Little Germany, Bradford

Little Germany, Bradford, is an area of particular historical and architectural interest in central Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The architecture is predominately neoclassical in style with an Italian influence. Many individual buildings are listed and Little Germany is a Conservation Area.

The buildings within Little Germany date back to the 19th century, developing from 1855. They are the legacy of merchants from mainland Europe, many of them Jewish, who spent large sums of money constructing imposing warehouses for the storage and sale of their goods for export. A large proportion of the merchants came from Germany hence the name Little Germany. Bradford became more attractive as a centre of international trade in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, which disrupted commercial relations between France and Germany.

Architectural practices included Milnes & France, Lockwood & Mawson, Andrews & Delaunay and J.T. Fairbank building in italianate style. An 1871 building by George Corson for Scottish clients is in Scottish baronial style. Caspian House (61 East Parade) was built in 1873, as the warehouse of D. Delius and Company; the senior partner in the business was the father of the composer Frederick Delius.

Little Germany is still one of Bradford's busiest commercial areas, with over 110 businesses and organisations with 3,000 workers. It attracts around 100,000 visitors each year. The local authority is currently promoting plans to regenerate the area by renovating and converting the interior of the old mills into housing, hotels, offices, whilst preserving the originally Victorian distinctive architecture.

In April 2012 retail giant Freeman Grattan Holdings, now a German-owned company, secured a deal to open a new head office and house around 300 staff in a Grade-II-listed former wool warehouse in Little Germany.

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