The third Thornton Art Trail takes place over the weekend of 6 – 7th June 2026. Visitors will find a huge variety of art and activities in a range of venues. There’s art in private houses, workshops in galleries, open studios, open-air art demonstrations and much more. The trail can be started at any point. The total distance of a circuit is around a mile.

Find out more about the whole event here: THORNTON ART TRAIL

What are South Square doing at Thornton Art Trail?

Open Studios //

Many of the artists and creators onsite at South Square will have an open doors to their studios. Come in, take a look at their work, chat directly to the artists, and see their creative spaces.

Costing The Earth – Curators Talk with Jane Hiley //

Join curator Jane Hiley in discussing the exhibition in the Main Gallery, Costing The Earth.

Times TBC

Art Doctors //

The Art Doctors think creativity can be good for you.  They playfully break down barriers to participation in the arts and explore the positive role of creativity in all our lives.

Through playful conversation and consultation, they prescribe art works and creative activities that might make you feel better, help you to navigate the challenges of creative endeavour, and feel more confident talking about contemporary art.

They’ll be in and around South Square, helping all you patients in need of some art medicine!

Times TBC confirmed

Charlotte Brontë – Senseless Trash tour //

Join Charlotte Brontë on a phonic field trip from the Birth Place, past South Square, and around Thornton and listen in to the sounds that shaped the Brontë sisters’ lives (Charlotte, Emily and the other one, Anne?)

The howling Yorkshire winds, the tranquil trickling of nearby waterfalls (there must be one somewhere) and the angelic tones of, Beyoncé… will accompany you on your journey. Senseless Trash from beginning to end – don’t say we didn’t warn you. Oh, and keep your wits about you, for there are beasts on those moors…

N.B. Charlotte Brontë: Senseless Trash is a 30-minute show suitable for audiences aged 14+. Places are limited, and attendees must be present for the duration of the show.

Times and location of start point TBC

Drop in Art Workshop //

Join Artist Allanah Rhodes to unleash your creativity in a photography based workshop. It’s time to get making! Come along for a drop-in session of inspiration and skill building based on the village of Thornton. You can chose between doing a cyanotype workshop, using the images provided, or colouring sheets for the littler ones, or mono printing using oil pastels. Come along and have a go, all free!

Open from 11am – 3pm

Performance by Philip Codd – In The Stone Tree Shadows //

Philip Codd is a filmmaker and composer. As a composer he works with any combination of instruments and electronics, often creating audio works using musique concrète techniques in which short audio samples are edited and manipulated.  

In The Stone Tree Shadows uses audio clips created by scanning Patrick Whitehead’s prints of Bradford mills. These clips are then mangled and modified to create a sonic landscape of differing textures, rhythms and sonorities, with elements of the piece suggesting Bradford’s industrial past. The work will be performed using live electronics and fed through a surround sound diffusion speaker system.  

Performances are in the garden at the back of South Square at 11:30, 13:00 and 14:30 on Saturday 6th and  12:30 and 14:00 on Sunday 7th June.  The piece is 20 minutes in duration. 

To visit Philip’s website click here