Ian, one of our brilliant volunteers is still working away on the Butterfield Archive, and found a rather intriguing (and entertaining) newspaper cutting that the family had saved...

Bradford District Museum & Galleries

November 3, 2025

Blog: Maleehah – My Journey with Mai

My name is Maleehah Hussain. I have been involved in the Portrait of Mai Project since April 2025

Bradford Industrial Museum

October 20, 2025

Blog: British Wool in Bradford

British Wool is a non-profit farmer run organisation that collects, grades, promotes and sells wool produced in the UK.

Our Venues

The Heritage Craft Room

Cliffe Castle Museum

Bolling Hall Museum

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Bradford Industrial Museum

What’s On

Cliffe Castle Museum

World Tai Chi & Qi Gong Day at Cliffe Castle

25 April 2026 10:30 am – 25 April 2026 11:30 am

Connect with nature, blossom trees and heritage features

Bradford Industrial Museum

Visit our Volunteer Blacksmith -Reviving the Blacksmith’s craft in a living setting.

25 April 2026 11:00 am – 25 April 2026 3:00 pm

Discover blacksmithing and metalworking in action and explore this craft here at Bradford Industrial Museum.

Image of a sketch booking depicting cherry trees in blossom, painted with watercolours

Cliffe Castle Museum

Cherry Blossom Day at Cliffe Castle 2026

25 April 2026 11:00 am – 25 April 2026 3:00 pm

Join Cliffe Castle Support Group and artist Louise Garrett for family friendly creative blossom activities!

a photo of a group of traditionally bound note books with marbeled covers in a range of colours

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Book Binding

25 April 2026 – 25 April 2026 4:00 pm

Join Linette Withers, a Yorkshire-based bookbinder making bespoke and book-related items inspired by the past, present, and possible futures

a view of cherry blossom trees with Bolling Hall in the background

Bolling Hall Museum

Cherry Blossom Festival 2026 (Bolling Hall)

26 April 2026 11:00 am – 26 April 2026 3:00 pm

Beautiful Blossom Festival Comes to Bolling Hall Museum

Bradford Industrial Museum

Visit our Volunteer Blacksmith -Reviving the Blacksmith’s craft in a living setting.

29 April 2026 11:00 am – 29 April 2026 3:00 pm

Discover blacksmithing and metalworking in action and explore this craft here at Bradford Industrial Museum.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Meet Mr Moore, Mill Manager

29 April 2026 11:00 am – 29 April 2026 3:00 pm

Bradford Industrial Museum

Meet Mr Moore, Mill Manager

30 April 2026 11:00 am – 30 April 2026 3:00 pm

Bradford Industrial Museum

Meet Mr Moore, Mill Manager

1 May 2026 11:00 am – 1 May 2026 3:00 pm

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

2 May 2026 11:00 am – 2 May 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

Bradford Industrial Museum

Visit our Volunteer Blacksmith -Reviving the Blacksmith’s craft in a living setting.

2 May 2026 11:00 am – 2 May 2026 3:00 pm

Discover blacksmithing and metalworking in action and explore this craft here at Bradford Industrial Museum.

Cartwright Hall in the sunshine, with BD2025 banner visible just in front

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Out in the Hall – Take Over Day with Equity Partnership

2 May 2026 11:00 am – 2 May 2026 4:00 pm

In collaboration with the Equity Partnership we will be celebrating our LBGTQ+ communities with activities for everyone to enjoy!

A colourful collage-style illustration combining overlapping silhouettes of tools, objects, and symbols in blue, yellow, pink, and grey. Items include a boot, bucket, axe, chisel, spade, pliers, a bird, a crowned female head, and various hand tools, arranged in an abstract layered composition.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Exhibition Celebration for Made by Many Hands

4 May 2026 11:00 am – 4 May 2026 4:00 pm

Join us to celebrate a new exhibition focusing on heritage Crafts with a local connection

a young child in a white gallery space, looking through a tube at the viewee

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

8 May 2026 10:30 am – 8 May 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

black leather belt, coiled on a wooden backdrop

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Leatherworking – Beltmaking

17 May 2026 11:00 am – 17 May 2026 1:00 pm

warm brown leather phone holder on a background of tweed material (in shades of brown and yellow)

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Leatherworking – Phone holder

17 May 2026 2:00 pm – 17 May 2026 4:00 pm

young family playing outside, with tools and pinecones. Bolling Hall in the background

