Saltaire Llamas

These two bronze statues stand in front of the Half Moon Cafe in Roberts Park at Saltaire, they are generally referred to as the 'llamas' but I think they are more likely to be Alpaca.

Samuel Cunliffe Lister - Lister Park

This white marble statue of Samuel Cunliffe Lister stands in Lister Park. Lister was a wealthy mill owner who played a key role in the development of the textile industry in Bradford, he also donated land for the construction of Manningham Park, or Lister Park as it is also known as.

Cobden Statue

This statue of Richard Cobden stands in the Wool Exchange which is now a Waterstones book shop. Cobden was the Member of Parliament for the West Riding of Yorkshire (1847-1857) and was a prominent peace campaigner who spoke out against the war in the Crimea.

Spotty Dog - Northgate

     I noticed this dog the other day, up on the third storey of an old building in Northgate in the city centre.  I have never noticed it before, probably because it is so high up.  The only piece of relevant information I can find is that there was once a Greyhound Inn in the street, and this dog looks a bit like a greyhound, but I still don't know why it is situated so high up.

J B Priestley Statue

     I was on my way to the library today and decided to stop and take a picture of this statue of Bradford author and broadcaster J B Priestley.  If someone had asked me how long the statue has been there I would have said ten, maybe fifteen years at the most.  After a quick read of the brass plaque on the rear of the statue I realised that it's been there for twenty five years, time flies.   Priestley drew on memories of Bradford in many of the works he wrote, but he is probably most famous for his wartime broadcasts by the BBC which drew an audience of sixteen million listeners.

Spring Silhouette - Peel Park

     This statue, on the grand promenade in Peel Park is named Spring.  It was donated to the park in Victorian times by the Bradford Band of Hope and Union, a Baptist Society that promoted abstinence from drink.  Bradford has several large parks which were built in the Victorian era.  The textile industry was at its peak at this time and living conditions for the workers were probably at their worst.