Little Germany is an area of particular historical and architectural interest in central

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, England. The architecture is predominantly neoclassical in style with an Italian influence. Many individual buildings are listed, and Little Germany is also protected as a

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

History and information

The buildings within Little Germany date back to the 19th century, developing from 1855. Most of the buildings were constructed for the use of textile businesses, although are also a few non-commercial buildings, for example Baptist and Methodist chapels. The commercial buildings are the legacy of merchants from mainland Europe, many of them Jewish, who spent large sums of money constructing imposing warehouses for the storage and sale of their goods for export. A large proportion of the merchants came from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

hence the name Little Germany. Bradford became more attractive as a centre of international trade in the aftermath of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, which disrupted commercial relations between France and Germany. Architectural practices included Milnes & France, Lockwood & Mawson, Andrews & Delaunay and J.T. Fairbank building in italianate style. An 1871 building by George Corson for Scottish clients is in

Scottish baronial style Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th-century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

. Caspian House (61 East Parade) was built in 1873, as the warehouse of D. Delius and Company; the senior partner in the business was the father of the composer

Frederick Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...

. Little Germany is also the home of the Bradford Playhouse, which has a mural on the back of the building that commemorates the centenary of the founding of the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

in Bradford in 1893. Scenes for the second season of the Channel 5 TV series '' All Creatures Great and Small'' were filmed in the area in April 2021. The area was also used to portray

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

during Queen Elizabeth's visit of Russia in the season 5 of

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

.''

Renovation

Little Germany is still one of

's busiest commercial areas, with over 110 businesses and organisations with 3,000 workers. It attracts around 100,000 visitors each year. The local authority is currently promoting plans to regenerate the area by renovating and converting the interior of the old buildings into housing, hotels, offices, whilst preserving the originally

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

distinctive architecture.

Redevelopment projects

Eastbrook Hall redevelopment

Ham Construction undertook the redevelopment of Eastbrook Hall in Little Germany. The project cost an estimated £11 million and converted the building into 63 high-quality apartments as well some commercial usage on Leeds Road. The project included a refurbishment of the exterior and roof of the listed building which had suffered extensive fire damage. The hall was built in 1903 and was originally used as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

mission. The redevelopment was being funded through a public private sector funding agreement, as well as the Prince's Regeneration Trust. Work was finally completed in 2008, some months after the original projected finish date was set.

The Gatehaus

The Gatehaus is an 11-storey glass building 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 after suggestions that its height was incompatible with the surrounding Victorian buildings. The scheme was developed by Asquith Properties.

Freemans

In April 2012 retail giant Freeman Grattan Holdings, now a German-owned company, secured a deal to open a new head office and house around 300 staff in a Grade-II-listed former wool warehouse in Little Germany.

References

{{Bradford Areas of Bradford German communities German diaspora in Europe Historic Jewish communities in Europe Jewish English history Commercial buildings in England Neoclassical architecture in Yorkshire