Tours of Uncovering the Bradford 1904 Exhibition

Uncovering the Bradford 1904 Exhibition is one of the key University of Bradford, School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences events for Bradford City of Culture 2025.

Through archaeological geophysical prospection, excavation, and community recording we hope to gain a greater understanding of some key aspects of the Exhibition.

Throughout the course of the excavation during the Festival of Archaeology, we welcome volunteers to excavate, and to visit the excavation to learn more about the 1904 Exhibition.

There are other cultural activities planned within Lister Park for days during the excavation.

The Bradford 1904 Exhibition

The Exhibition of 1904 was a huge cultural event for Bradford, West Yorkshire.

The exhibition was intended to promote Bradford’s industry, taking up a total of 23 acres in Lister Park, equating to about 70% of the total park area.

The exhibition featured a variety of aspects, including a large temporary industrial exhibition hall, a temporary concert hall, a gravity railway, a water slide, bandstand, and a travelling 'Somali Village', all of which was surrounded by an 'unclimbable fence'.

The temporary buildings were constructed from corrugated iron, wood, and plaster.

With the exhibition running from early May to late October 1904, over 2 million visitors attended the event.

Following the exhibition, the temporary buildings were dismantled and sold, the exhibits were removed, and the park returned to a leisure landscape with very little indications that such a substantial event ever occurred in the area.

Uncovering the Bradford 1904 Exhibition seeks to identify archaeological remains of two of the main features of the exhibition: the Concert Hall and the Somali Village.

Open days & Walking tours

If you are interested in learning more about the 1904 Bradford but do not wish to volunteer to excavate, there will be guided tours around the excavation and park area. Running throughout the period of excavation. There is no need to register for the guided tour.