Bradford Through Time
“History In Our Hands”
Bradford Through Time is a wonderful collection of old and new photographs of Bradford. The older images are printed alongside a contemporary full colour photograph, which illustrates the same scene. The contrasting illustrations show how the area has changed and developed during the last 100 years.
The photographs illustrate shops, schools, garages, churches, houses and street scenes, each photograph is captioned and the book has an introduction which gives a brief overview of the history of the area.
As you browse through the photographs, you will notice the increase in the number of vehicles on the roads and the number of residents, how shops and other businesses have evolved and the changes and developments in modes of transportation and the architecture of the area.
Amberley Books – Bradford Through Time
Waterstones – Bradford Through Time
WHSmith – Bradford Through Time
Full bibliographic data for Bradford Through Time
Title
- Bradford Through Time
- Authors and contributors
- By (author) Mark Davis Publications In Progress
- Physical properties
- Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 96
Width: 165 mm
Height: 235 mm - Audience
- General/trade
- ISBN
- ISBN 13: 9781445603308
ISBN 10: 1445603306
Publisher
- Imprint name
- Amberley Publishing
- Publication date
- 29 September 2011
- Publication City/Country
- Chalford/GB
Great Review from Ferndean Manor.
Following in the footsteps of some of the great Bradford historians like William Cudworth, Mark Davis has produced a new and fresh look at the city.
The history of Bradford is charted from it’s early days of the De Lacy family in the 11th century through to the present time, although the main focus is the past couple of hundred years and from 1807 when Bradford was “Bonny….with a pleasing aspect”
Using old images juxtaposed against new photographs taken by himself, Mark weaves them together using his own narrative and also samples taken from letters and postcards of the past. This creates a sense of an evolving and living city rather than a ‘then and now’ view, you get the feeling that you are involved with its progress rather than being a voyeur and the impression is that it was written with a genuine fondness and appreciation of belonging.
The imagery throughout the book shows both surprising changes in the architecture and the use of spaces within the city and equally surprising unchanged views of the buildings that have survived. There are also some quite spectacular views taken from original, unusual and exclusive perspectives !
The style of photography is kept mainly to reportage, complementing the older images and only occasionally venturing into a more artistic record, keeping the whole book honest but hinting at more to discover.
Whilst Mark acknowledges the golden bygone days and the vibrancy of a once great city he does not shy away from pointing out the dereliction of certain locations but his view of Bradford remains optimistic and positive. He has captured a particularly changeable time and shows the potential of what can be achieved with this exciting cultural and economic restructuring that is presently ongoing.
“Bradford through time” is more than just a comparison of the past and present however and there are some great snippets of information included, for example the spectacular church of All Saints at Horton Green was intended to be Bradford Cathedral and how would that have changed the aspect of the city ?
Mark Davis was the official photographer for the 2011 film festival and he rightly brings attention to Bradfords current ‘Jewelle in the Crown’, the National Media Museum. This is a city that has given birth to some amazing people and places and the sense that it will continue to do so is subtlety promoted all the way to it’s sombre and fitting end. This is a book for both residents of the city and for visitors wanting to discover it’s hidden treasures and appreciate it’s diverse cultural and historic heritage.
“Bradford through time” is one of the latest additions to Amberley publishing’s range of ‘through time’ books that compare old photographs and scenes with their modern counterparts. It can be purchased from The Balcony Tea Rooms at Ferndean Manor, from selected bookstores or online at Amazon.