Paper Hall

Its then owner James Garnett is credited with bringing the industrial revolution to Bradford, which became one of the manufacturing centres of Britain in the 19th century.

[1] Possible suggestions are a link to Catholic worship as a corruption of "Papist Hall",[2] that it was the first building in Bradford to have wallpapered walls or that paper was the main product of a nearby mill.

But the most careful examination of the stone with a magnifying glass, lends no support to the allegation that the last figure has been altered."

Sadly, by the mid-19th century, the hall had fallen into disrepair and was described in 1841 by the historian John James as in "a miserable state of dilapidation and neglect".

A Bradford University professor, Jimmy Ord-Smith, campaigned to have the building saved and initially raised funds by selling Christmas cards featuring an artist's impression of the refurbished hall.