The roof of a listed building has been removed as it was deemed to be a risk to the public, Bradford Council has revealed.

The chapel in Bowling Cemetery, disused since 1987, has fallen into a state of dereliction.

The building has been a magnet for anti-social behaviour over the years. Efforts to find a new use for the structure, which was given Grade II listed status in 1988, have so far come to nothing.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The derelict chapel in Bowling Cemetery The derelict chapel in Bowling Cemetery (Image: Adam Percy)

After pictures emerged showing that more of the heritage asset had disappeared, the Telegraph & Argus asked Bradford Council to outline what work had taken place at the site.

These images, captured by T&A Camera Club member Adam Percy, show the increasingly forlorn appearance of the former Roman Catholic chapel.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The decaying listed building The decaying listed building (Image: Adam Percy: T&A Camera Club)

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The roof of Bowling Chapel was deemed to be a risk to cemetery users, so the remaining slates and timbers have now been removed."

Asked what the plan was for the building going forward, the Council spokesperson said: "The future of the building is still being considered.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The roof has been removed, as this image showsThe roof has been removed, as this image shows (Image: Adam Percy: T&A Camera Club)

It is the only remaining Victorian chapel of its scale in the city and over the years has been plagued by anti-social behaviour and crime. 

Fencing circles around the building in an attempt to keep intruders out. 

Back in 2014, Bradford Council submitted plans to partially demolish the building to make way for a memorial garden.  The move was designed to cut crime and the Council said it made the demolition application “with regret”.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The interior of the chapelThe interior of the chapel (Image: Adam Percy: T&A Camera Club)

English Heritage lodged a strong objection to the plans, which acknowledged pressures on local authority resources but said: “Listed buildings are irreplaceable assets of national importance, and they contribute greatly to people’s enjoyment of places, their sense of identity and connection with the past.”

Previously, The Victorian Society has stated that the chapel's existence in the cemetery was “sufficiently unusual as to justify its retention and eventual restoration”. 

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The floor of the building seen from aboveThe floor of the building seen from above (Image: Adam Percy)

The Council's application was withdrawn, but around a decade on, there does not appear to be a clear plan for how the “irreplaceable nationally important heritage asset” - as the chapel was described by English Heritage - will be safeguarded. 

The situation will come as a concern to heritage enthusiasts in Bradford, who have bemoaned the loss of several listed buildings in the last decade.

Late last year, the owners of the Grade II listed Tank and Drums building on Bowling Back Lane revealed that the structure had collapsed due to damage from a large fire over two years ago, and repeatedly being targeted by stone thieves since.

In 2018, Bradford Council officers ordered the historic Cherry Tree Farm, in Fagley Lane, Eccleshill, to be razed to the ground.

The Council said the 18th century building was in a “perilous” state and had become a risk to children who have been known to frequent the site.