Description
Join writer and local historian, Irene Lofthouse, for a captivating journey into medieval Bradford, uncovering its roots through the street names we walk past every day.
Discover how Bradford was once known as ‘Broad Ford’, a name born from the wide river crossing that gave rise to the town. From Stott Hill to Church Bank, Ivegate to Westgate, and mysterious wells like Jacob’s Well and Sunbridge, Lofthouse explores how these names, many still in use, offer fascinating clues to the people, landscapes, and lives of the past.
Illustrated with old maps, sketches, and vivid storytelling, this talk reveals forgotten corners of Bradford’s early history, blending fact, folklore, and local memory.
About the Speaker
Irene Lofthouse
Irene Lofthouse is an author, playwright, performer and research consultant based in Bradford. Her writing ranges across fiction and non-fiction; incorporates all ages and ranges across genres. She is a First story writer-in-residence for primary and secondary schools, editing five anthologies of young writers’ work. Irene regularly undertakes author talks in schools; creates educational learning content for universities, museums, libraries, Historic England, BBC Sounds and delivers workshops for Literature Festivals. Work appears in numerous anthologies (poetry and fiction); online at 26Characters; in her ‘Strange Tales’ children’s collections, and at live performances, open mics, festivals and one-woman shows.
She a trustee of JB Priestley Society, Undercliffe Cemetery and 26 Characters; has co-founded two community theatre groups and an award-winning training resources publishing business.
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