My camera club has a series of outings over the summer and one of the first was to Bradford's city centre. The day started dull and wet and this image of Kirkgate (above) gives a flavour of a city that once thrived and has a legacy of fine Victorian buildings. It's definitely a place to 'look up' as there are some ornate facades.
One of our objectives was to document the Kirkgate Shopping Centre, a brutalist concrete monstrosity (below) that was opened in 1976 to replace a (wonderful) Victorian indoor market. The 1970s were the time when town planning and architecture in Bradford went mad and swathes of Victorian buildings made way for ugly modernist stuff that has not lasted well.
In an effort to improve the run-down city centre, the Council has recently bought this building and will demolish it. They have already built a new market nearby, which will open shortly, and some of the retail stores like Primark will move to vacant units in the newer Broadway Centre. The vision for the site is to transform it into a city village, with green space and housing, concentrating the shopping and commercial areas further south around the Broadway and City Hall. Time is ticking...
So glad to hear the powers that be have decided to remove the monstrosity.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see history demolished. The same thing happens here and our old buildings are not nearly as old as yours.
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