AN artist is inviting the public to help rediscover a forgotten neighbourhood.
Bradford artist Naseem Darbey is leading a year-long project called Wild Boar Street: Unearthing the Lost Districts of Bradford, focused on the former Wapping area, with support from Bradford Council’s Museums and Galleries Service and the South Square Centre.
A Dig Discovery Day will be held at Darley Street Market on Friday, October 30, from 11am to 3pm.
Visitors will be able to handle finds from a recent archaeological dig on Wild Boar Street, take part in creative activities, and share personal memories, photographs, and stories connected to Wapping.
Ms Darbey said: "I found my great-aunt Mona’s voice in the archives.
"Then I heard her telling me she was born on Wild Boar Street.
"It could not have been more Bradford.
"This project isn’t just about my family.
"I’m interested in all the people who lived there, their families, their work, their homes, and their everyday lives.
"That’s why I want to hear from the community."
Mona (Image: Supplied)
The day will include storytelling by Irene Lofthouse and an interactive sculpture from Ms Darbey’s previous Mona and the Moths project.
The project is personal for Ms Darbey, whose great-aunt Mona Frith was born at 4 Wild Boar Street in 1920.
She later discovered a recorded interview with her great-aunt in the Bradford Heritage Recording Unit archives, now held at Bradford Industrial Museum.
An excavation on Wild Boar Street involving University of Bradford archaeology students and graduates uncovered poison bottle fragments, a 1945 halfpenny, and spent Second World War cartridges.
Councillor Ian Walker, executive member for neighbourhoods and communities at Bradford Council, said: "The Bradford district has so many fascinating stories connected to the communities and neighbourhoods that have shaped our district.
"It’s great to see two of our council services coming together, with our Museums and Galleries service helping to uncover and preserve Wapping’s history and our Markets service providing a welcoming city-centre space at Darley Street Market where people can discover that history for themselves.
"If you have memories, photographs or a family connection to Wapping, we’d love you to come along and share them."
Mona (Image: Supplied)
Another Dig Discovery Day will be held at The Corn Dolly on Wednesday, October 28, from 12pm to 4pm, featuring archaeological finds, creative activities, and a guided walk through Wapping’s history.
Stories collected from these events will help shape new community artwork combining drawing, textiles, archaeology, and storytelling.