Thornton

Thornton, where the Brontë birthplace is situated, was once a separate village but is now a commuter suburb of Bradford, and in truth is a little run down in parts. Apart from the newly rescued and renovated parsonage where the Brontë sisters were born, perhaps its best known attraction is the collection of 19th century workers' cottages known as South Square, renovated in 1982 as a community arts centre with studios, a gallery and a café (above). 

Up on Market Street, quite near the Brontë birthplace, is the curiously shaped building known (for obvious reasons) as 'Coffin End'. This was once the Star Inn. One of its former landlords was transported to Australia for the crime of stealing ten shillings.

A signpost in the village points to various local places of interest, including the adjacent hamlets of Egypt and Moscow. Established in the early 19th century to house local stone quarry workers, their quirky international names were inspired by British military victories during the Napoleonic Wars. They are not far from the hamlet of Jerusalem and the Walls of Jericho, originally massive stone walls that held back the quarry spoil heaps. The walls have now been demolished for safety reasons but I remember them from my younger days - high, dark and forbidding. 

One of the nicest things, in my opinion, about Thornton is that it sits on the hillside overlooking Bradford dale, where streams come together to form Bradford Beck, a river which ultimately runs down to and under the city centre. There's a massive Victorian railway viaduct and far-reaching views from the village streets. 

The Bell Chapel

Following on from yesterday's post, here is the Bell Chapel in Thornton. It was originally built between 1587 and 1612 and had undergone many changes by the time Patrick Brontë became its parson from 1815 to 1820. (He later said this was 'the happiest time of his life'.) In 1872, after he left, a new church was constructed and the Bell Chapel fell into disrepair. The font, where the Brontë children were baptised, has been relocated to the new church of St James, just across the road. Now all that remains of the chapel is one wall and a small anteroom, and the cupola that once graced the roof. It has been tidied up and made safer by volunteers since I last visited. It's now a rather attractive and romantic ruin, sitting in its graveyard, which was full of bluebells. 

Brontë Birthplace Museum

I recently went with a friend to visit the Brontë birthplace on Market Street in Thornton. Thornton was a village in Victorian times and it was here that Rev'd Patrick Brontë, supported by his wife Maria, was, for five years from 1815 to 1820, the minister of the Bell Chapel. Thus it was here, in what was then the modest parsonage, that four of their six children were born. They already had Maria (b 1814) and Elizabeth (b 1815) and added to their family with Charlotte (1816), Patrick Branwell (1817), Emily (1818) and Anne (1820). The three younger girls, of course, went on to become the famous novelists that we know as the Brontë sisters. In 1820 the family moved on to nearby Haworth, living in the Parsonage there.

Sadly, their mother Maria died in 1821 of cancer and the two older girls died of TB in 1825. 

Their original home was fairly new when they lived there. (It was built in 1802). Since then, it has been a butcher's shop (which explains the extension on the front); the home of a crimewriter, Barbara Whitehead, who did open it for a while as a small museum; and then a coffee shop (which I visited in 2019, see HERE) that did not reopen after COVID. In 2023, the local community and supporters set about crowdfunding to restore the building and secure its future. It has been renovated, preserving the original features that were left and adding period-appropriate decor and furniture. 

They've uncovered the original stone flags in the hallway, and the fireplace in the family room (below), in front of which, it's said, the children were born. This room, which became the butcher's shop, is now a Tea Room. 

The more formal Parlour, across the hallway, also has its original hob grate fireplace, and a series of display cabinets showing some of the items that were uncovered in the restoration. 

Upstairs, what was once the nursery where the children slept is now a large bedroom. This room had connecting doors to both the parents bedroom and that of the young household servant who helped the family.

Since the renovation, you can book an overnight stay in the house, which I'm sure will appeal to some of the many avid fans of the Brontës. 

The scullery (my first photo) was the beating heart of the domestic life of the family, where food was prepared and laundry done. The cast-iron range isn't original to the house (as the room had been stripped and turned into a more modern kitchen) but is of the same period. Leading off it are very steep stone stairs up to the small room where the family's servant slept. Nancy Garr came in 1816 (aged just 13 herself!) to help look after the children, later joined by her 12 year old sister.  

Extraordinary Portraits 2026

Following the success last year of 'Extraordinary Portraits, with Bill Bailey', the 2026 series is on display in Bradford's Loading Bay gallery space until July. I went along with a friend for an early look. The BBC TV programmes each match artists with 'ordinary people who have done something extraordinary', to create a portrait. Having watched all six episodes on TV and been moved and uplifted by the stories, it was a delight to see the artworks for real. 

The standout painting for me was this one (below) by Jack Dickson. It depicts Seema, who ran a local Post Office and became caught up in the Post Office scandal, a gross miscarriage of justice where many people, over many years, were wrongly charged with false accounting (which turned out in the end to be a faulty computer programme). In Seema's case she was wrongly convicted and sent to prison whilst pregnant. The subtly layered painting has many symbolic references to her life, including a layer of postage stamps at the base. She is depicted standing tall, proud and beautiful, in a huge but quiet statement of strength and resilience. Wonderful. 

I also enjoyed the bold statement made by the portrait of Eddie aka 'Iron Gran', a lady who - at age 72 - was the oldest British woman to compete in an Ironman event and now runs a charity promoting fitness and companionship for older people. Painted by Caroline Pool, it shows strength and Eddie's fun-loving persona but also a moment of reflection. I loved her sparkly manicure!  

Two brothers, Jordan and Cain, painted by Unza Saleem, lost their mother at a young age due to a rare form of dementia and have since found out they both carry the same gene and are likely to develop the disease in their 40s. They are now channelling their energy into raising funds for dementia research. 

