THE hallowed halls and corridors of power at City Hall have become a summer tourist attraction with a series of tours.

Sneaky Peeks reveal the district's rich and storied history in free self-guided tours.

Visitors arriving for the twice-weekly tours will come in through the front entrance of City Hall which will be opened specially for them, then walk up the grand central staircase which dates back to 1914.

The Sneaky Peek tours will be every Wednesday from 2pm to 4pm and on Thursdays from 10am to noon until September 12. There is no need to book, people can simply turn up.

Hundreds of people from across the district and beyond took in a tour this week.

They show off the city's silver collection, the Ernest Saville room, the Council chamber, the banqueting hall, reception rooms and Lord Mayor's rooms.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Joanne Dodds, who attended the event, said: "It's absolutely brilliant.

"There were people waiting outside at the door to come in.

"It shows a lot of people want to see our heritage. They travel from miles to come to this.

A ceramic poppy made by Paul Cummins, which was one of 888,246 poppies made for the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, display at the Tower of London last year, takes pride of place among the silver collection.

A balsa wood scale model of City Hall, made by Ron Breadner in 1980, also proved a popular stopping point for tourists.

The Bradford Civic Sword takes pride of place in the banqueting hall. The sword was given to the Lord Mayor of Bradford in 1997 to mark the 150th anniversary of Bradford as a borough.

A picture of the seating plan for the visit of the Queen to Bradford in 1954 is also on the wall. It shows the horseshoe table which is only used on special occasions. It was last used for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's visit to Bradford on March 27, 1997.

The banqueting hall also has displays of Bradford Museums' photo archive including a picture of Morecambe and Wise in the city in 1961.

The last tour on Saturday, September 12, takes place between 10am and 4pm and also marks Heritage Open Day.

Magistrates will re-enact court cases throughout the day. These sessions will be held in the Victorian Court Rooms and are based on real cases and original documents from 1915.

Volunteers and visitors said the tour gives people a chance to learn more about the history and development of Bradford.

Stella Walker, of Thornton, one of 40 volunteers at the tour, said: "I just love it.

"It's really popular. We get lots and lots of children.

"The tours are good for people to learn more about Bradford's history. People who live here said they had never been to City Hall before.

"People come from all over the world."

Gene McCurdy, 67, of Ashley, Ohio, US, took time out from his three-week holiday to the UK to learn more about Bradford during his four days in the district.

He said: "I think it's very informative. It gives you a glimpse into the past of Bradford. It was the town to be in. It is very nice."

Anthony Le-Feuvre, 39, of Santa Monica Road, Idle, who took the tour alongside his sons, Jacob, eight, and Noah, five, said: "I came here as a child and wanted my sons to see it too.

"City Hall is quite smart and should be open more for the people of Bradford to enjoy."

Bradford's first Town Hall was sited at Fire Station House in Swain Street between 1847 and 1873.

A competition was held to design its replacement with 31 entries received. It was won by Bradford architects Lockwood & Mawson, which also designed the Wool Exchange in Bradford and Salts Mill in Saltaire.

It took three years to build and was opened on September 9, 1873, by the then Mayor of Bradford, Alderman Matthew Thompson with the original £39,535 budget having swelled to £100,000.

City Hall's clock tower is Italianate and is inspired by the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. It features 13 bells which cost £5,000 to install, weighing a total of 17 tons.

The building, now Grade I listed, was extensively extended in the early parts of the 20th century.