Little Germany, Bradford
Encyclopedia
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History and information
The buildings within Little Germany date back to the 19th century.They are the legacy of Jewish merchants from mainland Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
who spent large sums of money constructing imposing warehouses for the storage and sale of their goods. A large proportion of the merchants came from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
hence the name Little Germany.
Little Germany is still one of Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
's busiest commercial areas, with over 110 businesses and organisations with 3000 workers. It attracts around 100,000 visitors each year http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A617401. The local authority is currently promoting plans to regenerate the area by renovating and converting the interior of the old mills into housing, hotels, offices, whilst preserving the originally Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
distinctive architecture.
Eastbrook Hall redevelopment
The project will also include a refurbishment of the exterior of the building which suffered extensive fire damage.
The hall was built in 1903 and was used as a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
mission.
The redevelopment is being funded through a public private sector funding agreement. The work is projected to finish by Spring/Summer 2007 http://www.bradfordurc.co.uk/news.asp?id=43.
The Gatehaus
The GatehausThe Gatehaus
The Gatehaus is an 11 story residential glass building located in Bradford, West Yorkshire in England. Developed by Asquith Properties, construction began in 2005 and was completed in May 2007. The total cost of the project was £22 million...
is an 11 story glass building recently constructed within the Little Germany district. Construction began in 2005 and was completed in 2007 with a total cost of £22 million.
The project was originally proposed as a 17 storey landmark but was changed due to a rethink; that it wouldn't fit in with the surrounding Victorian buildings due to the height.
The scheme was developed by Asquith Properties.