Demolition of fire-hit Bradford church on Undercliffe Road - see photos and videos

Demolition crews from Thomas Crompton started dismantling the building on Undercliffe Road after Bradford Council reportedly deemed the building unsafe.

Most of the chapel's roof was damaged while any remaining tiles had to be removed to allow the fire to vent through the roof.

Photos show most of the historic church has been demolished while the foundation stone, laid on June 14, 1884, has been removed.

“It’s one of the oldest buildings around here,” one local resident said, as workers carefully removed the church’s foundation stone.

“A lot of local people remember it being a church, so there’s a lot of sentiment. It’ll be sad to see it go because it’s been a view outside my house for a long time.

“I’m surprised the building wasn’t listed because it’s a part of local history.”

Another local resident said: “It’s another community building we’ve lost. It’s part of the history of the area.”

One resident who lives in Undercliffe said: “I was so angry when I heard about the fire.

“For someone who has lived here so long, I’ve seen the bingo hall down the road destroyed by fire last year and now this building has been destroyed.

“Buildings like these are a part of history. The old churches have a lot of history.”

The demolition of the former church on Undercliffe Road, pictured.

Work is set to continue throughout the day.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “Officers from our building control service inspected the building on Monday.

“The fire has rendered it unsafe so it will shortly be demolished and cleared by the owner.”

West Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire after the fire service classed it as deliberate.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting log 1242 of April 25.

Firefighters from the Bradford, Shipley, Fairweather Green and Stanningley stations attended the scene.

The huge response saw some roads closed to both motorists and pedestrians as smoke clouds rose into the sky. 

Earlier this month, a planning application to demolish the church and build shops and industrial units in its place had been submitted to Bradford Council.

The building had most recently been used as a workshop.

Speaking at the time of the fire, one eye witness told the T&A: "The roof is not in a good way. There's smoke coming from the roof. A lot of the roof is gone.

"There's a lot of firefighters. There's smoke coming out of the roof and there's appliances right on top of the church now."

The witness added: "There's some investigators here. They're using water out of the road for the fire engines."