Giles Darkes, Ian Roberts, Sarah Rees Jones

Mapping Bradford’s History

Description

Join the team from Heritage Towns Trust (HTT) as they present a fascinating talk on the creation of a unique map of Bradford. Using an early Ordnance Survey map as its foundation, this project charts the city’s transformation from a small medieval town to a world centre of industry and trade in the 19th century.  

Discover how historic and contemporary features come together to reveal Bradford’s rich narrative, showcasing its rapid rise during the wool and cotton boom. HTT will share incredible stories from their research, blending history, technology, and cartography, while exploring the map’s creation and the project’s ambitious vision.

This event is supported by Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, we are very grateful for their financial support and for making this event possible. We are also kindly supported by the Institute of the Public Understanding of the Past, University of York. 

We wish to thank the following organisations for making the production of the map possible: The Normanby Charitable Trust, The Charles & Elsie Sykes Trust, The Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society, CBA Yorkshire, Joseph Fattorini Charitable Trust, Bradford Historical & Antiquarian Society, and a number of individual donors.

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About the Speakers

Giles Darkes

Giles Darkes

Giles Darkes is a professional cartographer. He trained in geography and cartography and specialises in thematic and historical mapping. Formerly a university lecturer in cartography, he has worked on a range of cartographic projects including the Atlas of the World’s Languages and An Historical Atlas of Oxfordshire as well as a range of map illustrations for books and articles. As Cartographic Editor for the Historic Towns Trust, he is in charge of creating the maps for the Trust’s publications, adding the historical information and for the design and layout of the maps and atlases.

Sarah Rees Jones

Sarah Rees Jones

Sarah Rees Jones is Professor Emerita of Medieval History at the University of York. She works on medieval social history, is the author of York, the Making of a City, 1068-1350 and contributed to the British Historic Towns Atlas, Volume V, the City of York.
Sarah is a Trustee for the Historic Towns Trust and has led our projects in Ripon, York and now Bradford, working closely with our local partners.

About the Historian

Ian Roberts

Ian Roberts

Ian Roberts was formerly the principal archaeologist for Archaeological Services WYAS, overseeing archaeological projects throughout Yorkshire. More recently he has operated as a freelance archaeological consultant, and the archaeologist for Bradford Cathedral. Ian is also a long-standing member of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society. His career has provided opportunities to publish on a wide range of subjects, including the prehistoric and Romano-British cropmark landscapes and settlements, the kingdom of Elmet, medieval Pontefract, medieval and post-medieval pottery production sites, and medieval churches. His work in Bradford has included work at the cathedral, and reporting on the findings from the Broadway shopping centre excavations – the only archaeological investigation to have so far taken place within the city centre.

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