Frontline 1984/1985 Audio Description

Welcome to the audio description for Frontline 1984/1985, a photography exhibition by Victor Wedderburn. The audio description is written and spoken by Charlotte Jones and Karen Bartholomew from Bradford 2025’s community trainee audio description team.

In this exhibition, there are 123 photographs. We will give you an overview and sense of the images as well as the overall vibe and feel. We will also audio describe a few of our favourite images in more detail.

The gallery and layout of the exhibition

The gallery space at The Loading Bay is long and narrow. There are windows on the narrower sides of the space. The exhibition walls are painted a dark forest green, and each of the four walls is loaded with vibrant and nostalgic images, reminiscent of Bradford in the 1980s.

There is also a stand-alone display at the far end of the space, with images hung on each side. This display is painted a sunshine yellow and is about 4 metres long – about half the length of a double decker bus. At one end of the yellow display board, there are two small tables where you can sit and play ludo or dominos.

At the other end, there is a display of a film developing tank. This is a special container that develops film without exposing it to light, which is how Victor would develop his film. There are wooden benches dotted around the space.

The exhibition is split into themes and there are 6 sections. We will describe each section as we take you around the exhibition.

When you enter the gallery, turn left and you will find yourself at the start of the exhibition. To your left, there is a table with a large glass urn, where you can help yourself to fresh mint tea. The mint tea is suitable for all ages and does not contain any major allergens. There are small paper cups next to the urn.

Text on the wall reads: Frontline 1984/1985 is the first exhibition by Bradford-based photographer Victor Wedderburn, and a vivid time capsule of life in one corner of our city four decades ago.

The photographs in this exhibition capture African-Caribbean friends, families and communities living, working and socialising in and around Lumb Lane in Manningham, the “Frontline” of the title, as well as protestors at an anti-apartheid rally in Huddersfield and revellers at Leeds Carnival. Together, these images – many of them never seen before – tell a story that is too often written out of Bradford’s history.

The exhibition soundtrack, created by Jerry ‘Red Dred’ Crawford, features reggae, roots and dub music from the time these photographs were taken.

Thanks to:

• Checkpoint – Bradford’s West Indian Community Centre
• Dominica Association Bradford
• Windrush Generations UK
• Take It Easy Lab, Leeds
• And everyone who has supported the development of this exhibition – including all the people featured in these photographs and their families.
  Frontline 1984/1985 is produced and presented by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Victor Wedderburn

Victor Wedderburn was born on 7 December 1954 in Battersea, near Mandeville in the Parish of Manchester, Jamaica. In the 1950s, when Victor was just a small boy, his father moved to England in the hope of setting up a new life for the family, followed shortly after by his mother. Victor remained in Jamaica, looked after by one of the religious sisters at the local church, until 1971, when he joined his parents in Bradford.

After graduating from Wyke Manor School at 18, he worked as a lorry driver for Crofts Engineers in Thornbury for 10 years before being made redundant. He wasn’t the only one. The early 1980s in the UK were a time of soaring unemployment and financial hardship, with rapid deindustrialisation and increasing globalisation combining to cause huge social and economic changes.

Section one of the exhibition can be found on the first long wall, which starts at the mint tea. In this section, there are 21 images, which were mostly captured outside or very close to The Perseverance Hotel on Lumb Lane in Manningham.

The photographs show patrons of the pub socialising, talking and relaxing outside. Sometimes the images are posed and sometimes they are more candid. Mostly, people seem relaxed in front of the camera, but occasionally a more serious expression is captured.

The images in this section beautifully capture the fashions of the 80s. There is stone washed denim, stilettos and aviator style sunglasses. Often, the subjects are found posing by their cars, which are also very reminiscent of the time.

Image number one of the exhibition is: Victor Wedderburn, Self Portrait.

A black man, wearing a grey stripey top, with dreadlocks, a moustache and goatee beard. He is side on to the camera. The image captures the left side of his face and shoulder. His facial expression is neutral. A shadow of the outline of his face is cast on the wall behind him.

Moving on to Image 14 in this section, a photograph of Michael White. Michael is standing in the sunshine, outside of the Perseverance Hotel. He is positioned in the centre of the image and looks relaxed as he leans against the stone brick wall of the pub. He looks directly at the camera with a slight smile. His left leg is crossed loosely over his right and his arms hang casually by his side. Michael wears jeans, black loafers, and a dark t-shirt underneath a brown and grey leather bomber jacket. The sun shines brightly on his face and his black flat cap casts a shadow on his eyes.

Text on the wall reads: Stepping into photography

Wedderburn used his modest redundancy pay to pursue a long-held ambition: photography. He bought a second-hand Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera, which uses a prism and mirror so photographers can see exactly what they’re photographing, and a colour photography kit to develop photos himself.

Information on developing colour photographs proved hard to find. Wedderburn researched developing processes, scouring local libraries and seeking advice from friends and acquaintances. Even so, his photography journey would require plenty of improvisation, patience, trial and error – not least when it came to developing his colour images at home without a darkroom.

