This new video, taken from the roof of nearby Margaret McMillan Tower, provides a bird's eye view of the demolition of Jacob's Well on Sunday.

Local firm Thomas Crompton was the main contractor for the demolition of the building and they had been on-site from the early hours of the morning. 

Despite the secrecy surrounding the exact date and time of the demolition, onlookers both young and old gathered to witness the spectacle of the landmark building being razed to the ground.

There was a buzz of anticipation in the air as the big moment drew ever closer. 

A 15-minute warning sounded across the city, followed by a siren which signalled there was just two minutes to go.

Excitement reached fever pitch as the 10-second countdown began and cheers of delight rang out as the building tumbled to the ground, leaving a cloud of dust and rubble in its wake.

Many people were stood at the various cordon points for hours, waiting to catch the big moment.

A number of people gathered on Croft Street, Manchester Road and Edward Street to get as good a vantage point as possible. 

Stefan Kostrzewa, 66, from Baildon, said: “It’s history in the making.”

While Diane Wright, 61, from Eccleshill, stood and watched the action with all her family.

She described the building as “ugly” and said she hoped something nicer would end up in its place.

Rebecca Knight, 36, was with her little girl Avaya, six. 

She said: “We are making history. 

“We want to talk about it in years to come.”

The day was made all the more exciting for her mum Linda Knight, 68, as she was also celebrating her birthday.
She said she remembered going in the building when it was in use. 

There had been a few sleepless nights for Daniel Horsman, 24, who took on the Jacob’s Well pub last November. 
It was a nerve-wracking wait ahead of the demolition.

As soon as the building was down, he checked the drone footage to make sure everything was ok and he could breathe a sigh of relief.

Speaking afterwards, he said of the explosion: “It hits you in the chest more than I thought. I’m still shaking.”

He added: “I’m relieved now - everything looks good.”

Phil Harrison, senior demolition officer at the Council’s demolition and works unit, earlier told the Telegraph & Argus that measures had been put in place to protect the nearby pub while the demolition was carried out.

These included vibration surveys and putting barriers in place in the event of any large pieces of debris rolling down the pile after the building came down.

A number of people commented on the T&A’s live stream of the demolition to say they had heard the ‘bang’ in various parts of the Bradford district and going into Leeds.

One person wrote to say they heard in Bramley, while another said they’d heard it in Kirkstall. 

A spokesperson for the contractors said it had gone to plan and as smoothly as hoped. 

There will now be plenty of work ahead to clear the site, given the debris pile was expected to be around two storeys high. 

The first stage of the clear-up operation was expected to be completed yesterday. 

McLaren Developments has been granted the option to develop the site. 

The scheme will comprise initially 100,000 sq ft of Grade A office space and is part of the Government’s One Public Estate initiative.

Plans were first unveiled by the Council back in 2015, when it was announced that the privately-financed hub could bring up to 3,500 public sector jobs into the city centre.

The decision to demolish Jacob’s Well to make way for a future development was made by Bradford Council’s executive in 2017.

The Council said it would provide savings on utilities and running costs which could be better used elsewhere.

The 1,700 members of staff who were based in the Jacob’s Well building have since moved to other offices, such as Margaret McMillan Tower, Sir Henry Mitchell House, and Britannia House.