We're delighted to be continuing our partnership with the British Association for Local History in 2025. Now in its fourth year, our lecture series have proved very popular, but there's still time to grab tickets for the final three talks.
Bradford in Transition: from Medieval market town to industrial powerhouse
with Ian Roberts FSA MCIfA
Tuesday 25th February 2025 7pm - 8.30pm
Event type: Virtual
Bradford began as a modest medieval market town, remaining largely unchanged in size until the late 18th century. However, the 19th century brought a seismic shift. Fueled by the booming textile industry, Bradford became one of the fastest-growing towns in Britain, transforming almost beyond recognition.
As industrial demand surged, the town centre grew congested and polluted, prompting rapid expansion into the surrounding countryside. The latter half of the 19th century saw a frenzy of land sales and housebuilding, reshaping the townscape. Meanwhile, new street plans and the development of railway infrastructure from the mid-19th century onward led to continuous transformations at its core.
These sweeping changes, further accelerated by 20th-century developments, have erased much of Bradford’s early landscape. However, its legacy remains an integral part of its story — one that will be brought to life in our upcoming layered map of the 2025 UK City of Culture, showcasing the evolution of Bradford through the ages.
Ripon: the small city with a grand history
with Mick Stanley
Tuesday 25th March 2025 7pm - 8.30pm
Event type: Virtual
Ripon, one of the UK’s smallest cities with a population of around 17,000, sits on the Southern Magnesian Limestone, shaping its unique landscape. The area’s geology, including gypsum deposits, has influenced settlement patterns, creating sinkholes and distinctive topography.
A religious centre since the 7th century, Ripon is linked to St. Wilfrid and St. Cuthbert. Wilfrid’s Minster, built in 672, still retains its crypt — the oldest place of worship in England. The city’s medieval period saw hospitals for travellers and the poor, while nearby Fountains Abbey, founded in the 12th century, became one of England’s wealthiest monasteries before its dissolution under Henry VIII. In the 18th century, John Aislabie transformed Studley Royal into a grand water garden, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ripon was known for cloth production, spur making, and its pioneering 'police and insurance' system in the 1400s, led by the Wakeman. The nightly Hornblower ceremony, dating back to this time, remains Britain’s longest-running daily event.
The city thrived with horse sales from 1400 and horse racing from 1660. Industrialisation arrived in the 18th century with the canal and railway, boosting varnish, paint, and metal industries. Ripon became a city in 1836 when its Minster was elevated to Cathedral status.
During WWI, Ripon hosted England’s largest military training camp. In WWII, its engineers played a key role in bomb disposal and developing Bailey Bridges for river crossings. The 20th century saw modern housing expansion, the closure of the railway in 1968, and the restoration of the canal for leisure use.
Ripon’s rich history, shaped by faith, industry, and tradition, continues to define this remarkable city.
Tracing Chester's urban evolution: from Roman Fortress to Medieval town
with Professor Tom Pickles and Professor Katherine Wilson
Tuesday 29th April 2025 7pm - 8:30pm
Event type: Virtual
Under Roman rule, Chester was home to a substantial legionary fortress, shaping the foundations of the medieval city that followed. By the later Middle Ages, it had grown into the most significant English port on the Irish Sea, thriving as a key urban centre.
However, the transition from a Roman military stronghold to a medieval town remains shrouded in mystery. When did urban life take root? What forces drove its development? And how did the disappearance of the fortress influence this transformation?
Drawing upon our upcoming Historical Map of Chester, this talk will explore the available evidence, the challenges in interpreting it and potential approaches to understanding Chester’s path to urbanisation.