Bradford Firsts – Blog Series No.3

August 24, 2026Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

A Short History of Bradford Free Libraries

Before the introduction of free public libraries, access to books was a luxury reserved for those who could afford private subscriptions.

1832: The Bradford Mechanics’ Institute was founded. It provided technical education and a library of books explicitly for working-class men.
Exclusivity: While revolutionary, these spaces still required small membership fees, leaving the poorest citizens without free access to literature or learning.

The Birth of the Free Library (1871–1878)

Following the national Public Libraries Act of 1850, Bradford became the fifth town in Yorkshire to adopt the legislation after a public meeting called by the mayor in 1871.

15^th June 1872: The Bradford Free Library opened its doors in rented premises on Tyrrel Street, inaugurated with major civic pride by Mayor Matthew Thompson.

When it first opened in June 1872, Bradford Public Library enabled people from all walks of life and of all ages to access information and education freely for the first time.

The access to the library was detailed in the above article in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer in April 1878.

The 1872 initial collection of the Bradford Free Library was anchor-funded and heavily comprised of a singular massive acquisition: the private collection of Alderman Samuel Smith. See picture below.

Page from Report of Committees of Bradford City Council 1871 — reports-of-committees-of-bradford-city-council-1867-1876-1871.png
Bradford Local Studies Library

Alongside city leaders Briggs Priestley and John Venimore Godwin, the library acquired 13,400 volumes from Smith’s estate to rapidly stock the shelves at Tyrrel Street before opening day.

What the 1872 Collection Included

Because it was established strictly as a Reference Library and Newsroom during its first few months, the collection was selected to prioritize information density and public utility rather than casual fiction:

Local History and Antiquities: Early efforts focused heavily on preservation, creating a repository for local political pamphlets, transcripts of the Bradford Parish Registers, and topographical maps of the West Riding.
Newspapers and Periodicals: The newsroom floor featured a vast selection of local daily and weekly broadsheets, including early bound volumes of the Bradford Observer (later the Telegraph & Argus), alongside commercial trade sheets to support the booming wool and textile sectors.
Scientific & Commercial Reference: Directories, patent records, gazetteers, and standard 19th-century encyclopaedias designed to help local working-class men educate themselves.

Reports of Committees of Bradford City Council 1872, p13,14. Property of Bradford Local Studies Library

February 1873: The lending department officially opened to the public, allowing citizens to take books home for the first time.

1878: To accommodate rapidly growing demand, the library migrated to a grander, purpose-built facility on Darley Street. This site offered a newsroom, reference and lending blocks, separate reading rooms for men and women, and an art gallery.

Central Public Library Location: Darley Street, Bradford, Source/Collection: Bradford Libraries Archive

Reading Room / Reference Library area at the Central Public Library Location: Darley Street, Bradford, Source/Collection: Bradford Libraries Archive

The Libraries Committee was responsible for overseeing the maintaining/expansion and governance of the Bradford Free Library. James Duncan Law’s grandfather, James Law JP, was a central pioneer of Bradford’s initial municipal expansion. During his tenure as Mayor in 1867, he advocated heavily for Bradford to adopt the 1850 Free Libraries Act, (The Public Libraries Act 1850 was a monumental piece of UK legislation that laid the foundation for the modern public library system. Introduced to Parliament as a backbench bill by William Ewart MP and Joseph Brotherton MP, it gave local authorities discretionary power to establish free public libraries for the very first time, paving the way for the opening of the first branch at Tyrrel Street in 1872. Following his mayoralty, James Law JP served as a dedicated director of the Bradford Library for over 25 years, steering its transition into the larger, grander Darley Street premises.

Inheriting this role, James Duncan Law (1882–1940) carried the family’s oversight into the early 20th century. Operating through the Committee, he managed the strategic upkeep, library staffing, and expanding catalogue of the Darley Street Central Lending and Reference Library. His primary focus was maintaining the library’s educational resources to support the local working class during the height of Bradford’s industrial textile boom.