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

20 May 2026 10:30 am – 20 May 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Conversation Cafe at Bradford Industrial Museum

20 May 2026 2:00 pm – 20 May 2026 3:30 pm

Join us every month for Conversation Cafe, where we have a cuppa, a chat, and there will always be something going on to enjoy

adult and child looking closely at a working minature model of a crane.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Model Engineering Society Event 2026

23 May 2026 11:00 am – 23 May 2026 3:00 pm

find out about one of the oldest model engineering societies in the country.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Model Engineering Society Event 2026

24 May 2026 11:00 am – 24 May 2026 3:00 pm

find out about one of the oldest model engineering societies in the country.

a view of the Natural Sciences Gallery at Cliffe Castle

Cliffe Castle Museum

Family Activity: Proud Peregrines

26 May 2026 11:00 am – 26 May 2026 3:00 pm

Find out more about these fascinating birds

Cliffe Castle Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Cliffe Castle

28 May 2026 10:30 am – 28 May 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

two people taking part in a craft activity.

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Family Activity: Islamic Art

28 May 2026 12:00 pm – 28 May 2026 4:00 pm

Join us for an activity inspired by the New Global Perspectives and Islamic Calligraphy Exhibition.

Bolling Hall Museum

English Civil War – Living History at Bolling Hall

31 May 2026 11:00 am – 31 May 2026 3:00 pm

Come along to experience living in the 1640’s and find out how Royalists at Bolling Hall planned to ransack Parliamentarian Bradford

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

6 June 2026 11:00 am – 6 June 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Leatherwork – Glasses Case

6 June 2026 11:00 am – 6 June 2026 1:00 pm

Design and make a bespoke leather glasses case or small purse

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Leather Notebook Cover

6 June 2026 2:00 pm – 6 June 2026 4:00 pm

Design and create a bespoke leather cover for a mini notebook or journal.

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

12 June 2026 10:30 am – 12 June 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

17 June 2026 10:30 am – 17 June 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Two Day Leather Rucksack

20 June 2026 11:00 am – 21 June 2026 4:00 pm

Spend two enjoyable days learning how to make a simple, durable leather backpack

Cliffe Castle Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Cliffe Castle

25 June 2026 10:30 am – 25 June 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Conversation Cafe at Bradford Industrial Museum

26 June 2026 2:00 pm – 26 June 2026 3:30 pm

Join us every month for Conversation Cafe, where we have a cuppa, a chat, and there will always be something going on to enjoy

A bobbin‑lace pillow with multiple wooden bobbins arranged around a small rectangular pattern card. Fine threads are crossed and pinned into the printed design, with extra pins gathered to the side. The bobbins have decorative beads, and the setup rests on dark fabric.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Bobbin Lace Making (Beginners)

27 June 2026 1:00 pm – 27 June 2026 3:00 pm

Learn how to make lace.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Heritage Craft Workshop: Bobbin Lace Making (Beginners)

28 June 2026 1:00 pm – 28 June 2026 3:00 pm

Learn how to make lace.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

4 July 2026 11:00 am – 4 July 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

10 July 2026 10:30 am – 10 July 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

15 July 2026 10:30 am – 15 July 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Conversation Cafe at Bradford Industrial Museum

22 July 2026 2:00 pm – 22 July 2026 3:30 pm

Join us every month for Conversation Cafe, where we have a cuppa, a chat, and there will always be something going on to enjoy

Cliffe Castle Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Cliffe Castle

23 July 2026 10:30 am – 23 July 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

1 August 2026 11:00 am – 1 August 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

Bradford Industrial Museum

Yorkshire Day at Bradford Industrial Museum 2026

1 August 2026 11:00 am – 1 August 2026 3:00 pm

Join us to celebrate Yorkshire Day 2026

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

14 August 2026 10:30 am – 14 August 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

19 August 2026 10:30 am – 19 August 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Cliffe Castle Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Cliffe Castle

27 August 2026 10:30 am – 27 August 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Conversation Cafe at Bradford Industrial Museum

