Art & Film

Art File

The National Media Museum, Bradford is home to giant IMAX cinema, stunning new £3 million interactive Experience TV and definitive exhibitions.

Bradford-born David Hockney is the world’s most famous living artist and maintains personal links with the 1853 Gallery, Saltaire, the world’s biggest collection of his work.

The massive mill complex of Dean Clough Halifax houses a range of innovative galleries. Gallery Oldham also challenges “the traditional view of art” and works closely with new arts venue Touchstones Rochdale.

Victorian textile wealth founded splendid civic galleries including Cliffe Castle Keighley; Rossendale Museum, Rawtenstall and Bradford’s Baroque Cartwright Hall. In Accrington, Haworth Gallery, presents Europe’s finest Tiffany glass.

Bankfield Museum, Halifax and NT Gawthorpe Hall, Padiham curate noted textile collections. The latter is also custodian of a National Portrait Gallery collection.

Northern art is regularly showcased at the Piece Hall Gallery Halifax, Saddleworth Museum, Uppermill; Ilkley’s Manor House Museum and at Hollingworth Lake Visitor Centre.

The Irwell Valley Sculpture Trail, thirty creative miles from Bacup to Salford, is the UK’s largest ongoing public art scheme. Bradford Sculpture Trail, commended by English Heritage, features the autumn leaf bronze “Homage to Delius’, the Bradford composer.

East Lancashire’s panopticons: 21st century landmark symbols of renaissance include Atom in Wycoller Country Park and the moortop Singing Ringing Tree crowning Burnley Wayside Arts Trail.

Film Set

The television evergreen Last of the Summer Wine: is set in the Holme and Colne Valleys of Kirklees. Millions worldwide now know Holmfirth and Marsden, the latter also the location of The League of Gentlemen. Slaithwaite in the Colne Valley gives the setting to Where The Heart Is.

The Railway Children was filmed at Oakworth near Haworth on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Smash hit The Full Monty confirmed this area’s screen potential, building on the success of Brassed Off (filmed in Barnsley, Halifax Piece Hall and at Saddleworth Band Contest).

In Burnley, Queen Street Mill, favourite of the late Fred Dibnah, gave the backcloth to BBC drama North and South and Towneley Hall the setting for scenes in Casanova.

Yanks was filmed in Saddleworth; Blow Dry in Keighley and Marsden and Hebden Bridge hosted BBC Wuthering Heights ‘update’ Sparkhouse and Nicholas Nickleby. Indie hit One Summer of Love was filmed in Todmorden.

Emmerdale now films on a closed set but fans will recall Esholt in Bradford (‘Beckindale’), Otley (‘Hotton’) and views of Wharfedale and Ilkley Moor.

Helmshore Textile Museums, East Riddlesden Hall Keighley and Shibden Hall Museum Halifax are regular locations and a US film crew chose the Colne Valley Museum, Golcar as setting for a Bronte documentary,

Call yourself a film buff? DON’T miss the National Media Museum Bradford and vintage picture houses at Elland, Keighley, Skipton and Hebden Bridge. Restored