Bradford: A Global City

Bradford is a vibrant, friendly, creative and cosmopolitan city with a population of over half a million people speaking around 70 different languages. This diverse community hosts a wide range of dazzling street events and festivals such as the annual Bradford Festival, a vibrant, colorful and multicultural programme of theatre, art, music and dance from around the world. The city’s restaurants serve up a delicious menu of world cuisine including Chinese, Italian, Ukrainian, Polish and Middle Eastern, while our famous curry houses have earned Bradford the title of Curry Capital of Britain for a record-breaking sixth year in a row - 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

It is the perfect multicultural setting for the Peace Studies department - and the city has even had its own Nobel Peace Prize winner! The Peace Museum in Bradford is the only museum dedicated to the history of peace, peacemakers and peace movements in the UK. Bradford was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, and the social conditions of the nineteenth century ensured that it became the cradle of a lot of important movements for social justice in the past, such as the Methodist movement and the Labour party. It introduced the first municipal schools and nurseries in the country.

This rich Victorian heritage is also evident in the city’s abundance of handsome architecture. More recent introductions include City Park, an award winning landscaped space in the city centre. The mirror pool, spectacular laser light projections and over 100 fountains attract the widest range of people, and it is also the setting for many open-air cultural events.

The surrounding countryside is equally breathtaking. The Victorian industrial village of Saltaire (a World Heritage Site), the pretty spa town of Ilkley, and the picturesque village of Haworth and Bronte country, are all popular tourist attractions, and all host seasonal cultural festivals. They are easily accessible by train or bus services that will also take you into the Yorkshire Dales and spectacular walking and hiking country. There are plenty of cinemas, sporting venues and theatres, all within a few minutes’ walk of the City Campus. The National Science and Media Museum is one of the most visited museum attractions outside London, whilst the Alhambra Theatre is a major touring venue offering top West End shows, contemporary dance and ballet. There is also a wealth of grassroots culture to explore, from artist sound walks around historic Manningham to the flourishing poetry and local music scenes, and nearby literature festivals. The University’s own Theatre in the Mill is an intimate space that hosts some groundbreaking and thought-provoking pieces, often by global artists. Many of the shows speak directly to Peace Studies issues.