Bradford is a city in West Yorkshire that’s home to more than half a million people.

Originally a Saxon settlement, by the middle ages Bradford was a small town located in what is now the Kirkgate, Westgate and Ivegate areas.

As recently as 1801 the town numbered less than 7,000 inhabitants - but during the Industrial Revolution the town saw significant immigration from Ireland, and from Germany as people sought work in the booming textile industry, and since 1950s, immigration from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan have boosted the population.

The textile industry has declined over many years, leading to relatively high levels of unemployment in the town - yet Bradford still has the third largest economy in Yorkshire (behind Leeds and Sheffield).

Large employers include many financial services companies including Provident Financial PLC, Santander UK and Yorkshire Building Society.  Morrisons supermarket’s HQ is in Bradford, as is that of Yorkshire Water.

Bradford has excellent shopping facilities - The Broadway shopping centre has 70 shops including many of the big household names.  In the city centre, the Kirkgate Shopping Centre has a further 65 shops, there’s Forster Square Shopping Park and Sunbridge Wells retail complex too.

Visitors to Bradford enjoy visiting the Cathedral, the National Science and Media Museum, Impressions Gallery and Cartwright Hall.  Visit the Bradford Industrial Museum to learn more about the city’s industrial past or take a stroll through the area of Little Germany which is a great place to admire the Victorian architecture built for German merchants who came to Bradford in the mid 19th century.