ONE of Bradford’s hidden gems is being transformed into a temporary exhibition space to help mark the 10th anniversary of a city centre gallery.

This week Impressions Gallery will celebrate both its 45th anniversary, and 10 years since it moved to Bradford from York.

Lord Mayor of Bradford Abid Hussain is holding a civic reception in City Hall for the photographic gallery on Friday afternoon.

This will be followed that evening by an event in the City Park gallery for invited guests, and then a further event in The Bradford Club.

Gallery staff have been installing 35 images by 11 artists, representing a decade of exhibitions, at the Victorian club on Piece Hall Yard in preparation for the celebrations. Members of the public will be able to explore the images in the unusual setting as part of an open event next month.

Images include some from photographers such as Yan Wang Preston and Joy Gregory.

Photos have been stalled in appropriate places in the club, so images of air shows by Melanie Friend are hung next to some of the club’s existing artwork depicting British war planes.

For the period the pop-up exhibition is running, the club’s grand reading room will contain a stylised image of the Eiffel Tower, while its Snooker Room contains Paul Floyd Blake’s Taylor Wessing prize winning portrait of Paralympic swimmer Rosie Bancroft.

Angela Sheard, programme co-ordinator at the gallery, said: “The images on display here span the whole period we have been in Bradford, and represent a whole range of themes and artists. The club were keen to see something a bit different here.

“It is the first time we have done anything like this, there are a lot of artists we have never exhibited together before.”

Peter Townsend, club manager of the club, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this evening, it will be a different group of people coming to the venue. Something like this gives the club a different audience, because to a lot of people the club is a bit anonymous from the outside.”

Impressions Gallery was founded at a time when photography was shunned by major museums. The gallery brought many photographers to the British public for the first time.

The Bradford Club will open to the public for people to view the Impressions exhibition on Wednesday September 6 from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. To book, call 01274 737843 or email impressions-gallery.com/events