When the landmark, eight-storey Bradford Central Library officially opened on Monday 17 July 1967, it introduced two major historical “firsts” to the United Kingdom’s library infrastructure:

1. First Major Post-War Central Library in the UK

The building was a structural milestone for British municipal design. It stood as the very first major, newly built post-war central library building in the entire United Kingdom. It was commissioned as a flagship symbol of the 1960s urban redevelopment of Bradford city centre.

HEAG136 Publication date: September 2013 © English Heritage Reissue date: July 2016 © Historic England Design: Historic England

The building was commissioned to solve extreme overcrowding at the old Darley Street premises. It was designed by Bradford Corporation’s City Architect, Clifford Brown. He worked closely with the pioneering City Librarian, Harold Bilton, who had pushed for a modern premises since taking the role in 1951. The complex was built as an eight-story high-rise paired alongside an adjacent 400-seat Library Theatre. The structure made extensive use of glass facades and large reinforced concrete spans to maximize open space, natural light, and structural visual flexibility.
Financial Scale: When the building was finalized and officially opened by H.R.H. Princess Alexandra in 1967, the total construction and fitting cost was £800,000. For context, at the time, this massive investment was equivalent to buying multiple professional football clubs.

2. First UK Library Using the “Subject-Department” Principle

Before 1967, British libraries strictly separated their lending books from their reference books (often keeping reference texts tucked away in a closed-off area). Inspired by modern American systems, Bradford’s City Librarian, Harold Bilton, broke tradition:

Integrated Departments: Bradford Central Library became the first in the country to combine lending and reference materials together into designated subject departments.
The Layout: If you visited the 5th floor, for example, you found all social science lending books, reference texts, and specialists in that field grouped in one single zone.

Evolution of the Stock

June 1872: The Reference Library opened with the 13,400 general and local volumes.
February 1873: The library added a popular Lending Department, expanding the collection to include classic 19th-century literature and standard science textbooks.

In 2013, the library moved from Margaret McMillan Tower into a building in City Park which was shared with Bradford Museum and Galleries. This obviously caused a reduction in stock, and the entire library now only covered 2 floors. This did not deter usage as City Library as it is now known is still one of the busiest libraries in the district.

There is a display of photos on display in Bradford Local Studies, which people are welcome to come and see. These will be up until 31st August when the display will change to Septembers subject.

Another piece of Bradford Food/Drink History

August 4, 2026August 11, 2026Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

Following on from the school meals, we are now looking at Bradford and it’s MILK history.

THE BRADFORD MODEL MILK COMPANY

The Bradford Model Milk dairy was the brainchild of Wilfred Lowe, who is recognized as a key pioneer of the milk industry which developed its prominent operations and milk processing footprint in Bradford during the 1930s. As many dairies went completely over to pasteurized milk, which became the normal daily doorstep delivery across most of Britain, the Bradford Model Dairy became famous for its sterilised milk, which it continued to process. In a time when most back-to-back houses would not have had fridges, sterilised milk, was preferred because it lasted longer.

A black-and-white historical photograph from the 1930s showing a fleet of delivery trucks and workers lined up outside a large brick building. The building features a painted roof sign that reads "THE BRADFORD MODEL MILK CO. LTD." Several men in white worker coats and flat caps stand beside the vehicles, which are loaded with milk crates. A caption at the bottom of the image reads, "1930's 'Bradford Model's pioneer Wilfred Lowe would find little difficulty in recognising the original extension' (Express News Christmas 1976)." — The Bradford Model Milk Company Laisterdyke Dairy building

Bradford Model Milk Dairy, Laisterdyke, Bradford. With it’s famous chimney.

A high-angle black-and-white aerial photograph from 1954 showing the industrial landscape of Laisterdyke, Bradford. A prominent blue arrow at the top left points down toward a white-roofed industrial building building complex. Dense rows of terraced houses, factories with chimneys, and a multi-track railway line running alongside a bridge are visible across the urban area. A detailed caption at the bottom reads: "1954 Aerial shot of Laisterdyke, Bradford, with Bradford Model Dairy arrowed, 'Model' on the chimney. The bottling plant opened in 1926 and was acquired by Express in the 1950's; a new dairy was opened in 1951. (Courtesy Matthew Pinto, Milk on the Rails, Photo: C.H. Wood)."

