Member Article

Aparthotel Proposed for Bradford’s Brown & Muff Building

Plans to transform the former Brown & Muff building in Bradford city centre into a new aparthotel are being considered by the council. The planning application, submitted on 6 September, was brought forward by developer, Stamford Properties Ltd, and outlines their strategy to extend and convert the building to form 69 apartment/ hotel rooms.

Manchester Architect, Fletcher-Rae, designed the scheme that’s aiming to regenerate the prominent victorian building on Market Street by reinstating active use across the upper floors, as well as enhance the street presence with a new entrance lobby. Co-founder of the firm, Andrew Rae, provides these comments:

“ Plans for the aparthotel take into account the site’s historical context, including the adjacent Wool Exchange listed building, and propose an outfit and roof extension that reflects the shape and materials of the surroundings. For instance, the single-storey roof extension is designed in dark metal cladding, a common theme in the area, and follows a mansard roof system to visually reduce the scale.“

The main entrance for the aparthotel would be accessible from Ivegate Street. The 69 rooms in the aparthotel range in size from 28sqm to 50sqm family-sized rooms, including 4 accessible rooms. With the flexibility of guests able to stay anywhere from a couple of nights to several months, the development is set up to appeal to tourists and business travellers alike.

Historical Background

Dating back to 1814, the original Brown & Muff Company was demolished and rebuilt in 1870, designed by architects Knowles & Wilcock. Founded by Mrs. Elizabeth Brown, the department store was renowned for luxury goods, known as the ‘Harrods of the North’. The business was taken over by Rackhams and eventually closed in 1995 due to the downfall in the economy. The building has been remodelled over the years to adapt to its changing use and is currently semi-occupied with most of the basement, ground and first floors units occupied by various food, retail and commercial tenants.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by e3creative .