Bradford Cathedral
Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
Although Bradford has a wealth of Victorian architecture, the oldest building in the city is the cathedral. This intimate religious space, with stones dating back to Saxon times, is one of the first places Christians worshipped in the North. The building not only survived being dissolved in the reformation, it has since existed in numerous configurations as various owners refurbished, repaired and rebuilt it. However, despite the changing walls, the same warm and reverential atmosphere remains a constant.
The cathedral runs a concert series with some of the best organists, singers and instrumentalists in the North
In addition to regular worship the cathedral actively engages with the community. Check out their pot luck lunch, sewing clubs, craft clubs for carers and a Women of Faith book club, to name but a few. More details for specific activities can be found on the website.
Bradford Cathedral Choir are the heart and soul of the building’s music, regularly singing mass and evensong as well as touring the UK. Aside from sacred music, the cathedral also runs a very successful concert series inviting some of the best organists, singers and instrumentalists in the North to perform. Occasionally they also host visiting choirs for larger concerts, making the most of the building’s rich acoustic.
The cathedral invests in the community culturally as well as spiritually. Each year, they appoint a poet in residence to create work that responds to the world and explores the cathedrals past. In 2020 Diane Pacitti wrote a collection of poems focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement and responding to the concerns of the public. She explores how the church can engage with communities and approach issues specifically linked to race, regardless of a person’s faith.
Working in parallel to the poet in residence is Kate Abbey, a photographer in residence. Over the course of 12 months she aims to capture the cathedrals humanity. Her aim is to illustrate how the cathedral is a place built on human relationships, rather than bricks and stone.