The famous chimney with the word ‘MODEL’ painted down the side is all that is left at the site now.

A high-angle 3D satellite image showing the abandoned, demolished site of a former industrial facility. A tall brick chimney stack stands prominently on the left side, with the word "MODEL" painted vertically down its side in white letters. The rest of the plot consists of overgrown concrete foundations, patches of dirt, scattered debris, and vegetation. The site is bordered by thick green trees on the left and an earthen bank or field on the right.

1957 map of the Laisterdyke Dairy site next to the mills and the sidings yard.

A historical Ordnance Survey map excerpt of the Laisterdyke area in Bradford, showing a detailed street and building layout. A prominent blue arrow points down and to the left toward a large building complex labeled "Dairy." Surrounding landmarks include the Lyceum Cinema, Mortimer Row, Ing Street, Dundas Street, and a Telephone Exchange. The lower section features a large railway corridor labeled "Laisterdyke Station," complete with multiple tracks, platforms, and a station house, bordered by allotment gardens and surrounding mills.

The Bradford Model Milk Co. Ltd (later known as the Bradford Model Dairy) opened its Laisterdyke milk bottling plant at the Argonaut Mill site in Laisterdyke in 1926. The company operated from this location until 1952, when it moved to a new, larger dairy plant on White Abbey Road.

The Bradford Model Dairy operated separate industrial processing lines to cater to different market needs:

A black-and-white historical photograph of a specialized railway wagon carrying a large road tanker trailer on a set of tracks. The large cylindrical tank is painted a dark color with white lettering that reads "GLASS LINED MILK TRANSPORT TANK" on the side, and "BRADFORD MODEL MILK COMPANY LIMITED" on the circular end. The tanker trailer has large rubber tires and is securely chained down to a flatbed railway carriage labeled "MILK TANK WAGON" and marked with "NE" branding. A prominent "Glen Woods" watermark is centered across the image.

The Pasteurisation Line: Raw milk arriving by rail tanks like the one in the picture above, via Bowling Back Lane/ Laisterdyke rail was pasteurised—heated to roughly 72°C for 15 seconds—to destroy immediate pathogenic bacteria while preserving a natural cream line and fresh taste. It still required continuous refrigeration.
The Sterilisation Line: For “Model Milk”, the dairy took processing a step further. The milk was homogenised so the cream would not separate, sealed in airtight glass bottles with distinct swing-tops (and later crown caps), and heated intensely in excess of 100°C

In the 1930s, the rail line running via the viaduct above Bowling Back Lane in Bradford connected Bowling Junction to Laisterdyke. 2,000-gallon milk tank trucks were removed from train wagons, and these were sent to local facilities like the Bradford Model Dairy, which was built alongside the Laisterdyke Sidings yard.

In the late 1930s or early 1940s, Craven bought out Wilfred Lowes business and immediately started looking at expanding. He required a new location, so work started on the new dairy on White Abbey Road. Shown below.

A historical Ordnance Survey map excerpt showing a dense urban and industrial sector, with a prominent blue arrow pointing down and to the left toward a building labeled "Dairy." The dairy sits at a major junction bordered by City Road, White Abbey Road, and Hardaker Street. Surrounding urban features include Worthington Street, Sunbridge Road, Westgate, several factories marked "Works," a playground, and the Westgate Site Recreation Ground.

In 1949, after talks with Express dairies, a deal was made between the two and Express became the new owners and sole milk delivery company in the immediate area, delivering milk in cartons to hospitals during the 1962 Bradford smallpox outbreak.

White Abbey Road Dairy , after opening in 1952.

A vintage magazine page from "Dairyman, September 1952" titled "A NEW BRADFORD DAIRY." The top half features a large black-and-white photograph of a multi-story brick factory building with "EXPRESS DAIRY" painted prominently on its side walls. The bottom half contains printed historical columns describing the opening of the milk pasteurization and bottling centre by the Lord Mayor. A smaller photograph at the bottom right shows two Express Dairy delivery trucks loaded with milk crates parked underneath a sheltered reception bay.