28 August 2026 2:00 pm – 28 August 2026 3:30 pm

Join us every month for Conversation Cafe, where we have a cuppa, a chat, and there will always be something going on to enjoy

llustration of four women engaged in traditional craft activities. One woman on the left, dressed in red and yellow, styles the hair of a doll. Nearby stand two dress forms with simple garment outlines, one white and one pink. In the center, a woman in a blue dress sits behind a large white textile decorated with small floral motifs, stitching embroidery into the fabric. On the right, a woman in green paints at an easel, working on an image of a mountain landscape, while another woman in green kneels on the floor examining or arranging small embroidered motifs. Along the right edge of the image are repeated illustrations of hands in different positions

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

(Un)Layering the Future Past of South Asia: Young Artists’ Voices

28 March 2026 – 31 August 2026

This is a selection of twelve artists’ voices from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

a painting of a black and white magpie on a very bright colourful background

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Jim Moir: Neo Fauna

28 March 2026 – 31 August 2026

Artist Jim Moir, widely known as Vic Reeves, presents new artworks created for this exhibition.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

5 September 2026 11:00 am – 5 September 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

the house body at Bolling Hall. It is full of victorian furniture.

Bolling Hall Museum

110 Years of Bolling Hall Museum

3 September 2025 – 6 September 2026

As Bolling Hall Museum reaches 110 years of being a museum in 2025, come see new displays

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

11 September 2026 10:30 am – 11 September 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

16 September 2026 10:30 am – 16 September 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Cliffe Castle Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Cliffe Castle

24 September 2026 10:30 am – 24 September 2026 10:30 am

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

A pressed botanical specimen of a flowering plant with a slender brown stem, narrow elongated leaves, and several purple, veined, five‑petalled flowers arranged along the upper stem, mounted on a light background.

Cliffe Castle Museum

Lady’s Slipper and Bees – Pressed Orchids and their collectors

27 March 2026 – 27 September 2026

The display highlights how Victorian plant collectors created these nationally important collections, and the local stories behind them.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

3 October 2026 11:00 am – 3 October 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

9 October 2026 10:30 am – 9 October 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

21 October 2026 10:30 am – 21 October 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Cliffe Castle Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Cliffe Castle

22 October 2026 10:30 am – 22 October 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

A historical outdoor portrait of four men in traditional Somali dress, with Sultan Ali standing beside three bodyguards holding spears and shields, in front of a tree and tent-like structure.

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

A Somali Village in Lister Park: Weaving Together Industry, Culture and Empire

9 May 2026 – 1 November 2026

This exhibition revisits a key moment in Bradford’s history: the 1904 Great Exhibition in Lister Park.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

7 November 2026 11:00 am – 7 November 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

13 November 2026 10:30 am – 13 November 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Made by Many Hands: A Heritage Craft exhibition

3 May 2026 – 15 November 2026

Celebrate some of the many crafts that have taken place in the Bradford District

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

18 November 2026 10:30 am – 18 November 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Cliffe Castle Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Cliffe Castle

26 November 2026 10:30 am – 26 November 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bradford Industrial Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bradford Industrial Museum

5 December 2026 11:00 am – 5 December 2026 1:00 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Museums for Play & Growth – Cartwright Hall

11 December 2026 10:30 am – 11 December 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

Bolling Hall Museum

Museums for Play & Growth – Bolling Hall

16 December 2026 10:30 am – 16 December 2026 12:30 pm

Museums for Play and Growth are FREE drop-in sessions for children 0–5 years old inspired by “50 Things to Do Before You’re Five”.

photo of a person (details unclear as figure has back to viewer and is in shadow, looking over a large settlement

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Global Perspectives and Islamic calligraphy

28 March 2026 – 31 December 2026

A celebration of creativity that crosses borders and generations.

a painting of an arab weaver, sat in the open area inside house, surrounded by thread and fabric and other figures.

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

The Big Picture

28 March 2026 – 31 December 2026

Large scale paintings from the 18th Century onwards

pastel study image of a dark-haired woman -head and shoulders only. She has the strong jaw line, long flowing hair and direct gaze typical of Pre-Raphaelite images.

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Pre-Raphaelites Reframed

28 March 2026 – 31 December 2026

Experience the beauty of our Pre-Raphaelite collection.

Items from Fountains Cafe - table, mural, painting etc

Bradford Industrial Museum

Fountains Café: Serving Bradford for Fifty-Five Years

13 February 2025 – 13 February 2027

This display at Bradford Industrial Museum showcases iconic and recognisable objects from the well-known and much-loved Fountains Café, Bradford

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About Us

Bradford District is home to some of the most exciting museums and galleries in Yorkshire. Come and see for yourself