Oasis of peace

Being approached by a stranger outside the building I’d just left, and asked such a question, came as no surprise. The curious passer-by had, like many others no doubt, often pondered as to what lay behind the sturdy wooden doors of the grand stone building with its dragon gargoyles, tucked away in Piece Hall Yard in Bradford city centre.

“The Bradford Club – what is it?”, he asks, pointing to the brass plaque bearing the words alongside ‘Members only’. “Is it one of those ‘special handshake’ sort of places?”

It isn’t – as the club’s long-serving manager Peter Townsend is always keen to stress. “There are no secret handshakes or closed lists here. It is open to anyone who is looking for somewhere to entertain or relax.”

And there can be few places as relaxing. Entering The Bradford Club is like stepping into another world. A world far removed from the din of modern life – the ringing of mobile phones, the booming of car stereos, the shrill chatter of crowds.

The atmosphere in the club is one of calm serenity. Conversation is not drowned out by other noise, and members can sit back and truly appreciate the charms of the place.

“There is nowhere else like this in Bradford,” says Philip Brook, a retired chartered accountant and club member for 25 years. “The Bradford Club is very special to me – there is a special ambience. Mobile phones have to be switched off, it is seen as bad manners to use them.”

That the club sits alone in its uniqueness in the district is evident the moment you step through the door. From the leather porter’s chair in the lobby, to the six long stained-glass windows and grand staircase with polished brass handrail, there is a feeling of grandeur and sophistication. The striking windows illuminate marble columns and busts of 19th Century reformer and creator of the free market Richard Cobden and the chancellor – later Prime Minister – of that time William Ewart Gladstone. In the spacious, high-ceilinged dining room, tables are set for lunch, with white linen table cloths and vases of fresh flowers. Above, in the peaceful reading room, members recline in high-backed leather armchairs, set beside brass-stemmed reading lamps. Newspapers and magazines are neatly laid out on table tops. In days gone by, the club would have been dominated by businessmen from the wool trade. Nowadays, they are less in evidence, as the club plays host to a wide cross-section of the business community.

Members have to be proposed and seconded by existing members. Craig Burton, who runs the a Bradford-based recruitment company, was proposed 16 years ago. “I was invited and thought it was all very glamorous. It was sold to me as a gentleman’s club, but it is not that at all – it is a members club, with male and female members.”

Women were admitted in 1990 after a closely-fought vote. Today, there are 20 out of a total membership of 310. Four years ago, solicitor Julia Lister became the first women appointed to the committee.

“I feel at home here,” continues Craig, who is dining in the less formal bar area with solicitor Saf Salam “You can escape the city, and business life, and come in for a quiet lunch.”

Adds Saf, who is poised to join: “It is a little bit of escapism. And I see many faces from my profession –judges and counsel from chambers. We have a lot of law society meetings here.”

Club president Brian Firth has a legal background. The retired solicitor was delighted to be elected to the post and will join the list of names on the honours board, which dates back to 1857.

“The Bradford club is part of the city’s history,” he says, “A lot of my old friends are still members. We have all been associated with the textile industry. The club has changed little over the years – it is a link with our past.”

Formed from the merger of three clubs – the Bradford and County Conservative Club, Bradford Liberal Club and the Union Club – the club dates from the early 19th Century. Former members include Sir Titus Salt, who held the presidency of Bradford Liberal Club from 1873 to 1876.

Over the years, it has been sympathetically modernised and refurbished, to retain its period charm. As well as meetings of different groups, private functions including weddings, dinners, banquets and other celebrations are held there. On the day of my visit, one room is resplendent, in readiness for a 50th birthday lunch. On a polished chest of drawers in the corner of the room sit two polished rams’ horns which traditionally were filled with snuff. In the past they were commonly used by wool sorters to clear their nasal passages.

The club carries on some quaint traditions – there is Optimists’ Corner, a group of long-standing members who meet informally. In days gone by those who mentioned work would be fined, and expected to buy a round of coffees.

“I think the attraction lies in the idiosyncratic nature of the club,” says Peter Townsend. “Some people find it quirky, and that is part of the appeal.

“Good manners are paramount. Past president Wilfred Shaw, a retired insurance broker, once told me that members meeting for lunch always say ‘good morning’ even if they arrive at 1.45pm, so it does not appear that they are late.”

While the bar offers backgammon and dominoes, upstairs a magnificent snooker room beckons, with tables set out beneath a striking hammer-beamed ceiling – one of only two architectural features of Bradford listed in Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s famous guides to the buildings of Britain (the other being City Hall).

Potting a few balls is retired steam engine driver Geoffrey Cliffe. “There is nowhere like this,” he says. “It has a very special atmosphere.” The octogenarian belongs to a members’ club in Leeds, and under a reciprocal arrangement he is able to visit The Bradford Club. This privilege extends to clubs across the world, as far afield as India, South Africa and the Far East.

To Saltaire-based accountant and member Tim Parr, the club is “an oasis of tranquility in a hectic world.” He is dining with colleague Mark Pownall, who is equally smitten. “It is amazing to think that places like this still exist – it is wonderful.”

But for passers by, the mystery as to what lies beyond the double doors remains.

“We often see people wandering past looking in,” says the club’s head waitress Vanessa Hargreaves. “Someone stopped me recently and asked whether it was a lap dancing club.”

l The Bradford Club is at Piece Hall Yard, Bradford. For details of membership and fees ring (01274) 727036, visit bradfordclub.co.uk or e-mail ana.bradford club@virgin.net