A black-and-white architectural illustration of a modern Art Deco style industrial building. The corner entrance features a curved facade with a tall, vertical glass block window, lettering that reads "EXPRESS DAIRY," and a Union Jack flag flying from the roof. The main side of the building has rows of large horizontal windows and features prominent signage reading "EXPRESS DAIRY (NORTHERN) LTD." Pedestrians walk on the sidewalk in the foreground, and handwritten script in the bottom right corner reads, "Our New Dairy at Bradford."

The dairy has undergone a few transitions:

1969: Express Dairies was acquired by Grand Metropolitan, the hotel group, who in 1969 diversified into fresh food.

1991: Sold on to Northern Foods, who began as an East Yorkshire dairy, called Northern Dairies in 1937. In post war Britain, they diversified and eventually became the ready meal company that partnered with Marks and Spencer.

2003–2006: Following restructuring, the business was bought by Arla Foods in 2003 and later transferred to Dairy Crest in 2006.

Thank you to https://expressdairytales.uk/ed-bradford for letting me use some of their images and history. Please head over to their website to learn more about the fascinating history of Express Dairies.

Sad Passing of a Library Friend and Volunteer, Steven Wood

July 20, 2026Bradford Libraries 1 Comment

It was with great sadness that Keighley Library staff heard of the death of Steven Wood early Monday morning, 13^th July.

Steve, as he was known to us, was a great friend of the library and of its staff. As a well-known local historian and authority on the history of the Haworth area, he often visited the library for research purposes. He gave freely of his time and expertise when we had any particularly challenging enquiries and helped not only staff but many other researchers and even appeared on television programmes about the Brontës in Haworth.

Steven Wood with his 2014 book, Haworth, Oxenhope & Stanbury From Old Maps. (image from the Keighley News)

Only recently, Steve helped library staff in the production of the Brontë trail booklet around Keighley, when we tried to work out the different routes the Brontës walked from Haworth to Keighley. Some staff can also fondly recall a legendary winter ramble with him years ago and being thoroughly informed by him about the history and topography of the Haworth area, including water courses, so that by the end of the walk, it wasn’t just a drink that we hurried to the pub for on such a cold day.

Steve became a regular library volunteer, his work digitising the library’s archive collections on the Haworth area are of immense value. Always happy to share his research with us, his copies of databases, images and information were regularly deposited with the library as he kept abreast of developing digital technology from hard copy transcriptions of Haworth Parish registers to image indexes and maps and plans on CD.

Steve’s published works continue to be an invaluable source of information on Haworth and its locality and it’s a relief to note that he managed to complete his history of Haworth Parish Church that was a project he had set his heart on and his scholarship as an historian will be well showcased on publication. We look forward to adding this history to our library and to his collection of many other fine works here.

We shall miss our friend and chats with him about his other passion – books and book fairs that he used to visit. Steve was a regular bibliophile and knew such a lot on this subject that, again, he was happy to share with us. On a lighter note, he had a lovely sense of humour and would send us the occasional funny cartoon about having too many books in the house (like one or two staff here) and about libraries generally. At Christmas, he would shop for chocolate goodies and never fail to bring some in for a tea break. Steve was a lovely and very accomplished gentleman, generous with his time and knowledge, and we shall continue to miss him very much.

Keighley Local Studies Team

Bradford and Its Children: The History of School Meals

April 7, 2026May 18, 2026Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

Bradford Firsts – Blog Series No. 1

Bradford and Its Children: The History of School Meals

As part of the Bradford Heritage Festival, running from 13–19 July 2026, Bradford Local Studies is working with West Yorkshire Archives and Bradford Heritage Connection to launch a new series exploring Bradford Firsts—innovations and social movements that began right here in the city.

With this year’s Festival theme focusing on Education, our first blog looks at something that has shaped childhood for generations: the creation of school meals. This story begins in Bradford, with remarkable civic effort, compassion, and community action that would influence national policy.

A Bradford Community Cookbook – We Need Your Recipes!

To celebrate the diverse heritage that makes Bradford the most culturally rich city in Yorkshire and the Humber, we are creating a Bradford Community Cookbook.

