Bradford: Historian Says City Hall Blue Plaque Inaccurate

A plaque celebrating Bradford Town Hall is incorrect and misleading, a historian has claimed.

A blue plaque was installed outside the town hall by Bradford Civic Society last year to celebrate 150 years of the building’s history.

The plaque reads: “The main structure was influenced by Amiens Cathedral and the clock tower is a direct copy of the bell tower of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.”

Historian Simon Ross Valentine said this was incorrect, while a spokesman for Bradford Civic Society said replacing the sign “may not be a quick process”.

Mr Valentine, author of Bradford Town Hall: 150 Years of Civic Pride, said the suggestion the building was inspired by Amiens Cathedral and Palazzo Vecchio was “a joke”.

“There is no influence,” he said.

He said the clock towers of Bradford Town Hall and Palazzo Vecchio are “very similar, but there are also big differences”.

He explained that the clock is at the base in Florence rather than the top in Bradford.

“The plaque states that it is a direct copy, which is obviously absolute nonsense,” Mr Valentine said.

The historian also said the plaque incorrectly names Norman Shaw as the architect of the town hall.

“It’s not fair,” Mr. Valentine said.

“The architect was a guy called FEP Edwards, who was advised by Norman Shaw.”

Mr Valentine said the Civic Society needed to get its facts straight before Bradford became the next City of Culture in 2025.

“We need to show the country, if not the world, the treasures we have here in Bradford, but … the facts we present must be accurate,” he said.

Mr Valentine said the plaque should be “replaced with a factually correct one”.

A spokesman for Bradford Civic Society said: “We have previously been in contact with Mr Valentine regarding the semantics of the text on the Town Hall blue plaque.

“We have made it clear that we are very happy to look at the possibility of making some changes, but that given the logistics and costs involved, it may not be a quick process.

“We are also looking at the feasibility of relocating the Town Hall slab as part of the work at Norfolk Gardens.”