| Bradford City Hall | |
|---|---|
 City Hall | |
 Interactive map of Bradford City Hall | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Venetian gothic |
| Location | Bradford,England |
| Coordinates | 53°47′32″N1°45′12″W / 53.7923°N 1.7533°W /53.7923; -1.7533 (Bradford City Hall) |
| Construction started | 1870 |
| Completed | 1873 Extensions 1909; 1914 |
| Cost | £100,000 in 1873 |
| Client | Bradford Council |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Gaisby rock sandstone |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Lockwood andMawson 1873 Norman Shaw 1909 William Williamson 1914 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Designated | 14 June 1963 |
| Reference no. | 1133675 |
Bradford City Hall is a 19th-centurytown hall in Centenary Square,Bradford,West Yorkshire,England. It is a Grade Ilisted building which has a distinctive clock tower.[1]
Before its relocation, between 1847 and 1873, thetown hall had been the Fire Station House in Swain Street. In 1869, a new triangular site was purchased, and a competition held for a design to rival the town halls ofLeeds andHalifax.[1] The local firm ofLockwood andMawson was chosen over the other 31 entries. It was built by John Ives & Son ofShipley and took three years to build at a cost of £100,000.[2] It was opened by Matthew Thompson, themayor, on 9 September 1873.[3][2]
It was first extended in 1909 to a design byNorman Shaw and executed by architect F.E.P. Edwards, with another council chamber, more committee rooms and a banqueting hall.[1]
On 14 March 1912Winston Churchill gave a speech outside the hall in which he called for the people to "go forward together and put these grave matters to the proof" (referring toIrish Home Rule).[4] It was extended again with a new entrance and staircase inbaroque marble by William Williamson in 1914.[2]
In 1965 the name was changed to City Hall to reflectBradford's prominence, and the building was improved at a cost of £12,000.[2]
The City Hall was the venue for crown court trials until the newLaw Courts in Exchange Square opened in 1993.[5] After the bells stopped in 1992 due to decay of the bell frame, they were repaired withNational Lottery funds in 1997.[2]
In 2000Barbara Jane Harrison, aflight attendant who died saving her passengers, was commemorated in a memorial display in the City Hall[6] and in October 2006, the building was illuminated for Bradford Festival by artistPatrice Warrener.[7] In 2007 the City Hall filled in forManchester Crown Court for the duration of the trial of the characterTracy Barlow inCoronation Street.[8]
In December 2007 the City Hall turned the city's nineChristmas trees intowoodchips as fuel for its new heatingboilers.[9] An access tunnel was dug from the roadway to install the boilers in early 2008.[10]
The building was designed in theVenetian style. There are a series of statues of past monarchs on the façade;[1] the London firmFarmer & Brindley carved them from Cliffe Wood stone, from the local quarry on Bolton Road, at a cost of £63 each.[2] On the side facing Centenary Square, the line of monarchs includesOliver Cromwell.[11] There is aflush bracket on the building with a code number once used to log the height above sea level.[12]
Thebell tower was inspired byPalazzo Vecchio inFlorence. The top of the tower is 200 feet (61 m) high.[1] It contains 13 bells, installed in 1872, which weighed 13 tons 3 quarters and 6 lbs and cost £1,765. They first rang at the opening in 1873. Due to lack of space in the tower they were not hung forringing,[13] but were chimed using an automaticcarillon machine which could play 28 different tunes. Thequarter-chiming clock, installed in 1872 at a cost of £2,248 5s was in operation until 1947; in that year it was replaced by a more modern mechanism.[14] The original clock and carillon machine were manufactured byGillett & Bland of Croydon;[15] the bells were byTaylor of Loughborough.[16]
The twoflagpoles carry theflag of Wales onSaint David's Day and theflag of Australia onAustralia Day. Flag use in response to major world disasters is made according toGovernment guidelines.[2] The flags also reflectroyal events, such ascoronations and weddings.[2]
The building is set in Centenary Square, which was developed andpedestrianised in 1997, the city's centenary. Staff give tours of the building on request.[2] Annually in September the City Hall holds a heritage weekend, when visitors can see more of the building.[17]
In thebanqueting hall is a 19th-centuryovermantel andfrieze carved by C. R. Millar. The frieze carries the Bradford city motto:Labor omnia vincit (Hard work conquers all), reflecting the ethos of anindustrial city, and thework ethic of theEvangelical movement represented by many localchapels. The figures on the frieze represent thewool trade between Bradford and the world, besidesarchitecture andthe arts.[11]
Currently (2016) the bells ring every 15 minutes and play tunes at midday and late afternoon pluscarols in December.[2] When an eminent Bradfordian dies, the City Hall flags fly athalf mast until the funeral is over, while theminute bell rings for an hour after receipt of notice, and for an hour at the time of the funeral. The bells have played "The Star-Spangled Banner" to mark the three minutes' silence for those who died due toterrorism. At the memorial in 2005 of the 1985Bradford City stadium fire, "Dozens of people broke down in tears as the City Hall bells playedYou'll Never Walk Alone andAbide with Me in tribute to the victims."[18]
However the bells normally play happier tunes, and in 2001 there was talk of replacing the old computerapplication which controlled the bells, so that they could playpop music.[19] The bells can now be programmed to play any tune, subject to musical arrangement and technical limitations. The bells have playedNo Matter What[20] several times in 2001, whenWhistle Down the Wind was playing at theAlhambra; the operator of the bells was able to see the theatre steps from the bell tower, and timed the peals with the audience's exit. This meant that the superintendent had to undertake the long climb up the tower at 10.30 pm every day for a week, as the bell system was still under repair. In 2010, the bells played the theme tune fromCoronation Street when the cast was filming in the area.[21]