We’re inviting you to share:

a treasured family recipe,
a favourite school pudding, or
a dish passed down through generations.

The first 50 submissions will be compiled into a published community cookbook celebrating Bradford’s vibrant food heritage.

📧 Send your recipes to: local.studies@bradford.gov.uk
📌 Email subject line: Community Cookbook

Or Use the online form here: cookbook – Google Forms

The Birth of the Cinderella Club (1890)

136 years ago, Bradford’s civic leaders recognised an urgent social issue: thousands of children in the city were undernourished, and in many cases, starving. In January 1890, a committee of prominent citizens—Mr A. Boyle (President), Mr Arthur Perston (Secretary), Mr J.W. Woodcock (Treasurer), and Messrs W.G. Asquith, F.J. Stockton, and A. Ingle—established the Cinderella Club.

The idea had originated with Robert Blatchford, co‑founder and editor of the Clarion newspaper in Manchester, who had already inspired the creation of similar clubs in his own district.

On Tuesday 28 January 1890, this advertisement appeared in the Bradford Daily Telegraph:

(2)

Only two weeks later, on 11 February 1890, the Telegraph published a lengthy commentary titled “A Social Question”, discussing the work of both the Cinderella Club and the Salvation Army.
At first glance, the writer appears sceptical of charitable feeding schemes; however, their real concern lay in the temporary nature of such efforts and whether the wealthier classes would have the commitment to maintain long‑term support.

Early Work and Early Impact

Despite these concerns, the Cinderella Club quickly became a major force in the city. In the first four months, the club provided weekly teas and entertainments to nearly 5,000 children.

On Monday 24 February 1890, the Third Weekly Treat took place, with 1,000 children in attendance—joined by Sir Henry Mitchell and Mr James Hanson, who both addressed the gathering.

The children were served a nourishing meal consisting of:

a meat sandwich
a pint of tea
a sweet bun
an orange

followed by an evening of entertainment.

(3(4)

A distinctive feature of the Cinderella Club was its refusal to associate with any political or religious organisation. Its founders believed that poverty relief should transcend sectarian and party lines—an unusually progressive stance for the era.

By 1891, the Club expanded its support to include clothing. That summer, Mrs Titus Salt, Alderman William C. Lupton, and the Lord Mayor, Mr Jacob Moser, introduced countryside excursions for children. In 1898, Sir William and Lady Priestley funded special outings for widows as well.

Between 1890 and 1901, the Bradford Daily Telegraph ran the Telegraph Cinderella Fund, raising £4,842 18s. 1d. to support this work.

By 1902–3, the Club had provided:

110,340 meals
5,116 teas and entertainments
1,018 Christmas dinners

These were extraordinary achievements driven by community generosity and commitment.

The Cinderella Club and the Education Committee

A turning point came in October 1904, when Frederick Jowett of the Independent Labour Party and a member of the Bradford Education Committee, supported by social reformer Margaret McMillan, asked the Club to compile a report on child hunger.

This report estimated that around 3,000 children in Bradford were experiencing hunger severe enough to affect their health and education.

The Education Committee asked the Cinderella Club to begin providing meals for the most urgent cases. Within a week, meals were being supplied to 34 schools, prepared initially at Green Lane School and served by teachers.

This arrangement continued until July 1905, when Bradford Council took over formal provision under the new Education (Provision of Meals) Act 1906.
Link to the Act: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Edw7/6/57/enacted

Below is an extract from the Committee’s report:
(5)

What the Children Ate: 1904–5 Meal Schedule

From The Bradford Cinderella Club: Coming of Age, 1890–1911 (Willie Gill), the menu for the winter of 1904–5 included:

Mondays & Wednesdays – a pint of nourishing lentil soup (meat stock with lentils and vegetables), 2–3 oz of bread, followed by one or more plates of rice pudding.
Tuesdays & Thursdays – savoury meat hash with potatoes and onions, bread, and rice pudding.
Fridays – pea soup (prepared as above), bread, and rice pudding.
Saturdays – an evening meal of tea, sandwiches and buns.

The simplicity of the meals belies their importance: they were often the only substantial food children received all day.

