In the past, travelling from Bradford Interchange to the capital city meant either changing at Leeds, or, if you happened to be lucky, boarding one of the infrequent Grand Central trains. I say ‘lucky’ because most times I chose to make this journey the service was either delayed or cancelled, due to staff shortages or an engineering fault with the train.
But now there’s a new LNER rail service, from Bradford Forster Square to London Kings Cross, and the government has funded a longer platform to be built at Forster Square to house these trains. This comes at a key time, as Bradford celebrates its status as the UK’s City of Culture 2025. The additional train services are projected to bring an estimated £4mn per year of economic value to the city. Whether the new service is a good enough reason to get out of Bradford quicker or travel to London faster is open to debate!
On the right track at Bradford Forster Square
With the new service making a day return or a short stay in London possible, travelling this way seemed an easy decision. Which is exactly what we did. Arriving to board the 11.17 service, we saw a new, gleaming, and very long Azuma train standing proudly alongside the platform. But there was something missing … passengers.
Apart from the working personnel, we had the whole train to ourselves.
We trundled into Shipley, on what I was beginning to call ‘the ghost train’, and only two more people boarded. But, as the huge building cranes that dot the Leeds skyline came into view, so did the platform – and some much-needed passengers. And by the time the train arrived at Wakefield Westgate, it was almost full.
The train arrived right on time at Kings Cross – but with less than 24 hours to spend in the capital, time was of the essence and we wanted to make the most of our visit.
Getting a London Eye full
Who would have thought that such a simple idea could be so successful? At 135m tall, the London Eye is the world’s tallest observation wheel. It sits on the bank of the River Thames, offering complete views over London.
In the closing years of the last century, there was a big demand for monuments to commemorate the millennium. Two architects, David Marks and Julia Barfield, came up with an idea to give London a structure that was physically beautiful, technologically innovative (with its unique rotating capsule design), and which would also give visitors the chance to see one of the world’s greatest cities from a new and exciting perspective.
And they have achieved that: when you eventually arrive at the very top of the wheel, you look down over London with all its famous landmarks visible – including the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and the Wembley Arch. They say that on a clear day, you can see across 40km – as far as Windsor Castle.
A friend said he thought the London Eye was only used to set off the New Year’s Eve fireworks, until I explained it was an all-year-round tourist attraction. And, yes, it does turn – albeit very slowly. The giant wheel is one of the most visited attractions in London, and admission doesn’t come cheap (standard tickets start at £29) – but if you have the patience to stand in the 30-minute queue before boarding, the reward is a 360-degree view of London. The landmark is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Battersea Power Station
The massive power station on the southern side of the River Thames has been transformed from one of the largest functioning power stations in Europe, to a long-derelict landmark with questions over its existence and, more recently, into a retail and leisure destination.
From the 1930s to 1980s, Battersea Power Station was a working power station. At its peak, it was producing a fifth of London’s power – supplying electricity to some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, such as the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. It was designed by architect Sir Giles Gibert Scott, who also designed our distinctive red telephone boxes. According to the Battersea Power Station website, the original proposals were for square chimneys, rather than the iconic circular ones.
The landmark famously features on the front cover of Pink Floyd’s album, Animals, where an inflatable pink pig floats, tethered between the two southern chimneys. However, at the album’s photo shoot, the pig lost its moorings, rising into the flight path of Heathrow Airport, as police helicopters tracked its course. It finally came to land off the Kent coast.
The building stopped being used as a functional power station in 1983 and for decades it was left to ruin, to the point where it was under threat of demolition as the chimneys were becoming structurally unsound. Various projects were considered, with some started and then abandoned. But in 2022 it reopened as a retail and leisure destination, with a new underground railway station and a housing development.
Many of the shops are those you’d find in retail parks across the country. The real attraction is Lift 109 (which gets busy, so remember to book ahead!). Named after its 109-metre height, this lift rises inside one of the old cooling towers to a viewing platform that offers a completely different view of the capital compared to the London Eye.
The Macellaio Italian Job
We enjoyed dinner that night at the Macellaio restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue. Macellaio is the first Italian restaurant to bring the Fassona cattle breed to Britain (where it is farmed in Hertfordshire and Ireland). The charming staff will gladly show you their cuts of meats to help you choose, as well as recommending how it should be cooked. The restaurant also offers a wide selection of Halal products.
The premises are on the small side, meaning wheelchair users may find the closely spaced tables difficult to navigate; however, the welcome we received was warm and friendly, and the service was attentive but not obstructive. There was also free corkage.
Our fellow diners were a mix of tourists and theatregoers, enjoying a pre-show meal, although I was pleased to see some regular diners being welcomed back by the restaurant staff (always a good sign in a restaurant).
The menu has a range of starters, including Parma ham, bufala, and my favourite – focaccia al formaggio. If, like me, you happen to be a cheese lover, the Ligurian flatbread filled with Sergio Arrigoni stracchino cheese is an obvious choice, with that seriously strong cheese flavour reminding me of being back in Lecce in southern Italy.
For the main course I had a tender and moreish cut of striploin steak that was cooked to my preference. Pasta lovers are well catered for, too, with traditional dishes including spaghetti tomato and basil, ravioli ragu, and gnocchi stilton – a dish I was tempted to try. Maybe next time? The dessert menu is short but features favourites like tiramisu, chocolate cake, ice cream, and, my choice, a flaky apple tart that seemed more French than Italian.
The restaurant is one I would visit again: genuinely friendly, with great, reasonably priced food. Molto bene!
ABBA-cadabra
The following day we made the eastbound trip to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to see ABBA Voyage – a journey that’s worth making, even if you happen to be only a casual fan of the band.
The concert is housed in a purpose-built arena and features live (real!) musicians alongside projected avatar versions of the Swedish popstars who set the charts alight around the world. The show has recently been updated, which means if you’ve been before and missed your favourite hit, it’s definitely worth going again. A cunning way to relieve you of your Money, Money, Money!
Even if you’re just a casual ABBA fan, the spectacle is one to cherish. Their movements, their shadows, and their clothes – the way their sequins shimmer in the light – makes you ask yourself, ‘how can this not be the real thing?’ The best aspect for me was not just seeing the group in front of you, but seeing everyone’s face in the audience. The amazing energy made for a very special experience.
The area becomes a Vatican disco: a cathedral of ABBA where the faithful come to pay their respects. These are not ghosts you see onstage, but rather the stories and music that brought the Swedish group fame and success. At the conclusion of the concert comes a surprise. To discover it, you will have to see the show yourself.
Bradford bound
Witnessing the departure boards at King Cross read ‘Bradford Forster Square’ was a novelty, though it shouldn’t have been. Bradford is the fourth largest metropolitan district and deserves a decent direct service to and from the capital. The early Friday afternoon service was practically full.
By the time we arrived (on schedule) in Bradford, the train was nearly empty. With 20 other passengers, we alighted and walked down the long platform as a cool north breeze welcomed us back to the UK City of Culture.
