Bradford Secret River Plaque Trail

Bradford Beck exposed during building of Broadway

A culvert beneath the Broadway shopping centre was rebuilt in the 1950s in brick and again in concrete 20 years later.

Flowing under Bradford is a secret river often unknown and un-noticed as it makes its way from the old Odeon cinema, under centenery square and Broadway emerging at Queen's Road after which it runs mostly in an open channel to Shipley.

Organised by the Friends of Bradford’s Becks group, 15 pavement plaques carved out of stone have been placed in pavements between Thornton Road, by the former Odeon, through to Lower Kirkgate, past the Midland Hotel.

You can follow the trail of 15 plaques along the route of Bradford Beck as it flows hidden beneath the centre of Bradford. Each one of the dark slate-coloured paving stones bears two lines of a poem, the sponsor’s name and an arrow showing the beck’s direction of flow. The poem was the winning entry in a public poetry competition held in 2015.

PLAQUE 1

Plaque 1 on side of Odeon

Plaque 1

Plaque 1

This plaque is sponsored by Bradford Live

On westerly moors

Rise Chellow, Pinch, Pitty

PLAQUE 2

Plaque 2 Thornton Road Traffic Island

Plaque 2

Plaque 2

This plaque is sponsored by Safe Style

Energy once harnessed To power this wool city

PLAQUE 3

Plaque 3 at the bottom of Godwin Street near Anchor Housing

Plaque 3 This plaque is sponsored by Anchor Housing

Goit and beck in parallel

Power in, waste out

PLAQUE 4

Plaque 4 at the bottom of Miller Gate, a cul-de-sac off Aldermanbury.

Plaque 4

Plaque 4 This plaque is sponsored by British Land

Spectral Saxon elders

Mourn memory of trout

PLAQUE 5

Plaque 5 at the bottom of Sunbridge Road by My Thai

Plaque 5

Plaque 5 This plaque is sponsored by Yorkshire Water

In pure flow below Sunbridge

Fish once chased

PLAQUE 6

Plaque 6 Sunbridge Road by seats

Plaque 6

Plaque 6

This plaque is dedicated to

The 56 who died in the fire at

Bradford City FC in 1985

Disregarded water

In gothic vaults encased

PLAQUE 7

Plaque 7 is on Tyrell St, opposite benches

Plaque 7

Plaque 7 This plaque is sponsored by

Bradford Cinderella Club

Culverted, covered Forced underground, hidden

PLAQUE 8

Plaque 8 is in the pavement on Market Street outside the Himalaya store

Plaque 8 This plaque is sponsored by

Rimmington’s

Cherished sparkling beck

Degraded to a midden

PLAQUE 9

Plaque 9 is outside “The Old Bank.”

Plaque 9 This plaque is dedicated to

Jackie Emmott

Fouled by industry detritus

Sky just a dream

PLAQUE 10

Plaque 10 is on Bank Street, outside Ladbrokes

Plaque 10

Plaque 10 This plaque is sponsored by

Grattan

Under our city lies

A misused, abused stream

PLAQUE 11

Plaque 11 is in Bank Street, outside Yorkshire Building Society

Plaque 11

Plaque 11 This plaque is sponsored by

Feature Radiators.

Whispering in the dark,

Awaiting a rebirth

PLAQUE 12

Plaque 12 is in the pavement outside Zizzi, approaching the Charles St entrance to the Broadway

Plaque 12

Plaque 12 This plaque is sponsored by

The Broadway

Water sighs, eddies, races

Unseen, unremarked

PLAQUE 13

Plaque 13 is inside Broadway, in front of the information panel at the Market St entrance.

Plaque 13

Plaque 13 This plaque is sponsored by

The Broadway

So small a waterway For Bradford dale drained

PLAQUE 14

Plaque 14 is outside River Island, opposite the Midland Hotel car park entrance.

Plaque 14 This plaque is sponsored by

The Broadway

Beck fed the canal basin its miasma ill-famed

PLAQUE 15

Plaque 15 is across the road from M&S near Taix rank

Plaque 15 This plaque is sponsored by

Napoleon’s Casino

Skip across the broad ford

Bradford is named