Bradford City Hall: The historic Yorkshire building which has hosted Peaky Blinders and an iconic Coronation Street moment

By all accounts it should be far better known, but the author of a new book about City Hall, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this September, says many locals have never ventured inside.

Local historian Dr Simon Ross Valentine said older Bradfordians will remember paying traffic fines there - and the courting which went on under the arches on nearby Channing Way.

"But they haven't gone inside," he said. It's almost an intimidation factor. One of the reasons why I wrote the book is to try and encourage people to visit for themselves.

"Bradford is a beautiful city, but much maligned, and there's a lot of hidden treasures - the Midland Hotel, the commercial buildings in Little Germany, Penny Bank on North Parade."

However the icing on the cake, he says, is City Hall. Built mainly in a Medieval Gothic style, with touches of Venetian and Italian, the Grade I listed building is the crowning achievement of architects Lockwood & Mawson, who designed Titus Salt’s Mill and model village at Saltaire among others. Originally called the Town Hall, it was hailed as a “magnificent architectural triumph” and showed the rest of the globe its sense of importance as "Worstedopolis" the textile capital of the world.

Dr Valentine, whose book is called Bradford City Hall: 150 years of Civic Pride, said: "When you look at the campanile tower, which is based on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, it's such a fantastic building.

"It is also unique in that it is the only building in Britain which has a series of statues of every King and Queen of England, from William the Conqueror to Queen Victoria - the statues are lifelike and 7ft tall."

Dr Valentine hopes lots more people get to know the building through a series of events to celebrate its special anniversary.

The building had its Grand Opening on 9 September 1873 and exactly 150 years on, the doors of City Hall will be thrown open for members of the public to take a look round for free.The open weekend, which is part of the nationwide Heritage Open Days scheme, will take place over the weekend of 9-10 September.

Visitors will be able to take a tour around the glorious building to learn about its rich history - including a look at the Banqueting Suite which has played host to Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.

As this year also marks 100 years of the Jowett Car Club - the owners club for local former car manufacturer Jowett Cars Ltd - there will be a display of vehicles in Centenary Square.