Bradford City Hall celebrates 150th anniversary with open days

Bradford City Hall had its grand opening in September 1873

Bradford City Hall is to celebrate its 150th anniversary by opening its doors to the public.

The original front section of the Grade I listed building was opened on 9 September 1873.

It was constructed in phases with an extension, including the current Council Chamber, finished in 1914.

It was built in a medieval Gothic style and features a clock tower inspired by the Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall in Florence, Italy.

The Council Chamber will be open to the public along with the Lord Mayor's rooms which have hosted royal visitors, most recently King Charles.

Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: "When I take people round I usually show them the glass cabinets with all the bling in, because there's lots of silver and gilt there that they used 100 years ago, when they used to have the Queen to dinner."

The Victorian court room is now used by Bradford Police Museum

The building is also surrounded by 35 statues of British monarchs, the most recent being Queen Victoria.

The designers were Bradford architects Lockwood and Mawson, who also created St George's Hall, the Wool Exchange and Salt's Mill in Saltaire.

The City Hall Open Weekend is part of the nationwide Heritage Open Days scheme.

It is scheduled to run from 10:00 to 18:00 BST on Saturday 9 September and from 11:00 to 15:00 BST on Sunday 10 September.