Trading Places

TRADING PLACES

Bradford has been UK City of Culture throughout 2025. In July, the Kirkgate and Oastler Markets moved into a new, purpose-built site on Darley Street as part of a wider urban regeneration scheme. This photography project aimed to document the final year of this important part of Bradford’s culture and heritage before the shutters closed forever. An online audio-visual version of this book is also available.

Promotional material for the new Darley Street Market explains it is intended to ‘provide a home for passionate, independent traders’. I hope my photographs, alongside the words of traders and their customers, portrays the spirit of the place, with its curated displays and sense loyalty that an online store, supermarket or out-of-town shopping centre could struggle to replicate.

Gerard Liston. December 2025.

Kirkgate Shopping Centre in 1976

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Oastler Shopping Centre (then John Street Market) in 1971

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It was my first business, so I’ve always been connected with this place.

I’ve got friends here and customers I know.

The atmosphere.

Those will be the things I’ll miss.

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This is where we go to shop – and we always get everything from here.

All our clothing, our bags.

There’s jewellery shops.

There’s food places.

Everything.

There’s variety of stuff.

We know the shopkeepers – they’ve not changed.

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It's a great place for shopping and visiting with family and friends.

I’ve got very early memories of it – coming to this place when I was four or five years old.

How busy it used to be back then and what it currently is now.

Trade has changed.

The market trade in general has changed up-and-down the country.

With regards to the new market, fingers crossed that’ll boost it back up for us, just like the days we used to remember.

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The demographic of Bradford is a very wonderful mix of all walks of life – and that’s very important.

As a business dealing with fresh produce and grocery items, we like to service the public and there’s so many different requirements.

We adapt our business as things change in Bradford.

It’s just nice to be a community greengrocer more than anything else.

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We just get used to it – coming to the same old market.

I don’t know – we come because it’s a habit. Always come to town for Sunday dinner – you know, Taplins and that.

We always come to town.

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It has a different feel to it. It’s more laid-back.

You don’t feel pushed into anything. They’re just nice old places with a bit of something about them.

I just like to nosey around to see what changes have been made, for as long as they last, because nowt lasts forever does it?

I just like it.

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I’ve been here 15-20 years and my father’s been here nearly 30 years, so we’ve seen traders come in and out.

Other traders have stayed here, like ourselves.

It’s just going with the times – going with the flow.

We’ve learned a lot and we’re still learning now.

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We can touch it and feel it and sometimes you can try it on.

You can’t always do that – especially online.

It’s the atmosphere of markets. You can’t beat them – the atmosphere of markets.

You go in a shopping centre, there’s no air.

Even though this is enclosed, it feels like an open market.

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I remember Rackhams, Woolworths, Littlewoods.

I’m going back 30-40 years now.

On Saturdays, you could not walk through this alley.

Fifty yards to here would take half an hour, my friend.

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It's the atmosphere as well. If you went on a Saturday, when people worked all week and there was no Sunday shopping or late-night opening, it was always busy – buzzing.

Going back to the old John Street Market – the open-air market – that was even better.

When they built this, it’s fine, it’s lovely. I go to the knitting shop and the bacon shop and Solly’s – you get all your fresh produce there. In a supermarket, it’s all pre-packed.

But this is why I come back. It’s all I can say really.

I like it.

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You have your foods fresher, your meat fresher.

Then you have the opportunity to speak face-toface with your customers,

get to know them, build a community and be like a family really.

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Gerard Liston www.objective.uk.com