An arts bar and venue in Bradford city centre has closed permanently and will now be sold, it has been revealed.

The Brick Box Rooms on Ivegate is too small to be "financially viable" under coronavirus restrictions, its bosses said.

The venue has hosted a range of events - spoken word nights, discos, craft workshops, supper clubs and art exhibitions among them. Its opening followed the success of Brick Box’s Wild Woods project, which transformed Darley Street’s empty Marks & Spencer unit into a thriving cultural venue in 2016.

In a heartfelt message posted in Facebook today, the venue said: "We’ve had such a wonderful time running our little bar The Brick Box Rooms on Ivegate.

"It's the first permanent venue we’ve ever had, and we’re so glad we’ve been able to do it in bloody brilliant Bradford.

"Since Covid hit us all, we’ve been unable to reopen because the bar is just too small to be able to get enough socially distanced people in it to make it financially viable.

"At the same time, we’ve been able to take a pause for a few months and think ambitiously about what we want to do as a company, and some really exciting prospects have emerged. But the upshot is this: we’ve taken the difficult decision not to reopen The Brick Box Rooms in the future, and instead to put the bar up for sale."

"We’re very sad to say goodbye to the space we’ve called home for the past three years, but we’re also proud to have gone out on a high with a successful arts bar in the centre of Bradford, despite massive doubts it would work at all. We’ve also made a load of new friends we’d never have met without setting up camp in BD1.

"Our fantastic team have been our biggest asset. They’ve helped us to make the bar into the creative, warm and welcoming space it’s been and we are so sad to have to let them go. But we hope we will be able to offer many more opportunities to be part of our team in the future when we can rise again.

"Our artists, performers and DJs have brought incredible work to the bar, and so often we’ve held experimental or challenging events that have had appreciative audiences from all walks of life (and an impossibly packed dance floor).

"To our regulars, friends and wonderful supporters, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And we want to make it clear that The Brick Box Ladies are not going anywhere. We’re sticking with Bradford because we believe in it, and we think it’s time we look at making an even bigger contribution in an even bigger space. We’ll let you know more about our plans as soon as we can, but rest assured it’s onwards and upwards for us and for Bradford, so follow us for updates!"

Anyone who wants to talk about potentially buying the bar should email hello@thebrickbox.co.uk for a chat.