City Hall hosts Diamond Jubilee Open Day

The doors of Bradford City Hall will be opened to the public next month as it hosts an event inspired by the Diamond Jubilee.

Visitors will be able to explore the Grade I listed building, view the civic silver collection, and enjoy a tour of its many rooms. These include the Lord Mayor’s rooms, council chamber, former law courts, and banqueting hall.

An exhibition of work created by local school children to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee - and a collection of royal memorabilia that has been loaned by local resident Judith Watkinson will be on show.

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People will also be able to watch footage of the Queen’s Coronation and wedding, and view The Lord Mayor’s Scrapbook from 1952 to find out what Alderman John Shee did during his Civic Year.

Loraine Radcliffe, the civic affairs manager with the authority, will also give a talk called Royal Reminiscences - during which she will relive royal visits and explain what goes into planning a visit for the Queen – at 11am and 1pm.

The Banqueting Hall will be transformed into a Jubilee Street Party-style cafe for refreshments and a children’s picture trail, quiz and create a crown competition will be held throughout the day.

The free event will be held on Saturday, September 8, and will run between 10am and 4pm.

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A series of other events will be staged for visitors, including court re-enactments dating from 1952 by local magistrates in the former law courts at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm. The Lord Mayor, Coun Dale Smith, will take part in the 11.30am session.

The court re-enactments will all be based on original records.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Dale Smith, claimed the events would provide a chance for the public to learn more about the city’s history, and added: “This is a great chance for visitors to see inside this wonderful building, to find out more about our history, and to relive a part of Bradford’s history in the Victorian law courts.”

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