Death of a Poet: New University of Leeds podcast unearths the chaotic story of Bingley’s forgotten ‘Byron’

From street brawls over Shakespeare and woolsorting to a tragic end in the River Aire, a new audio documentary by the University of Leeds casts light on the charismatic West Yorkshire bard, John Nicholson.

Known as the “Airedale Poet” and the “Bingley Byron,” Nicholson was a West Riding celebrity during his 19th-century heyday - a working-class woolsorter who penned sweeping verses about the moors, textile mills, and the industrial boom of West Yorkshire.

However, his statue’s plinth has stood empty in a Bingley park in recent years, with his original grave lost to roadworks and the stepping stones where he met his tragic end in the River Aire at Saltaire removed shortly after his death.

Now, a major new audio documentary produced by the Cultural Collections at the University of Leeds is bringing the wild, tragic, but ultimately charismatic story of the forgotten poet back into the spotlight.

Titled ‘Death of a Poet,’ the audio documentary stems from research held in the Tony Harrison Archive at the University of Leeds.

In 1993, the late Leeds-born poet Tony Harrison wrote ‘Poetry or Bust’; the play celebrated Nicholson with Northern Broadsides legend Barrie Rutter starring as the poet. Performed at Salt Mills on the very spot where Nicholson had sorted wool for Sir Titus Salt 150 years earlier, the production featured set design by the illustrious David Hockney.

Famously, the event saw Harrison lead the cast on a pilgrimage to champagne-wash a rock where Nicholson had carved his name.

Exhibitions Curator Dr RJ Wade has used Harrison’s archival maps, notebooks, and photographs to retrace Nicholson’s steps across Bingley, Eldwick, Bradford, and Saltaire.

"What began as a small exhibition in the University’s Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery... has grown into an expansive and emotional sonic expedition connecting two of West Yorkshire’s most irrepressible poets," says presenter Dr RJ Wade.

The podcast series blends field recordings from Rombalds Moor, underwater hydrophone audio from the River Aire, bellringers from All Saints Church in Bingley, and folk music with interviews from historians, poets, academics, and Nicholson’s direct descendants.

Among the contributors is Bradford poet and "stand-up historian" Glyn Watkins, who has spent decades reviving Nicholson's legacy through local walks and talks.

"I liked John Nicholson’s poetry, and I appreciated the man enough to try and bring him back from the forgotten," Glyn says. "He was remembered around Bingley until the 1950s. Now nobody knows his name."

Season 1 of the audio documentary ‘Death of a Poet,’ produced by University of Leeds Cultural Collections & Galleries, is available now on the Gloves Off platform, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major streaming services, with a concluding second season scheduled for April 2027.