Latest news with #IanBeesley
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bantams photos on display to celebrate promotion
Photographs taken while Bradford City were last in the top tier of English football have gone on display to celebrate the club's recent promotion. Renowned social documentary photographer Ian Beesley added the images to his exhibition at Salts Mill in Saltaire after the club secured League One status. He took the black and white photos while he was artist in residence for the club after they gained promotion to the FA Carling Premiership in 1999. For two seasons, the lifelong supporter took pictures of fans as they watched their team compete against the best football sides in the country. Discussing his time as club artist in residence, the 71-year-old from Bradford said: "I was given an access all areas pass, I thought I'd landed my dream job. "How wrong I was - I found the transition from fan to photographer, spectator to observer, unbearably difficult." He added: "I really didn't enjoy the experience." After two seasons in the top flight, Bradford City were relegated and he handed in his pass and returned to the stands - where he has "stayed put" ever since. He was with his daughter Fay at Valley Parade earlier this month when a last-gasp winner ended the Bantams' six-year stay in League Two. "Every couple of months we put a new section in to keep the exhibition current," Beesley said. "Ever since it looked like the Bantams might be going up I've been planning to add these images to the walls at Salts Mill. "I refused to jinx it by installing them too early, being a football fan I'm always a bit pessimistic." The Life Goes On exhibition at Salts Mill runs until 31 December. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Thousands gather to celebrate Bantams' promotion Bradford City promoted with late Fleetwood win
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bradford City top flight photos on display to celebrate promotion
Photographs taken while Bradford City were last in the top tier of English football have gone on display to celebrate the club's recent social documentary photographer Ian Beesley added the images to his exhibition at Salts Mill in Saltaire after the club secured League One status. He took the black and white photos while he was artist in residence for the club after they gained promotion to the FA Carling Premiership in 1999. For two seasons, the lifelong supporter took pictures of fans as they watched their team compete against the best football sides in the country. Discussing his time as club artist in residence, the 71-year-old from Bradford said: "I was given an access all areas pass, I thought I'd landed my dream job."How wrong I was - I found the transition from fan to photographer, spectator to observer, unbearably difficult."He added: "I really didn't enjoy the experience." After two seasons in the top flight, Bradford City were relegated and he handed in his pass and returned to the stands - where he has "stayed put" ever was with his daughter Fay at Valley Parade earlier this month when a last-gasp winner ended the Bantams' six-year stay in League Two. "Every couple of months we put a new section in to keep the exhibition current," Beesley said. "Ever since it looked like the Bantams might be going up I've been planning to add these images to the walls at Salts Mill."I refused to jinx it by installing them too early, being a football fan I'm always a bit pessimistic."The Life Goes On exhibition at Salts Mill runs until 31 December. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Exhibition celebrates history of Bradford's textile industry
An exhibition celebrating the past and present of Bradford's textile industry is set to open on display, named Woven Through Time: Bradford's Textile Industry - Past and Present, will be on show at the city's Industrial Museum until 16 November. It will feature photos taken by Ian Beesley from inside the working mills in the 1970s and 1980s as well as recently. Graham Clark, director of marketing at British Wool, said the exhibition "highlights the vital role wool has played - and continues to play - in Bradford's history". The UK's 2025 City of Culture is famous for its textiles, stemming from its role as the "wool capital of the world" during the industrial revolution. Items from the museum's Built of Wool: Worsted Collection, will also be included in the exhibition, which coincides with British Wool's 75th items on display include a wedding dress from the 1830s, made from fabric in the area, and a velvet day dress made at Lister's Mill around made by Saville Row tailor Tommy Nutter, who designed the suits worn by The Beatles on the cover of their Abbey Road album, will also be on show. Councillor Sarah Ferriby said "I'm sure practically every family in the Bradford district has some connection to the textile history of the district, which is still going over 800 years since it first began. "Come and appreciate the skill and creativity that makes Bradford a world leader in textile production and design." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
