Posted on: 19th March 2025

Michael Scott, a Bradford-based modeller who began creating the model town of Chandwell during the first lockdown, is creating a scale model of Bradford Cathedral, from just paper and card, during the UK City of Culture year.

Starting back in autumn 2024, Michael has been creating a new video every month on his Chandwell YouTube channel (alongside other smaller updates for channel members) charting the progress of the ambitious model, which sits as a side project next to his impressive model town that takes inspiration from buildings across the Bradford District.

Michael has completed four of the sections, which now stands at its complete length, from the West Tower through to the Lady Chapel, and is beginning work on the remaining nineteen sections – with the Sanctus bell tower next – so there is plenty left to build!

You can watch videos on Michael’s YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@Chandwell, which track his progress on the Cathedral model. Each video showcases how the model is practically created, the challenges that arise, and how these are overcome, alongside sections featuring Maggie Myers, Bradford Cathedral’s Director of Education and Visitors, that look at the history of the building, the stories behind the areas, and why the Cathedral looks as it does. You can also watch back to his talk from 2024’s Heritage Open Day where he spoke live in the Cathedral about the project.

Michael hopes to have the model completed this September, with a special unveiling to be held at Bradford Cathedral.

You can watch all the videos recorded so far by visiting https://youtube.com/@Chandwell and selecting the ‘Building Bradford Cathedral’ playlist. You can subscribe to the channel to be notified about future videos.