Bradford power station

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Bradford Power Station (also known as Valley Road Power Station) was an electricity generating site located on Valley Road in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The primary source of fuel was coal which was railed into the sidings adjacent to the Bradford Forster Square to Shipley railway line. The plant operated for 79 years and had cooling towers constructed from wood and was noted for its 300-foot (91 m) chimney that was supposed to vent smoke away from the valley floor in Bradford Dale that the power station was located on. The commissioning of a power station in Bradford as operated by the Bradford Corporation, made it the first municipal supplier of electricity in the United Kingdom.

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Conditioning House

The Conditioning House was a public institution in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, which provided independent quality control of wool. It was established by Bradford Corporation in 1887 and in its heyday assessed nearly 70% of the UK's wool, in particular its staple length and water content. It closed in the 1980s and stood empty for some 30 years until its conversion into offices and flats was completed in 2024.

Bradford City A.F.C.

Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and immediately elected into the Football League Second Division. Promotion to the top tier followed as they won the 1907–08 Second Division title and then they went on to win the 1911 FA Cup final, which remains the club's only major honour. They were relegated in 1922 and again in 1927, before winning the Third Division North title in 1928–29. Another relegation in 1937 did allow the club to go on to win the Third Division North Cup in 1939, however a further relegation followed in 1962 to leave the club in the newly created Fourth Division. They secured promotions back into the third tier in 1969 and 1977, but were relegated in 1972 and 1978. They found success in the 1980s under the stewardship of first Roy McFarland and then Trevor Cherry, winning promotion in 1981–82 and following this up with the Third Division title in 1984–85, though they were relegated out of the Second Division in 1990. Bradford were promoted back into the second tier via the play-offs in 1996, before securing another promotion in 1998–99 to reach the Premier League, marking a return to the top-flight after a 77-year absence. They entered Europe and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000–01 but ended the campaign with relegation from the Premier League. A succession of financial crises followed as the club entered administration twice in two years and further relegations followed in 2004 and 2007 to leave the club back in the fourth tier. They found success under the management of Phil Parkinson by reaching the 2013 League Cup final and then going on to win that year's League Two play-off final but were relegated from League One in 2019. The club's home ground is the 24,840-capacity Valley Parade, which was the site of the Bradford City stadium fire on 11 May 1985, which took the lives of 56 supporters. They are the only professional football club in England to wear claret and amber, and have worn these colours throughout their history. They have though been known by various nicknames, with the "Bantams" being the most commonly used nickname as it appears on the current club crest. Supporters hold West Yorkshire derby rivalries with Huddersfield Town and Leeds United, as well as a historic Bradford derby rivalry with the now non-league side Bradford (Park Avenue).

Valley Parade

Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club; it remained so until 1903, when the club changed code from rugby league to association football, and became Bradford City A.F.C.. Valley Parade has since been Bradford City's home ground, and is now owned by the pension fund of the club's former chairman Gordon Gibb. The stadium has also hosted Bradford (Park Avenue) for one season and the rugby-league side Bradford Bulls for two seasons, and has accommodated a number of England youth team fixtures. In 1908, the football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to redevelop the ground when Bradford City were promoted to the First Division. Few changes were made until a fatal fire on 11 May 1985, when 56 supporters were killed and at least 265 were injured. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. Oliver Popplewell published his inquiry into the fire, which led to the introduction of new safety legislation for sports grounds across England. Following the fire, the stadium underwent a £2.6-million redevelopment and was re-opened in December 1986. The ground underwent significant changes in the 1990s and the early 2000s, and now has a capacity of 25,136. The attendance record of 39,146 was set in 1911 at an FA Cup tie against Burnley, making it the oldest-surviving attendance record at a Football League ground in England. The highest attendance at Valley Parade, as it is now, is 24,343, was set at a pre-season friendly against Liverpool in 2019. In 2022, the stadium's name was changed because of sponsorship from the University of Bradford.

Bradford City stadium fire

The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the stand. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. The match between Bradford City and Lincoln City, the final game of the season, had started in a celebratory atmosphere with Bradford receiving the Third Division championship trophy. At 3:40 pm, television commentator John Helm remarked upon a small fire in the main stand; in less than four minutes, with the windy conditions, the fire had engulfed the whole stand. In the panic that ensued, fleeing crowds escaped on to the pitch but others at the back of the stand tried to break down locked exit doors to escape. Many were burnt to death at the turnstile gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. It was also a catalyst for the substantial redevelopment and modernisation of many British football grounds within the following thirty years. Bradford City continues to support the Bradford Burns Unit, at the University of Bradford, as its official charity.