'Death mask' and hangman's rope among new attractions at Bradford Police Museum

The Bradford Police Museum has re-opened following a winter break, and has new exhibits including the death mask of Albert Pierrepoint, the Clayton born hangman who executed over 400 people during his prolific career, including many Nazis.

The museum also features tours of the city’s former police cells, which recently was used as a filming location for the hit TV series Peaky Blinders.

Located in City Hall, the museum is based in the original 19th Century police station, which was operational between 1874 and 1974.

The museum is run by Martin Baines, a former police inspector for West Yorkshire Police who also worked as a community and race relations officer.

Its gallery covers the history of policing from the inception of the Bradford Borough Police force in 1848 until the present day.

Its collection of vintage uniforms, truncheons, photographs and other police memorabilia has this year been joined by a section of hangman’s rope and a 1967 Police Velocette Motor Cycle.

The bike is part of the museum’s newly acquired historic vehicle fleet that also includes police bikes made by BMW and Honda, as well as a number of police cars that will be displayed outside the museum, in Centenary Square, numerous times this year.

The Velocette bikes were known as “Noddy bikes” as their riders were unable to salute with their hands while riding them, forcing them to nod.

The museum’s cells were used for filming key scenes for the last series of Peaky Blinders, which was shown in November.

The cells were given a refurbishment by the film crew to make them more period accurate, meaning they now look exactly as they do in the scenes of the show.

The cells are also famous for the time escapologist Harry Houdini promoted his 1904 show at St George’s Hall by escaping one of the cells. He was shackled and placed in the cell, only to be found staggering out a short time later.

Another cell features graffiti by prisoners waiting to be sent to prison.

Other attractions at the museum include a former restraint chair that was used as recently as the 1960s. The chair was used to pin down uncooperative prisoners, and went by the nickname “Old Sparky.”

It was originally used in Manningham Police Station, and was more recently houses in the Tyrlls station until it was demolished. It was then donated to Ripon Police Museum, which has loaned it back to Bradford.

The Pierrepont Death Mask is on display in one of the cells. He was an executioner from 1934 to 1956, during which he executed an estimated 435 men and women, including around 200 Nazi war criminals.

The mask is next to a cheque paid for £7 10 shillings paid to him for a hanging in 1940 and a ledger of the hangings, and hangman names, from Wakefield Prison.

There are also artefacts belonging to James Berry, a Heckmondwike born former police officer who became a hangman from 1884 to 1892.

He was famous for his attempts to execute John Lee. Despite three attempts to hang him, the trapdoor failed to open, and his sentence was commuted.

A section of one of his hangman’s ropes used for one execution is on display. Mr Baines said: “At that time, hangmen had to supply their own ropes. After a hanging he would chop up the rope into pieces that he would sell to locals. It was once said if you put every piece of rope he sold together it would run from Land’s End to John O Groats.”

The piece of rope on display is believed to have been used to hang a man called Murphy who killed a police officer in North Yorkshire.

Events planned for this year will include a Heritage Day with West Yorkshire Police, an event to mark the role of the police in peace keeping in collaboration with Bradford’s Peace Museum, a Victorian Court reenactment and further displays of the classic vehicle fleet in Centenary Square.

A new touring exhibition is being planned for later in the year in conjunction with Ripon Police Museum.

The museum opens every Friday from 11am to 3pm and Saturday from noon to 4pm.for throughout the year until the end of November.

For more information visit bradfordpolicemuseum.com/