Little Germany (Bradford)

...left from that period in Little Germany of which fifty-five are listed – and therefore protected which is good news.

You might want to ask about walking tours at the tourist information office. However, we just had a Sunday morning stroll around the area ourselves which, while it was pleasant enough we’d probably have benefitted from knowing a bit more about the buildings and we would have seen a little more of the really notable ...
...should definitely stop off in Little Germany. No two buildings are alike even if they share similar styles and it’s fun to spot little details worked in to the facades such as plantlife and birds. There are some nice Italianate touches to some of the buildings while the late nineteenth century vogue for Gothic revival can be seen in several designs. As the cathedral is situated at the top of the hill on which Little Germany stands it would be a good ... more

"Little Germany" is the name given to an area of Bradford city centre near the cathedral in which a good number of German merchants lived and did business in the nineteenth century. These successful businessmen prospered in Bradford and built a number of rather impressive warehouses for their businesses – primarily within the textile trade.

What is particularly ironic is that in 1846 a young German tourist visited Bradford and subsequently wrote an article, perhaps for the Ciao of that era, in which he said " In Bradford, however, you think you have been lodged with the devil incarnate. If anyone wants to feel how a poor sinner is tormented in Purgatory, let him travel to Bradford". Still many of his compatriots were to arrive, and settle, in Bradford just a few years later.

The area is still occupied by businesses but some buildings have become run down and the local council is trying to encourage regeneration. Some industrial buildings have been restored or turned into office accommodation and modern apartments while still keeping the essential character of the Victorian architecture.

The area is situated between Church Bank and East Parade and when the first merchants came they basically chose it because there wasn’t much else available in the centre of Bradford. It’s on a hill so that was likely why other people didn’t want that land – and if you intend to explore Bradford on foot, be warned that the city generally is quite hilly. On the other hand, the area is not far from the train stations (Bradford has two) and therefore usefully located for transporting goods. The first merchants came in the 1850s and numbers remained static until the 1870s when the Franco-Prussian War was the spark for many more merchants to come.

As with many British cities, the mania for knocking things down in order to fill the gaps with concrete monstrosities in the 1960s was followed with a passion in Bradford but a good number of buildings still remain. The variety of styles is much narrower than it would have been in the nineteenth century when some of the buildings caused quite a stir. Today there are eighty-five buildings left from that period in Little Germany of which fifty-five are listed – and therefore protected which is good news.

You might want to ask about walking tours at the tourist information office. However, we just had a Sunday morning stroll around the area ourselves which, while it was pleasant enough we’d probably have benefitted from knowing a bit more about the buildings and we would have seen a little more of the really notable sights. It would also have been nice to be able to stop at a cafe or bar for a while; it seems like this is an area with lots of new accommodation (I'd love an apartment in the exquisite Eastbrook Hall building) but so far not the services which often spring up around them.

Still we did enjoy looking at these grand old buildings with their ostentatious doorways and interesting architectural details. If you are interested in architecture you should definitely stop off in Little Germany. No two buildings are alike even if they share similar styles and it’s fun to spot little details worked in to the facades such as plantlife and birds. There are some nice Italianate touches to some of the buildings while the late nineteenth century vogue for Gothic revival can be seen in several designs. As the cathedral is situated at the top of the hill on which Little Germany stands it would be a good idea to see both at the same time.

Outside one of the buildings is a wonderful sculpture by Timothy Shutter which was put in place in the 1990s. It's an armchair and grandfather clock sculpted from stone placed against a wall on which hangs a mirror also made of stone. It's an interpretation of a mill owner's premises , commissioned by the Little Germany Action Group.

Although it’s a side of Bradford many people don’t know about, the German community has been a feature of Bradford life for many years. The celebrated composer Frederick Delius was born in Bradford to German parents, his father being a wool merchant who acme to Bradford in the 1850s. So if you come to Little Germany you’ll not only get to see some grand edifices but you’ll also be walking in a bit of Bradford social history too.

Little Germany is signposted from the city centre.  

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