Beverley Minster lit by the evening sun.

Bitterly cold sunset at Beverley Minster

Hold the Front Page: The Art of The City Gent The final sporting lunchtime lecture of the season

⚽📰 This Saturday
Join Mike Harrison for Hold the Front Page: The Art of The City Gent — a look at the iconic covers of the Bradford City fanzine and the stories behind them.
📅 Sat 11 April
🕛 Noon
📍 The Record Café, Bradford
Part of a special exhibition celebrating 41 years of The City Gent.

Spring is sprung. Late afternoon light in the Moon Tap at Bridlington.

Mind the Plot: Railway Stations Named After Books In my book On the Tracks of the Flying Scotsman, I suggested that Edinburgh Waverley railway station might be the only station in the world named after a novel.

I once thought Edinburgh Waverley was the only station named after a novel—but I was wrong.

From Ivanhoe stations across the world to Berlin’s Onkel Toms Hütte and Devon’s Westward Ho!, literature has quietly shaped the railway map.

Know any others? 📚🚂

A Summer of Cricket at Scarborough It would be fair to say that Scarborough Cricket Club has endured a turbulent winter.

After a turbulent winter, we can now look forward to a long hot (hopefully) summer of cricket at Scarborough.

50 Years On: the 1976 FA Cup Run Film of March's talk

50 years since the day Bradford City nearly made history! 🏮

From the magic of a 4th Division giant-killing run to that controversial "illegal" goal against Southampton. 🚫⚽️

City Gent editors Mike Harrison & David Pendleton revisit 1976.

Watch here: 📺

Priestley's Magnificent Magical Game The Sporting Lunchtime Lecture from 14 February 2026

On 14 Feb 2026 we welcomed Lee Hanson to explore “Priestley’s Magnificent Magical Game.” ⚽

For J. B. Priestley, football was a game of art and conflict that captured imaginations worldwide.

🎥 Watch the talk via the link below.

⚽📖 Jack Leslie: The Lion Who Never Roared Saturday 28 March, Noon, Record Cafe, North Parade, Bradford

⚽📖 Jack Leslie: The Lion Who Never Roared

Author Matt Tiller tells the powerful story of Jack Leslie—selected for England national football team in 1925 but denied his chance due to racism.

A pioneering star of Plymouth Argyle
📅 28 Mar 2026, Noon, Record Cafe, Bradford

Opportunity in Crisis: Scarborough Cricket Club Considers Ground Redevelopment The closure of the North Stand following a safety inspection may yet provide an opportunity to think more broadly about the future of Scarborough Cricket Club and the redevelopment of its historic hom...

🏏 Scarborough Cricket Club looks to the future! With the North Stand closed, plans for an indoor facility could bring year-round cricket, dining & seating. West Stand holds fans for now, Yorkshire CCC support could help fund a seaside home for generations.

North Stand Facing Demolition at Scarborough Cricket Club Stand closed to spectators following a safety inspection

The new cricket season is approaching, but there is uncertainty at Scarborough Cricket Club after the North Stand at North Marine Road was closed following a safety inspection.
Here’s the story behind the decision — and what it could mean for the ground’s future.

When the Saints Went Marching On: the 1976 FA Cup Quarter-Final 50 Years On Saturday 7 March, Noon, Record Cafe, North Parade, Bradford

⚽📚 This Saturday

50 Years On: When the Saints Went Marching On — Mike Harrison & David Pendleton revisit the controversial 1976 FA Cup QF when Bradford City A.F.C. were beaten 1–0 by Southampton F.C. at Valley Parade.

THAT free-kick. Still illegal. Still hurts.

🧣 Bring a silk scarf.

In a city dominated by Venetian and palazzo architecture, here is the classical St George’s Hall, Bradford.

Afternoon light, Little Germany, Bradford

The Rarity Garden; a year on Flamborough Head Filey Literature Festival, Thursday 14 May

The penultimate event of Filey Literature Festival.
A book that records a year on breezy Flamborough Head and the varied wildlife that appeared in Richard Baines’ garden.

My beautiful home town #bradford

The Rarity Garden; a year on Flamborough Head Filey Literature Festival, Thursday 14 May

🦋🌿 What’s a Rarity Garden?

Author Richard Baines visits Filey to talk about his book Rarity Garden — wildlife, wonder, and the rare moments that stop time, inspired by a decade living on Flamborough Head.