Developing negatives

“I would put everything I needed in a black bin liner, asking my wife to seal the top with my hands inside using duct tape, then put another black bag over myself with my head sticking out. Then I would carefully transfer the negatives from the 35mm cartridge onto a spool, put the spool inside a developing drum, take off the black bags and pour developing fluids into the drum, before rolling the drum to ensure the negatives were fully coated in the fluids. Each stage had to be completed in optimum temperatures and for the correct amount of time.

“I managed to get a flat with a broom cupboard, which – luckily – was big enough to be converted into a darkroom. I was ecstatic when I managed to produce the first photograph – the colours weren’t quite right, but I was so delighted I had finally done it! Over time, my processing skills greatly improved, but it was difficult to convey what an achievement this was to my friends and family.” – Victor Wedderburn

Section Two of the exhibition spans two thirds of the opposite longer forest green wall of the space. Images 22 to 60 tell us more about the people, businesses and daily life on Lumb Lane.

Again, sometimes his subjects are posed like fashion models. At other times a quick snapshot has been unknowingly taken. This captures life, energy and movement. Some key locations in this section are the Young Lion’s Cafe, Roots Records, and Shade, Victor’s wife’s cosmetic shop, that opened during this period of time.

Text on the wall reads: Bradford in the 1980s

The 1970s and ’80s were marked by social tensions and racist violence in towns and cities across the UK – including Bradford.

Two laws helped to set the tone for these turbulent times. The Immigration Act of 1971, the year of Victor Wedderburn’s arrival, set out to reduce the numbers of new arrivals to the UK. It was followed a decade later by the British Nationality Act of 1981, which placed restrictions on the rights to live and work for some who were already here.

People from Commonwealth nations who had been invited to move to the UK and fill labour shortages following the Second World War found themselves the targets of hostility and violence. The racist rhetoric of far-right organisations such as the National Front met resistance from anti-racism campaigners, but tensions remained – not least in Manningham, home to significant numbers of immigrants from the Caribbean.

Lumb Lane in Manningham became known as “the Frontline” because of the racial hostility faced by residents. The area developed a negative reputation – but it also served as the heart of the local African-Caribbean community, a place to connect, socialise and do business.

Life on the Frontline

Lumb Lane – “the Frontline” – became home during the 1970s and ’80s to a number of successful Black-owned businesses, as entrepreneurs looked to provide services and goods to their communities.

Wedderburn took many photographs outside the popular Perseverance Hotel, where West Indian music was played late into the night. Other photographs feature the nearby Young Lions Café, filled each day with friends catching up over a cup of tea, a coffee, a card game or a hearty meal; and Barry Roots’ legendary Roots Record Shop, one of the few places in Bradford where you could buy the latest reggae releases. These businesses and others helped to nurture a sense of identity among Bradford’s African-Caribbean residents, fostering a distinctive urban Black culture in the area.

Today, following several redevelopment schemes intended to improve house stock and living conditions (including the 1987 demolition of Newby Square housing development), the African-Caribbean community in Bradford is residentially much more dispersed. These rare colour photographs of Black life in 1980s Bradford offer an intimate and fleeting portrait of a community connected through adversity, conviviality, entrepreneurial spirit and extraordinary sartorial choices.

Image 32, is of Mrs Cynthia Lenon, proprietor of The Young Lion’s Cafe. Outside the cafe, Cynthia reaches out with her left arm and grabs the arm of someone else, who is just heading out of shot, it appears they are heading into the cafe. It almost appears as if Cynthia is trying to hold them back, but her relaxed facial expression and soft gaze suggests that the situation isn’t all that serious. Cynthia has a fairly short black afro and is wearing a baby blue shirt with three quarter sleeves, which reveal two silver bracelets on her wrist.

In the background on the left of the image are layer upon layer of green, red and yellow posters. They are half ripped and peeling away, advertising club nights and music events for venues in Leeds and Bradford such as Chapeltown Community Centre and Checkpoint. In the background on the right of the image, a man reclines on a stack of tyres. His attention has been caught by the activity outside the cafe.

Moving on to section three of the exhibition, which takes up the final third of this wall. Images 61 – 78 mostly feature children and young people.

At birthday parties, hanging out on their bikes, climbing metal posts and exploring Cartwright Hall in Manningham, these photographs show kids being kids in Bradford in the 1980s! There’s a short selection of double exposed images, where two photographs have accidentally been captured on one image frame. This only adds to the authentic and evocative nature of the exhibition.

Image 63 is of Victor’s sisters Jennifer and Patsy Wedderburn outside their semi-detached family home on Woodside Estate. Appearing to be in their teens, Patsy sits on a wooden chair and Jennifer stands behind her, with her hands resting on the back of the chair. The chair is placed just outside the front door of the house, by a large open window with orange curtains and white nets, iconic of the 80s.

They are both smiling, and seem to be unfazed by the presence of a camera. Jennifer looks straight into the camera and Patsy looks at a grey and white tabby cat that’s investigating their windowsill. The cat seems to be thinking about going inside the house through the window!

