadly closed earlier this year and is greatly missed.

Anne-Marie pictured at her exhibition at Five Rise Records earlier this year (Image: UGC)

“My favourite months to draw were April to commemorate the aforementioned Fountains Cafe and December which features the statue of my favourite author, J.B Priestley.”

She chose the following locations for her Bradford calendar: The Corn Dolly on Bolton Road; Centenary Square; Lister Park; the now closed Fountains Cafe; records by Bradford musicians; Ivegate; The former Richard Dunn Sports Centre; Lister Mill; Valley Parade; the Alhambra Theatre; Bradford Ice Arena and the J.B Priestley statue in the city centre.

She added: “I'm from Leeds originally but have lived in Shipley for eight years now and appreciate everything that my local area has to offer. It should be an exciting couple of years in Bradford to come with Bradford Live opening and Bradford 2025 with hopefully numerous arts opportunities available.”

You can discover more of Anne-Marie's art by visiting her website at www.clocktowerstudios.co.uk