Video: Inside the Victorian lock-up beneath Bradford’s City Hall

Grade I listed Bradford City Hall contains Victorian police cells, a parade room, charge desk and a courtroom which have now become The Police Museum.

A century or more ago it would have been a “pretty grim” place containing as many as 60 prisoners.

The sound of a slamming cell door still has the power to send a shudder down a visitor’s spine.

The new museum is run by a charity, Under the Clock, and is staffed by volunteers including former Bradford community relations inspector Martin Baines.

Mr Baines said the courtroom was a “magnificent example of Victorian architecture” which had been used as a film locations for several TV dramas.

Artefacts on display include truncheons, lamps used by nightwatchmen, handcuffs, helmets, uniforms, posters and photographs covering over 150 years of policing.

There are also exhibits about a number of “firsts” for Bradford, including the first fingerprint evidence used outside a London court and the first admissible tape recorded evidence.

Mr Baines said: “The new police museum offers a unique insight into the history of policing in Bradford from the 19th century onwards.

“We hope people will enjoy guided tours of the original cells in City Hall as well as a walk through the courtroom used as a set location by ITV’s Coronation Street.”

The museum traces the history of Bradford through speedy social and industrial changes which saw the population rocket alongside problems such as poverty, overcrowding, violence and drunkenness.

Just a handful of constables were employed in the early days to keep a lid on a population of several thousand.

The museum is initially open Wednesdays between 2pm and 4pm and Thursdays from 10am to noon.