1. BRADFORD CITY HALL

Architects: Lockwood and Mawson.

1908 Extension: Richard Norman Shaw.

Opened by Matthew William Thompson Esq., Mayor of Bradford

Stone Carvers: Farmer & Brindley (Craftsmen Sculptors 1850-1930) London

When the current City Hall was first opened, Bradford was still a town, City status was received in 1897 which precipitated the need for the 1900s extension.

The City Hall encapsulates the Victorian love of the 13th century gothic style, with a dock tower in the form of a Tuscan campanile. The 'gothic revival' was very much a fashion of the 1850s and 1860s and Bradford received its fair share of this rich tradition. The building however, is elevated in quality by the fine sculptural addition of 35 seven foot high carved sculptural figures of British monarchs. The figures were the work of Farmer and Brindley, a firm of stone carvers who played an influential part in the craftsman revival associated with Victorian gothic architecture. Each figure is carved in immense detail from a single block of Cliffe Wood Quarry stone, local to Bradford. From Bridge Street, the monarchs follow their chronological order in history, beginning with William I and ending with Henry VIII. The two Queens, Elizabeth I and Victoria, take pride of place on either side of the main entrance. The only anomaly is that Oliver Cromwell is included with the monarchs!

After viewing the statues, go into Citv Hall through the main entrance.

Opening Times: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday closed. The inside is certainly worth a visit. The 1873 building displayed its sculptural ornamentation on the outside, the extension and alterations of 1908 put the sculptural enhancement within the building. Directly in front as you enter through the main door, is the new principal staircase. Where the two flights join is a relief panel which explains how Bradford City came to have the head of a tongueless boar as its city emblem.

Ask at the kiosk in the main entrance, the way to the Banqueting Hall. Entry depends on whether the room is being used for a civic function, but if it is vacant it is worth visiting for the carved high relief overmantel above the large fireplace. It is an impressive example of allegorical sculpture typical of the turn of the 19th century.

The frieze was carved by C.R. Millar of Earp, Millar and Hobbs, Stonecarvers.

The relief illustrates the motto of the City of Bradford "Labor Omnia Vincit" (Labour conquers all things) which is particularly relevant to an industrial city. From left to right, the allegorical scene begins with a woman holding a ship symbolising the travel involved with trade; a boy holding a cornucopia of fruits symbolising the fruits of labour; an artisan holding a model of a wool combing device associated with the names of Cartwright and Lister; an agricultural labourer holding a scythe symbolising the connection of the land with the staple (wool) trade; an old woman (behind) symbolising age and experience; a woman holding a shuttle in one hand and a roll of fabric in the other symbolising the textile industry; a boy holding a fleece, symbolising the wool trade; and in the centre a central winged female figure holding a wreath and winged sphere or globe, symbolising the reward of successful exertion and its world-wide application. The sun radiates behind her. Next to her is a youth buckling on the belt of work and responsibility followed by the contrasting elderly figure symbolising wisdom and experience needed to complement youthful eagerness. The small figure of winged Icarus, who impulsively flew too close to the sun and burnt his wings, serves to emphasise the point of age and experience as a complement to youth and exuberance. A female figure symbolises music and literature and holds a lamp of truth; a man holding a church and set of plans symbolises architecture and the final figure of a woman holding a palette in one hand and small figure in the other symbolises the fine arts, painting and sculpture.

Leave City Hall by the main entrance. Cross Centenary Square towards the kiosh, on the left