Jennifer wears gold sunglasses, a pale blue shirt with capped sleeves and a floral mid length skirt. She has delicate bangles on her right wrist and a short black afro hairstyle. Patsy has her arms folded, wearing a white blouse over a yellow dress. She has pendant earrings and a short black afro like her sister.

The open door gives us a true glimpse of the 1980s. The floor and stairs are covered with dark red and blue swirling patterned carpet. There are occasional flashes of white. The stairs disappear out of shot and there is a wooden handrail that’s fixed to the wall.

Section 4 features images 79 – 94. The themes of the pictures here are less connected. There are portraits of children and their mothers, posed model shots, and landscape images. There’s a short series of images showing a car crash on Lumb Lane and another self portrait of Victor.

Image 91 shows Erry, Cuthbert, Michael Springer and Andy Clark outside a church on Andy’s wedding day. The four men stand on a grassy area in the church grounds on a sunny day.

Erry has a short black afro, dark leather lace up shoes, black sunglasses and a cream cardigan with brown details. Underneath the cardigan he wears a white shirt and red tie. Erry stands confidently with his left hand in his brown trouser pocket and looks at the groom.

Moving to the right, we find Cuthbert who is looking off to his left. He has a blue tie, a white and blue jumper, blue grey trousers and black loafers. He has shorter cropped black hair.

In front and slightly to the right of Cuthbert is Michael. Mid step, his arms and striped grey tie swing in motion. He wears a long sleeve white shirt, grey trousers and those classic 80s black leather loafers! He is wearing sunglasses and looking down at something on the floor.

Andy, the groom stands confidently, side on, looking at the camera. He has the shortest hair out of them all, and wears a white long sleeved jumper, white shirt and blue tie. His trousers are light grey and are quite long in length, revealing his black loafers.

In the background of the image are overhanging branches of a churchyard tree, a parked red car and the road that passes the church. Across the road there is a leafy garden in front of a large stone walled house.

Text from the wall says: About these photographs

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, Victor Wedderburn and community partners have worked extensively to identify and reconnect with the people featured in the photographs in this exhibition.

If you recognise anyone we haven’t been able to identify, or if you’d like to suggest an amendment or addition to any of the labels, please speak to a volunteer in the gallery or capture the information below, citing the photograph number. Bradford 2025 will be responding to suggestions and updating labels periodically throughout the exhibition. Thank you for your support.

A selection of Victor Wedderburn’s photographs will be on display at the National Science & Media Museum from 11 June to 29 October 2025 as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

Next, we will move on to the yellow display board. We will start with the side that faces the entrance to the gallery.

It features images 95 – 111, which cover topics such as activities like football and outdoor DJing on Green Lane Field. There’s also pictures of break dancing events on Infirmary Field and party goers at Leeds Carnival. The images here are alive and vibrant, showing musicians, friends and young people coming together to share their cultures.

The main focus of Image 107, is a young woman preparing to participate in Leeds Carnival. Wearing an elaborate costume almost twice her height, she smiles at the camera. She wears heeled sandals and a short leopard print skirt and sleeveless crop top. The stand out part of the costume is a large yellow open front skirt, likely to be on a wheeled support.
Behind the young woman, emerging from the skirt is a large round frame. It is covered in red and white floral fabric and jewels, making out the shape of the sun and its rays.
Around the edge of the circular frame are around 15 smaller circles, outlined with red tinsel. There are 5 silver star like designs, edged in yellow tinsel and embellished with jewels. They are spaced evenly around the frame. The 5 stars are attached to the large round frame by long rods, which gives the costume its height and width.

Surrounding the woman are other carnival participants and observers.In the background, crowds are gathering in front of shops, perhaps waiting for the procession to start.The skyline of Leeds fills the upper part of the photograph.

Moving on to the other side of the yellow wall, this final section features images 112 – 123. They are of protestors at an Anti Apartheid Rally in Huddersfield. Taken in a wintery February 1988, we see protestors marching the streets, in the backs of lorries and gathering to listen to speeches. People carry protest banners and placards and the police walk alongside them. Signs read ‘Bradford Workers Against Racism’ and “Anti Apartheid Movement Huddersfield’ amongst many others.

One of the central images in this section, is a close up of an unnamed older white woman. Her grey hair is tucked inside a wooly grey and pink hat.She wears a grey coat fastened up to her neck and light framed glasses.The woman looks down at a crumpled banner which reads ‘free mandela’ in bold capital letters. She holds it to her chest, as if smoothing out the banner, with her hands protected from the cold by black woolen gloves.

On the way out of the exhibition, on the left hand side of the exit doors, there is a visitor guest book and a chalk board which reads ‘tell us what you think,’ with chalks available for visitors to leave their thoughts and comments. A member of the gallery volunteer team will be happy to support visitors to leave comments.

This brings us to the end of the Audio Description of the exhibition by Bradford 2025s community trainee team, we hope you enjoyed listening to our interpretation.