For reasons which are not totally clear to me now, i went to Bradford University. They say you should never go back, we’ll this Saturday Jon, Trev and i returned after more than 20 years, for a weekend of memories, beer and curry.
Richmond Building looks much the same:
as does Daleys Bookshop:
Q Block, where i lived as a “fresher”:
This chippy only opened on a weekday lunchtime, so we were amazed to see it still going:
They filled in the stairs down into the Computer Centre under the J.B. Priestley library, i somehow doubt they still have the CDC Cyber with async terminals down there:
The Kismet is now “OK’s” .. nice curry, but what’s the world coming to when you have to ask for chapattis and a side-salad?
Great Horton Road has been revamped as the new “West End”:
The Alhambra theatre was renovated soon after we graduated:
But the Odeon needs some attention, not least from Ground Force on the roof:
One of my best cinema experiences was seeing Gandhi here with a packed, mainly Asian audience:
The corn exchange is now a bookshop with a Starbucks (boo!) on the top floor:
I ate here once when it was a thriving curry house. ISTR ordering a prawn curry and being served soup with lumps of cheese in it. Halfway through the meal the next table ‘did a runner’ only to be chased down the road by waiters brandishing hockey sticks! I guess it being opposite the mortuary wasn’t that great for business, so RIP, Paradise!
The Shearbridge! How can a pub opposite a university halls of residence go bust?
Or the slummy Pickwicks go so far down hill?
The excellent Fighting Cock real ale pub was still going great guns though:
Great to see the political graffiti is still going strong:
No trip to Bradford is complete without a trip to the supermarket:
Groovy virtual tours of the university:
http://www.bradford.ac.uk/external/geninfo/tours.php
not the Paul Downey aka Eroll surely not if so drop me a line. and is that windsurfing Jon and the working Trev we use to live with in Rothsey Terrace……
The CORN exchange!
It was the WOOL exchange.
I haven’t been to Bradford for over 6 years now. But then I’m more than 6000 miles away from Bradford!
Thanks for the good pics! I had a sudden surged of memory flashback when I browsed and read through your blog. Missed those Uni days! It has been 6 years since I’m done with Uni. Hopefully to visit Bradford again!
Halim, Singapore
Thanks for the good pics…..
great
I love bradford university`s students
Hi all,
I just got into the School of Management at the Univ. of Bradford. I think most of you are Bradford graduates, so I think you guys could help me with a few questions.
Initially, I was very excited about it, but just recently I read about the riots in 2001, and some traces of racism that still exist.
Also some of the people online were of the view that the school is not all that great. However, most ratings online regard it as a good business school.
Since you people have had a first hand experience, do you think it is worth going there? Is racism still a problem there? How is the night life and is it fun to be there?
How is the reputation of Bradford Grads in the UK job market?
I would really appreciatre your response. Thanks!
20 years ago? Hmm, me too. Tempus fugit… I still miss the curry…
as a student a brad uni, i would say that was very good 3 years i have spent, miss the place so much, i’m quite sure there would be some day i will go back.
bradford is not too bad a place, its what you make of it yourself really, it is a mixed culture. I live in a village outside the town but i have to go through bfd to get to the motorway and we do our shopping in bfd. or right there is places that are bad but so there is places in other towns, the council are making good progress in places, in the town, places where the riots were and other parts of the city. So on the hole its not too bad given time it will be good again. So i say to anyone unsure dont be, come and check it for themselves, and use there own judgement, there is lots of places, town, go out to Haworth, skipton, etc, they still come under the bfd postcode. People move away some do come back. I do hope this gives some good insight of our good city. I could go on but i will leave there.
Bradford is a discrase, full of illegal immigrants all taking benefits,the university would rather take foreigners and illegals than train Britons and ppl from Bradford, Bradford would rather spend money on pointless mosques than on hospitals and education,…again Bradford is a discrace
there are also too many churches, religious buildings surrounding the uni…