While I was back North, I spent a day in Bradford, which has a variety of free museums run by the council. Being a bit of an engineering nerd naturally meant that the Industrial Museum was first on the list. They have a variety of machines, many of which are kept in working order and run throughout the day.

After exploring the steam engines, there is a section dedicated to the evolution of the printing press, and how the process was gradually automated and optimised.

Historically, Bradford had a booming textiles industry, with much of the region’s wealth created by making the ironically-named ‘worsted’, which is actually a fine wool fabric used in top-quality clothing. The museum still has a fully-functioning set of mill machines demonstrating the entire process, which are run at various points during the day.

Unfortunately we missed these machines being run, but they make a hell of a sound when they’re all going!

The museum also has a resident cat, which was perfectly happy wandering around the stables and outside galleries, and certainly not shy…

To finish the day, we headed over to Cartwright Hall, an art gallery set within the grounds of Lister Park. There was an exhibition of David Hockney‘s work, who was born and grew up in Bradford.

Unfortunately photography wasn’t allowed inside the hall, but I did sneak a shot of this light shade that caught my attention on the way out.

All these museums are free, and if you’re planning a trip to Bradford I’d definitely recommend checking out the museums website, and if you haven’t been before, you must include a trip to the amazing National Media Museum, which is also free!