The Only Cinderella Club Still Operating

Remarkably, the Bradford Cinderella Club is the only one still in operation today, continuing its mission to support the city’s children more than 130 years after its founding.

You can learn more about their mission here:
🔗 https://cinderellaclub.org/

Looking Ahead: The Recipes Behind the Meals

This history aligns with the meals later formalised under the 1906 Provision of Meals Act.
Bradford Local Studies holds an original 1906 school meal recipe booklet, compiled by Marion E. Cuff, Superintendent of Domestic Subjects.

(6)

In our next blog, we’ll explore some of these early recipes, attempt to recreate a few, and discuss the remarkable logistics of preparing meals for more than 3,000 children across the Bradford district.

Send Us Your Recipes!

Help us celebrate Bradford’s diverse food heritage.
📧 local.studies@bradford.gov.uk
📌 Subject: Community Cookbook

Written by Vicki Warner

Bradford’s Forgotten author: A Blog Post on Bradford’s Willie Riley. A recent talk at Bradford Local Studies by David M. Copeland

February 10, 2026Bradford Libraries Leave a comment

Thanks to the tireless efforts of David, a University of Bradford graduate and Riley enthusiast, there has been a recent revival of interest in the life of Willie Riley. Copeland’s work has included:

A Master of Philosophy thesis on Riley’s life and works: From Bradford Moor to Silver Dale.

The establishment of a dedicated Willie Riley website.
An introduction to the re-issued edition of Windyridge, which is now back in print.

Bradford Local Studies holds most of his fiction catalogue which can be perused in the Library.

The University of Bradford Library Special Collections holds an extensive archive of his work, including manuscripts, correspondence, and photographs, which are available for researchers and fans alike.

Willie Riley’s story reminds us that literary fame can be fleeting, but the power of a good story well told endures. His work offers a charming window into a bygone era of Yorkshire life, and its high time he was rediscovered.

Born in Bradford in 1866, Willie Riley was a fascinating figure who went from a successful businessman in the textile and optical lantern slide industries to a best-selling author of over 30 novels. Though a household name in his time, particularly across Yorkshire, his work is now largely forgotten, making a revival of interest in this unique regional voice even more important, especially as it coincides with a renewed interest in the Yorkshire Dialect, with ‘Let’s Talk Tyke’ workshops and the appointment as President of The Yorkshire Dialect Society, Yorkshire-born British Library linguist and dialectologist Jonnie Robinson.

From Boardroom to Bookstore

Riley’s journey to becoming an author was unconventional. He started working for his father Joseph, in his ‘stuff business’, straight after leaving school in 1882.

Credit: University of Bradford, The W. Riley Archive., Special Collections. RIL10/2. Headed notepaper for Riley & Riley. 17 Westgate Colonnade, Bradford.

In 1884, Joseph created The Optical Lantern Business and Willie transferred to this part of the family business, which was a firm that sold and hired magic lantern equipment internationally. In 1889, Willie was made a partner in the company. The business thrived until World War I, when it collapsed.

(The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford has a collection of the Riley Magic Lantern Slides.)

However, even though he worked in the family businesses, his writing career had already begun as a personal project. In early 1911, to amuse his wife and two bereaved friends, the Bolton sisters, he began writing a story in weekly chapters. This heartwarming tale, full of the detail of Yorkshire life and set in a fictionalised version of the village of Hawksworth near Baildon, was eventually published as Windyridge in 1912.

Windyridge was an instant sensation, selling around half a million copies and remaining in print until his death in 1961. Its success even led to houses across the country being named after the fictional location.

Riley became a full-time writer after his business closed, producing a steady stream of novels, short stories, newspaper articles, and travel works, most of which were set in his beloved Yorkshire Dales. His work is characterised by:

A deep love for Yorkshire: His stories used real places under disguised names, capturing the landscape and local character.
Methodist faith: A dedicated local preacher for 75 years, his strong religious beliefs underlie all his writings.
Heartwarming storytelling: His books offered a comforting escape, full of gentle humour and moral reflection.

Despite his immense fame during his lifetime (he died in 1961 at the age of 95), Riley’s popularity waned significantly after his death, and he became almost completely forgotten.