Over the last few years, the team at Visualising Heritage has collected information on iconic sports venues near Bradford.
Our first site of importance was the former ground of Bradford Park Avenue. A dual-purpose ground with adjacent football and cricket pitches; they were divided by an unusual main stand, which served both areas which was designed by Archibald Leitch. While the football ground was effectively dismantled from the 1970s, part of the playing area was kept in good condition. In 2015 the team supported BREAKING GROUND ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY (Arts Council England and the National Football Museum, and supported by Bradford Metropolitan District Council). Using the area as an opportunity to train our students resulted in the revealing elements of the pitch that had not been seen for forty years. The project was subject to a book that was shortlisted for the 2017 William Hill Sports Book of the Year.
Another local iconic venue that the team has surveyed is the Richard Dunn Leisure Centre. It was opened in 1978 and as everyone from Bradford knows, it was named after the British heavyweight boxing champion who fought Muhammad Ali in a world title bout. The Richard Dunn Leisure Centre contained a fantastic water pool, which is captured in our laser recording of the building.
