Aerial view over Bradford

I showed a photo HERE of the ferris wheel which was offering rides in front of Bradford City Hall. It was a lovely day when I was in town for the St George's Hall Open Day and I had time, so I took a ride on it. It wasn't the best one I've ever been on. The pods all had a lot of steel bars and lots of reflections, and its position close to City Hall restricted the view somewhat. Still, it was fun and it's always interesting to see a place from such an altered perspective.

Above, looking west, across the mirror pool of City Park, which starts off empty each morning and gradually fills up. You can see the two halves of water not yet meeting in the middle. In the background to the left is the National Science and Media Museum with the Ice Rink at the base of the tower block behind it. Looking tiny in the centre is the white and grey domed Alhambra Theatre. To the right of that, the red brick edifice with two domes is the old Odeon cinema. Its future has been the subject of many wrangles but I believe it is now being renovated. The buildings behind that belong to Bradford College and the University.

Looking northeast, you can see the odd mix of solid but elegant Victorian buildings and some more recent structures that make up the city centre. The brutalist concrete 1970s block, rear left, is Kirkgate Centre (shopping mall) and the more recent Broadway Centre shopping mall is just visible at the end of the street on the right. You can perhaps also see the tower with the clock, which is the historic Wool Exchange, now a wonderfully atmospheric branch of Waterstone's books (see HERE).

Looking south-east, the three Victorian buildings are (from the front) Britannia House, which is Council offices, St George's Hall (see yesterday) and the Great Victoria Hotel. The concrete block is the Bradford Hotel and in the foreground is the roof of City Hall.