In 2021, BOP Consulting undertook a comprehensive mapping of Bradford’s cultural economy. This research mapped cultural provision and infrastructure in the district and compared it to other comparator cities with similar populations – Sheffield and Newcastle & Gateshead. While this data is now somewhat out of date, it remains very useful for identifying deeply entrenched patterns of investment and provision in the Bradford District. Headlines from this research show a relatively low level of public investment in culture compared to national averages and shows that NPO grants are below half of comparator cities. However, the research shows that local authority spending has maintained despite continued austerity.
This research identified Bradford’s distinctive creative sector profile, and some unique cultural assets. But it also points out that cultural organisations tend to be smaller and have less production capacity than those in comparator cities such as Sheffield and Newcastle.
In terms of the theatre scene in Bradford, BOP identified that the district has a similar number of venues compared to other cities of its size. However, the number of seats in these venues is significantly lower. The professional production capacity in Bradford’s theatres is limited, and there is a higher concentration of community and amateur activity compared to other similar cities.
Table 6: Numbers of theatres and seats for Bradford and other cities
City |
No. theatres |
No. of seats |
Seats per 1,000 |
Bradford |
10 |
3,550 |
60 |
Sheffield |
10 |
4,043 |
69 |
Newcastle & Gateshead |
10 |
4,724 |
94 |
Bradford has fewer cinema screens and slightly fewer music venues than comparable cities. Less of Bradford’s cultural infrastructure is in specific clusters, and there are no distinct areas of cultural focus in planning policy. These characteristics are likely to limit the economic contribution made by the sector.
With regards to the visual arts, Bradford has a similar number of studio spaces to Newcastle and Gateshead, though significantly fewer than Sheffield; however, these are often found in small individual units and there are no large-scale, multi-site operators present. There are also significantly fewer art galleries per person.
Table 7: Visual arts studios and galleries
City |
No. of studio spaces |
No. of studio spaces per 1,000 population |
No. of
art galleries |
No. of art galleries per 1,000 population |
Bradford |
10 |
0.19 |
15 |
0.28 |
Sheffield |
19 |
0.32 |
28 |
0.48 |
Newcastle & Gateshead |
8 |
0.16 |
19 |
0.38 |
Source: BOP Consulting, 2020
The capacity for professional theatre production in Bradford is limited, with only two producing theatres (Mind the Gap and Common Wealth). However, although work can be extremely high quality, these theatres are not as well established as in other comparable cities such as Sheffield and Newcastle, where larger production clusters bring in more income to the theatre sector and local economy. For instance, Sheffield Theatres produces around 13 new productions each year, with a mix of artistic, sector development and commercial goals. This includes co-productions with smaller theatres in Sheffield and other UK theatres, as well as commercial partnerships with receiving theatres that increase income. In 2018/19, Sheffield Theatres earned around £2.3 million from production income. In Newcastle, Northern Stage Theatrical Productions at the Playhouse has a procurement spend of around £1.1 million.
Table 8: Cultural assets in Bradford District
Name |
Type |
Cinemas |
• Cineworld Bradford
• Cubby Broccoli Cinema (at NSMM)
• Haworth Cinema
• IMAX Cinema (at NSMM), Bradford
• Pictureville Cinema (at NSMM), Bradford
• Picture House Keighley
• Ilkley Cinema |
Theatres |
• Alhambra Theatre
• Bingley Little Theatre
• Bradford Playhouse
• Kala Sangam
• Ilkley Playhouse
• East Riddlesen Hall
• Idle and Thackley Little Theatre
• Mind the Gap
• Keighley Playhouse
• Theatre in the Mill
• The Delius Arts & Cultural Centre
• St George’s Concert Hall
• Kings Hall and Winter Gardens, Ilkley |
Accredited museums |
• Bolling Hall Museum
• Bradford Industrial Museum
• Bronte Parsonage Museum
• Cliffe Castle
• Museum of Rail Travel |
Visual art studios |
• Cornmill Art Space
• Dockfield Road Creative Arts Hub |
Art Galleries |
• Cartwright Hall Art Gallery
• East Riddlesen Hall
• Impressions Gallery
• Kala Sangam
• Salts Mill (Hockney1853 Gallery)
• The Bingley Gallery
• South Square Centre
• Tinker Gallery, Ilkley
• The Studio, Bradford |
Music venues |
• 1 in 12 Club
• BD Mills (multi use space within Shed Mill)
• Fuse Art Space
• Hawksbys
• Nightrain
• South Square Centre
• Studio 5 Live
• The Live Room
• The Railway Social Club
• The Light |