📅 Thu 14 May | 🕖 7pm
📍 Thirty
🎟 £5

The Wold Newton Triangle Filey Literature Festival, Wednesday 13 May

👻✨ Explore the myths & mysteries of the Wold Newton Triangle!
Gristhorpe-based author Wendy Pratt shares chilling tales of ghosts, werewolves, UFOs, red-eyed dogs & ghost lakes — in one of Britain’s most haunted landscapes.
📅 Wed 13 May
🕖 7pm
📍 Bruschetta Cafe Bar, Filey
🎟 £5 (booking essential)

When Talks Lead to Bus Trips ... Yesterday's tour de force and news of March's event

⚽📚 Thanks to Lee Hanson for a thought-provoking talk on J. B. Priestley — packed house, maybe the seed of this year’s vintage bus trip 👀 Watch this space!
👉 Next talk: Sat 7 March
50 Years On: When the Saints Went Marching On
City Gent's Mike Harrison & David Pendleton revisit the 1976 FA Cup QF

Stories of the Human Spirit Filey Literature Festival, Tuesday 12 May

📚✨ Stories of the Human Spirit
Join journalist & author Helen Womack for an evening of powerful, humane storytelling — from Moscow & the Cold War to refugees rebuilding their lives today. Serious subjects, told with hope, humour, and compassion.
📅 Tue 12 May
🕖 7pm
📍 Filey Library
🎟 Free, unticketed

Priestley’s Magnificent Magical Game Noon, Saturday 14 February, Record Cafe, Bradford

Today, noon, Record Cafe, Bradford.
J.B.Priestley and sport. February’s sporting lunchtime lecture.
Free as ever, just buy a pint or a cuppa!

How to Solve a Murder Filey Literature Festival, Monday 11 May

A body is discovered. Foul play is suspected. How would you investigate it?
Filey Literature Festival goers will receive an insight into how the authorities go about it.
Our Monday murder special.

Let Me In: The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar Filey Literature Festival, Sunday 10 May

📚✨ “I am at Filey utterly alone,” wrote Charlotte Brontë.
Sharon Wright reveals the role of Filey and Bridlington in the Brontë story, drawing on radical new research co-authored with Ann Dinsdale of the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
📅 Sun 10 May
🕢 7.30pm
📍 Evron Centre Concert Hall, Filey
🎟 £5

The Invention of Charlotte Brontë Sunday 10 May, Filey Literature Festival

📚✨ The Invention of Charlotte Brontë #FileyLiteratureFestival

Author Graham Watson explores a darker, more nuanced portrait of Charlotte Brontë — writer, celebrity, lover — and the myths surrounding her life and family.

📅 Sun 10 May
🕟 4.30pm
📍 Evron Centre Concert Hall, Filey
🎟 £5

In Another Life, Imogen Clark Sunday 10 May, Filey Literature Festival

📚✨ Bestselling author Imogen Clark comes to Filey!

With 2M+ copies sold, she’ll be talking about her latest novel In Another Life — a gripping story of family, grief, and long-buried secrets.

📅 Sun 10 May
🕒 3pm
📍 Evron Centre Concert Hall, Filey
🎟 £5

#AuthorTalk #ImogenClark #BookEvent

We are in the News! Sporting Lunchtime Lecture's centre spread in the T&A

We are in the News! The Sporting Lunchtime Lectures are an unlikely centre fold ...

📚 Banned Books with Tim Tubbs 📚 Sunday 10 May, Filey Literature Festival

📚 Banned Books with Tim Tubbs 📚
Filey Literature Festival favourite Tim Tubbs delves into some (in)famous book bans. Tickets are on sale now for this illuminating talk. Who decides what we can or can't read? Let Tim be your guide.

Commemorating one war, bombed in another Scarborough Cricket Club's War Memorial

My Belgian friends Tom and Frank Depoorter once again visited the final resting places of the men named on Scarborough Cricket Club's war memorial. We now have images of the graves, or memorials, of all the members named on the memorial.
I've added Tom's fabulous photos to the updated post.

Priestley’s Magnificent Magical Game Noon, Saturday 14 February, Record Cafe, Bradford

⚽📚 Sporting Lunchtime Lectures return this Saturday!
Join Lee Hanson for “Priestley’s Magnificent Magical Game” — exploring J.B. Priestley’s lifelong love of football and its place in his writing.
🕛 Noon, Sat 14 Feb
📍 The Record Café, North Parade, Bradford
🎟 Free (just buy a pint or a cuppa!)

Brian Bilston: You Took the Last Bus Home Filey Literature Festival, Saturday 9 May

✨ Brian Bilston LIVE in Filey ✨

Known as the Banksy of poetry, Brian Bilston brings his witty, life-affirming poetry to the Evron Centre Concert Hall.

📅 Sat 9 May | ⏰ 7.30pm
🎟 £20 via WeGotTickets or Filey Post Office

A rare chance to hear the enigma himself! 📚🎤

Sarah Banks: Walks and Swims in Wild Yorkshire Filey Literature Festival, Saturday 9 May

🌿 Dive into Yorkshire’s wild beauty with local author & photographer Sarah Banks!
She joins us at @FileyLitFest to talk Wild Swimming Walks Yorkshire — 28 incredible swim spots, safety tips & inspiration.
📍 Sat 9 May, 4.30pm | 🎟 £5