BRADFORD PARK AVENUE – CULTURE, (FIGHTING) COCK & CURRY

wp-15899274245707513264960090603363.jpg

In 1971 George Harrison took time out from plagiarising “He’s So Fine” to organise the Concert for “Bangla Desh” and force a lazy Dylan back to the stage.

A great effort, only partly scuppered by US tax rules. But George was a whole year behind Bradford (Park Avenue)’s admittedly smaller scale fundraising effort;

wp-15899274816392921953570299616564.jpg
How do you follow Paakistan ?  With Bangor, of course.

Particularly impressive since Bradford had only recently suffered the trauma of being voted out of the league in favour of a bunch of soft southerners from a town dominated by Greene King and Tolly.

Park Avenue were, notionally, the southern team in Bradford.  Their most famous fan was Sheila, John Peel’s wife.

bpa
Ground only exists in remants now

In 1970 the Northern Premier League was one of the divisions just below the League. Look at the delightful mix of future FA Cup winners (Wigan), places you’ve never heard of (Netherfield) and towns you don’t want to end up on a windy night (Goole).

wp-15899274920703486920721679483398.jpg
Proper towns

Bradford (the PA is optional) had quite a pedigree. 3 seasons in the top division before Duncan was born, first class cricket at the ground, and a run to the FA Cup quarter finals post-war (just).

I investigated their 1946 heroics last night to see what no longer existent team they beat in the last 16.

Ah.

bradpa
De Bruyne and Aguero clearly rested for that two-legged tie

If you choose to revisit the remains of the PA ground you’ll be wanting a B&B recommendation, won’t you ?

See the source image
Remants of the ground

Bradford Digs in Great Horton is cheap, charming and understated.

img_20181104_0832581302711921.jpg
Not for the recluse

And your night out in South-West Bradford really writes itself.

Culture,

img_20181103_192241162424094.jpg
Music
img_20181103_185748-1073180998.jpg
Faded art

cars,

Pimped Aygo

Cock,

How I miss this
And the Green Devil here

and of course, curry.

Your big finish with the Handi Gosht and parathas for the price of  pint of murk will set you up nicely for a walk round Bradford’s industrial heritage in the morning,

Punjab Sweet House

 

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

19 thoughts on “BRADFORD PARK AVENUE – CULTURE, (FIGHTING) COCK & CURRY”

  1. Yay! My first ‘Pub I’ve Been To on a Retired Martin Blog Post’ tick of 2020. Always the Golden Best for my friend Dawnie, us southerners just marvelled at the pint of gently settling milk in a pub I’ve never seen less than slightly too full. They served the curry in a chipped breakfast bowls back then, things have moved on…

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  2. And that lazy Dylan has been on the road ever since. I still think Bradford a greatly underrated place. The walk into town from the station is breathtaking. Bit heavy on micros, but what can you do? You only need one great pub.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Like Manchester, you either GET Bradford or you don’t. I like aa bit of crumbling history. Did you ever see that cinemax (?) film about ’50s America that Bill Bryson raves about in Small Island?

      The satellite towns like Saltaire are great too.

      Like

      Reply

  4. Laker was from Frizinghall in Bradford, so almost his home ground. Back in the 1980’s Yorkshire TV used to televise county championship matches. Those were the days before day time TV…

    BTW Fighting Cock and the Corn Dolly are my two favourite Bradford pubs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. That’s at least the second blog you’ve done where I have the same programme (Barrow v Wolves was the other). Steve Earle has a lot to answer for. I saw the ground in a derelict state but never a game there, though I did see Yorkshire v India cricket and recall Sunil Gavaskar made either a century or close to it before lunch. Love Bradford

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Fairly sure I bought the Barrow programme from a dealer at a match in about 1980; even Leicester City had dealers outside then. And the PA one came from the Cambridge City club shop ! YOU could have made a century before lunch on that pitch !!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Just looked it up. It was 1983 and Gavaskar scored 79 in a first wicket partnership of 128. G.Parkar scored 146 but Kapil Dev did not bat on the day I went. Used to love going into club shops.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. The Cambridge City shop in the late 70s was a gem. Hard to believe programme collecting was such a thing, and there was no real completism aspect to it. Programmes went to pot in the 90s.

        Like

  6. It says something (possibly) about how much more familiar people in the UK are with Indian food, compared to the average Yank, that your reference to “Handi Gosht and parathas” has me realizing that I have sampled neither, to my knowledge. I have attempted to make my own chicken tikka masala though, using a recipe that is probably completely fraudulent!

    Like

    Reply

    1. I think Chicken Tikka Masala is a completely fraudulent dish everywhere ! The Handi is just mutton on the phone, rarely seen outside the most local restaurants in places like Bradford and Birmingham Parathas the same; naans make up 90% of the average Indian restaurant sales.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I remember the Fighting Cock on our Proper Day Out in Bradford nearly two years ago.
        We didn’t get in the Corn Dolly as it was unexpectedly shut. The New Beehive was also shut but the owner most obligingly opened up for us, And the New Beehive was my best pub accommodation in recent years.

        “Like Manchester, you either GET Bradford or you don’t” – yes, and I like both, but Manchester lacks “crumbling history” and Autovacs.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. That NPL table has three current FL sides therein – Wigan Athletic, Fleetwood and Macclesfield Town – who are today in three different divisions. Also two former FL members – Boston United and Scarborough.

    There’s a lot of history around Bradford’s sports grounds. Park Avenue has gone ; Valley Parade was hit by a terrible fire in 1985 ; and Odsal Stadium’s highest attendance was 102,569 in 1954 for the Warrington versus Halifax RL Challenge Cup Final replay,

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment