Despite some of Bradford's city centre being a bit run-down, it has some very fine buildings. One of them is Eastbrook Hall, now Grade II listed. It was originally a Methodist Chapel, opened in 1904, replacing an earlier one on the same site, and was known as 'the Methodist cathedral of the north'. It had a fine, galleried hall which saw huge and fervent gatherings. I have seen reports of it also being a theatre but I can't be sure of that. It was disused from the 1980s and then suffered a major fire in 1996, which left it derelict and roofless.
In 2008, an £11m renovation project, supported by the Prince's Regeneration Trust (founded by the Prince of Wales), saw it converted into apartments, though as with many of the conversions in Little Germany, the potential has never been fully realised due to the effects of the recession on the housing market and the ongoing struggle Bradford has to revive the city centre.
I never realised that the Methodists went in for such grandeur. A far cry from the little chapels found in the fenland villages.
ReplyDeleteThat is a gorgeous doorway!
ReplyDeleteOh that's quite a building! I wonder what the apartments are like...
ReplyDelete1900 marked the zenith of British wealth produced by a 250-year policy of actively going out into the world to seek trading opportunities which then provided much work for those at home. Both Bradford and Leeds were very wealthy then and as you have shown us, Jenny, many fine buildings were conceived.
ReplyDeleteoh I feel sad that it's used for apartments, no doubt inside it's been divided up into sections, I wonder what it was originally like inside.
ReplyDeleteVery distinctive!
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