Wool City Rivals - A Pictorial History

Nostalgia is wonderful, looking back on former days, whether it be holiday memories, knocking around on the playground of youth, family times or sporting occasions, recalling our history usually fills hearts with warmth.

 

Recently, one advancement in technology has allowed us to view the past with all the vibrancy that it deserves. The colourisation of old black and white photographs, which is an art form in itself, has brought to life those, sometimes faded memories and made them feel very much more recent.

 

A good friend of mine, George Chilvers, is internationally renowned for his skill in giving new life to old memories, indeed he has produced some breathtaking results and has gained his reputation as one of, if not the foremost colouriser in the UK.

 

Whilst working for football clubs up and down the country, the name George Chilvers is now synonymous with the art of bringing back the glory to past sporting events, he has a very large catalogue of exceptional work and I feel very privileged to have got a sneak preview of his latest collaboration, Wool City Rivals, written and produced with John Dewhirst.

 

It tells the story of the history of football in Bradford, its two most famous clubs being Bradford Park Avenue and of course Bradford City, this is done through the wonderful photographs so beautifully colourised by George and a running commentary of the background of each photo by John, as you turn over each leaf of the book a new and wonderful image captures your attention, the detail is magnificent, you find yourself engrossed in each one and astounded by the detail, from Charlie Harper’s stupendous moustache early in the book, to the faces in the crowd, many of which were female, and the action shots.

 

A glorious book, not only capturing the history of the Wool City rivals for their supporters but also for football and sporting fans everywhere.

 

Bradford Park Avenue v Scunthorpe United April 1970

I cannot finish off without mentioning what reads like an Epitaph, the final photograph, Graham Oates, with his piercing blue eyes and boyish good looks, and subsequent commentary of John Dewhirst about the demise of Park Avenue reminds us that books like this are extremely important to document what could become a forgotten history.

 

If you want to order a copy of The Wool City Rivals, either as a gift or for yourself, please visit bantamspast website by clicking here.    

 

"Breathtaking" - Barry Worthington