Volunteers sought to help run Victorian courtroom and cells as visitor attraction
BRADFORD POLICE Museum trustees are recruiting new volunteers to help take care of the preserved Victorian courtroom and cells.
The former police station can be found deep within Bradford City Hall, and was in operation from 1873 until 1974 before becoming a museum dedicated to the history of crime and policing in 2015.
Hundreds of murderers passed through the site, as well as innumerable other common criminals, and the great escapologist Harry Houdini managed to break free from the jail in just 20 minutes during a publicity stunt in 1904.
The Victorian courtroom has been used to film Official Secrets, Emmerdale, Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders and Peaky Blinders.
The cells, courtoom and parade room are open to the public as Bradford Police Museum.
Today, the cells, courtroom and parade room are open to the public as the Bradford Police Museum, a sometimesghoulish visitor attraction which has become one of the city’s hidden gems.
Many of the museum’s volunteers are retired police officers, but trustees are keen to expand the workforce to include people from a wider range of backgrounds.
The staff look after a collection of memorabilia on display in the old parade room that includes an old Velocette “Noddy” motorcycle, Victorian truncheons and other artefacts spanning 150 years of law enforcement in Bradford.
They also lead tours, man the ticket desk and run events such as the Halloween ghost walk and mock trials. A further collection of historic police vehicles is kept off-site.
The courtroom is preserved as it would have looked in 1900. Around 5,000 visitors per year are admitted to the museum. An open morning will be held on February 15 from 9.30am to midday for anyone interested in becoming a volunteer custodian. Roles available include tour guides, curators, vehicle mechanics and meet-and-greet staff.