Cottingley

Roberts Park

Saltaire · 1.2 miles

Spanning 14 acres beside the River Aire, Roberts Park forms a key green component of the Saltaire World Heritage landscape in West Yorkshire. Bordered to the north by Higher Coach Road, Baildon, the river defines its southern edge, while a pedestrian footbridge spans the water to reconnect the park with the historic village of Saltaire. The site is recorded in the OpenStreetMap database as a park near Saltaire, and its layout includes a broad east-west promenade flanked by shelters at each end. The garden was laid out in the early 1870s by landscape architect William Gay for industrialist Sir Titus Salt and opened on 25 July 1871. Originally called Saltaire Park, it later acquired the name Roberts Park after Sir James Roberts purchased the land in 1891 and, in 1920, gifted it to Bradford Council as a memorial to his son. The park holds a Grade II listing on English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens and carries the Green Flag Award. A major refurbishment funded largely by the Heritage Lottery Fund was carried out between February 2009 and April 2010, restoring the pavilion, shelters, statue and footpaths, and adding a children’s play area and a 280 m² BMX skate park. Visitors can follow the serpentine paths to the semi-circular Lockwood and Mawson pavilion, now the Half Moon Café, which provides Wi-Fi and toilet facilities. A bronze statue of Sir Titus Salt stands beneath a viewing platform, and a rebuilt bandstand hosts concerts. Adjacent amenities include a cricket ground, open playing field, and the north shelter with a poster exhibition of the park’s history. Access is provided from the east via the park lodge and from the south-east across a cast-iron bridge, with the footbridge over the Aire linking back to Saltaire.

Shipley Glen Tramway

Baildon · 1.9 miles

A preserved cable funicular climbs through the wooded setting of Shipley Glen, situated close to Baildon and the village of Saltaire in West Yorkshire. The lower terminus lies roughly 660 feet (200 m) on foot from Saltaire railway station and is similarly distant from the historic Salts Mill, now home to shops, restaurants and the David Hockney gallery. The tramway is run by volunteers acting for the Shipley Glen Tramway Preservation Co Ltd, a charitable trust that holds a lease from Bradford Council. It first opened on 18 May 1895, an initiative of Sam Wilson, a local publican, showman and entrepreneur, to provide easier access to the former attractions that once occupied the glen, including a wooden toboggan ride and a sizeable fairground. Originally powered by a gas engine, the line has been electrically driven since 1920. Management passed to the charitable trust in 2002. After a temporary closure in 2010 for safety upgrades – involving new chassis, wheels, decks and improved braking on both cars and the haulage drum – the service resumed in 2011 and continues to operate under the volunteer-run trust.

Lister Mills

Bradford · 2.5 miles

The former silk works, now known as Lister Mills, dominates the skyline of the Manningham district in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Built in 1873 to replace an earlier mill lost to fire, the Italianate Victorian structure is recorded as a Grade II* listed building by Historic England. Its most recognisable element is a 249-foot chimney that can be spotted from much of the city, while the extensive brick façades and the site’s overall mass cover roughly 27 acres. The mill’s location is close to the centre of Bradford, making it reachable on foot or by public transport, and the surrounding area includes a piazza and an underground car park that were created on the former reservoir site. At its peak the mill employed around 11 000 people and produced luxury textiles such as velvet and silk, supplying material for King George V’s coronation and later for the White House in 1976. During the Second World War the works turned to military fabrics, creating parachute silk, flame-proof wool and khaki battledress. After a decline in the 1980s and closure in 1999, the complex entered a regeneration programme led by Urban Splash. The first phase delivered 131 new homes and three ground-floor commercial units, completed in 2006, while a second phase added a glass-and-steel roof over the velvet mill, preserving original architectural features and providing additional apartments and retail space. As a residential and mixed-use development, the site does not charge admission; visitors can view the historic exterior and chimney from the public piazza or nearby streets.

Memorial to William Busfeild Ferrand

St. Ives · 2.5 miles

Bingley St. Ives, or St. Ives Estate is a 550-acre (2.2 km2) country park and former estate between Bingley and Harden in West Yorkshire, England now owned by Bradford Council. The park has Grade II listing in the English Heritage National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Interest. The park has been given Accredited Country Park status by Natural England.

LIFE Church UK

Wapping · 3.7 miles

A distinctive feature of Bradford’s religious landscape is the large evangelical community centred on LIFE Church UK, a megachurch that traces its origins to the Charismatic Restoration movement linked to Arthur Wallis. Founded in 1976 by Bryn Jones through the merger of three small Bradford congregations, the church first met in the Anglican Church House and was locally known as Church House before adopting the name Abundant Life Church and, in 2012, the shortened title LIFE Church. Its development has been marked by regular broadcasts on God TV, United Christian Broadcasters and other international stations, as well as a weekly half-hour slot on Cross Rhythms radio, with many programmes also available as podcasts and on YouTube. Annual conferences and events regularly draw attendees from across the United Kingdom and beyond. The Bradford campus provides a range of facilities for visitors. A coffee shop, supplied by local roasters North Star Coffee, offers refreshments, while an adjoining youth building includes a skatepark that can be used by young people and families. The site also hosts Life10, a college based in Bradford, and serves as a hub for the church’s music production, which has released live recordings distributed by Kingsway Communications and Integrity Music. OpenStreetMap records the landmark with the nearest town listed as Wapping, although the primary address remains in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Leadership has evolved over the years, with the current pastoral team for the Bradford campus comprising Jonathan “Jock” James and Shirley James, who succeeded Steve and Charlotte Gambill in 2022. No admission charge is mentioned, and the venue’s amenities, such as the coffee shop and skatepark, are available to those attending services, conferences or other church-organised events.

National Science and Media Museum

Eastbrook · 3.7 miles

The National Science and Media Museum occupies a prominent site in Bradford, West Yorkshire, close to the town of Eastbrook, and forms part of the national Science Museum Group. Spread over seven floors, the venue presents permanent galleries that trace the development of photography, television, animation, video gaming, the Internet and the scientific principles of light and colour. A research facility safeguards a collection of around 3.5 million items, while temporary exhibitions rotate throughout the year. Visitors can explore three dedicated cinemas. The IMAX screen, installed in 1983, was the first permanent UK installation of its kind; the Pictureville Cinema, opened in 1992, remains one of only three public venues worldwide capable of showing original 3-strip 35 mm Cinerama prints; and the Cubby Broccoli Cinema, with 106 seats, hosts a range of film programmes. An Insight study centre allows pre-booked access to objects not on general display, and a glass-fronted atrium houses a café and shop. Admission to the galleries is free, although cinema screenings are charged separately, and the building offers step-free wheelchair access throughout. The museum’s history includes several name changes—from the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television to the National Media Museum, and finally to its current title in 2017. After a temporary closure in July 2023 for the construction of two new galleries, the site reopened in January 2025. Recent additions include the Wonderlab interactive space (opened 2016) and the Sound and Vision galleries, which opened in 2025.