Little Germany 

Nominated by Alan Hall, Author & Historian 

“The plaque which welcomes people to Little Germany can be found roughly near the point where Well Street meets Vicar Lane, just near the Debenhams entrance to The Broadway. 

“During a guided tour of Bradford, Little Germany was once described to me by an architectural historian as “The finest Victorian merchant quarter in Europe.” Like so much in Bradford it is not celebrated as much as it should be – we often hide our lights under a bushel. 

“Little Germany’s Italianate-style warehouses were mainly built in the  second half of the 19th century , by which time a colony of German merchants – Jewish and Gentile – had made their homes in Bradford which was booming at that time, and may have been, by 1900 the wealthiest city in Europe. 

“Sadly, many of the Germans left when war broke out in 1914, never to return, but the magnificent buildings they created remain.

“Today the area is home to the Bradford Playhouse, the city’s Chamber of Commerce, and a number of small, independent businesses and start-ups.”