Two sisters, Grace and Amy, share an unusual bond. Grace was born without a womb. Amy donated her own womb to her sister, in a pioneering operation, enabling Grace to become pregnant and carry a miracle baby. The sensitive portrait by Karen Turner captures their special relationship of love and sacrifice. 

The artwork I expected to like the most turned out, for me, to be somewhat disappointing. The sculpture, by Nick Elphick, refers to the heroic act in 2019 when Darryn, a civil servant attending a prisoner rehabilitation conference in London, helped to apprehend a man who attacked and killed two people. Darryn grabbed a narwhal tusk off the wall and used it to fend off the terrorist, before grabbing his wrists to try and disarm him. Though his actions were heroic and he was awarded a gallantry medal, the aftermath was difficult and has had a life-changing effect on him. Nevertheless he dedicates his life to rehabilitating former offenders. 

It is in many ways a commanding sculpture, using the Japanese art of kintsugi - accentuating and healing broken pottery with gold - and including the narwhal tusk. The 'gold' appeared simply to be painted on rather than actually holding the cast together. The lump on his shoulder, which I think was intended to signify the burden he still carries, just looked to me a bit odd and the inclusion of the huge tusk, though symbolic, meant he appears to be standing in a box! Not only that but to me it doesn't even really look like Darryn, who is an extremely handsome young man. So, not a complete success in my eyes - but powerful nonetheless. 

The other one I didn't much like was a portrait by Ricky Wilson, of Lindsay who runs a rescue centre for exotic animals in Wales. It does actually carry a sense of her energy and the wild dedication that she brings to her work but I didn't like the random, coloured brushstrokes across her face. 

Alongside the exhibition you could watch a video of clips from the programmes or paint your own picture on acetate by tracing your face in a mirror. Many of those self-portraits were a lot of fun. 

 

Jim Moir - Neo Fauna

The new exhibition in Cartwright Hall is 'Neo Fauna' by Jim Moir, a prolific artist more widely known as comedy legend Vic Reeves (part of the Reeves and Mortimer double act with Bob Mortimer.) 

I enjoyed the exhibition very much.  It's hugely varied, with some wildly colourful images, many of them birds, like the long -tailed tits below:

and the well-observed Black Guillemot Frenzy: 

Then there are much more understated but again beautifully observed watercolours. I particularly liked the quartet of curlews: 

'Barn Owl in a woodland' was looser and more impressionistic, and full of atmosphere. I also enjoyed the magpie (below). There are many of them in the trees round where I live and he has captured their 'essence' really well here, I think. Apparently, since he retired from comedy and became a full-time artist, he paints in the morning and then goes for a walk in the afternoon, closely observing the birds and the details of their appearance and behaviour. That careful attention really shows in his work.

Studies of dancers and birds imaginatively echo their movements.

Then there were more surreal and highly coloured offerings, like 'The Exhibitionist' (below) and some rather odd, distorted studies of 'American Couples', which I didn't warm to at all. 

It's rare that you see an artist with such a broad range of styles. I wouldn't normally show so many but felt I needed to do them justice. The exhibition is on until the end of August. 

Cartwright Hall

Cartwright Hall, in Lister Park, was purpose-built as Bradford's civic art gallery in 1904, thanks to a gift of £40,000 from the local mill owner Samuel Lister. 

As I showed yesterday, the extensive park has a variety of areas and attractions. The garden to the front of the Hall is planted with bedding plants in the formal, old-fashioned way, by Bradford Parks department. They were just refilling the beds as I walked through. 

The gallery has temporary exhibitions but also shows a selection of the city's permanent art collection. The art works on display do change from time to time. This is one of my favourites: Arab Weaver (1886) by Armand Point (1861-1932).  

It's hard to pin down exactly why I like it. It's a huge canvas, depicting a peaceful, cosy, domestic scene, nothing wild about it. I love the vibrant colours in it, the soaring arches, the connectedness of the young people pictured contrasting with the intent focus of the weaver (their father, I suppose). I don't mind if it is 'romanticised'! 

Park life

Now the new exhibitions have opened at Cartwright Hall (the Turner Prize having been dismantled), I decided to take advantage of a dry day to have a walk round Lister Park and visit the art gallery. The crocuses on the banking beside the main road have given way to hosts of daffodils and narcissi. 

A circuit of the lake is always pleasant, though there are so many geese that the paths get a bit yucky. The statue of Peter Pan (a copy of the original in Kensington Gardens in London) was a gift to Bradford from the philanthropist Sir Trevor Pears. It's installed safely on a small island in the lake, though that does mean you can't see the detail of all the woodland creatures and faeries on the base. 

The bandstand has been located here since 1908. Its roof became unsafe and was removed in the 1980s, and has since been restored. I think it's still used in the summer. Many of our parks have a summer programme of music. 

The park is a nice mixture of open spaces, lawns and planted areas. At one time there was an outdoor lido too, though that has long gone. I enjoyed my wanderings, though the sunshine didn't last long!  

Outside and in

Just for completeness, here are a few more shots I took at Bradford Industrial Museum. It was once a small worsted mill, Moorside Mills, built in 1875. In the photo above you can just see the house behind, where the mill manager and his family lived. The buildings were taken over by Bradford Council in 1974 and are used to house displays of textile machinery, steam power, printing equipment, trams and vintage motor vehicles. 

The mill produced worsted cloth used for military uniforms during WW1, so the mill was expanded and the clock tower was added as a war memorial in 1919. 

The shed that juts out, in the picture above, holds a blacksmith's forge. At weekends it is used for demonstrations of the blacksmith's craft. Visitors are separated from the fire and anvil by a perspex screen, which is why my photo looks a bit misty, but I quite like the effect. 

Inside the museum, one whole floor is given over to textile machinery, with the preparation and spinning machines in one large room and weaving looms, of various types and vintages (below) in another.