THE funeral of the man behind Bradford's Sunbridgewells will include a procession through the city.

Graham Hall, who developed the complex of underground tunnels, died on December 27, last year. He was 54. 

Mr Hall’s funeral will take place on Wednesday, February 1.

It will begin with a funeral procession through Bradford city centre, travelling down Sunbridge Road at 11am.

The service will take place at St Francis Roman Catholic Church, Norman Lane, Bradford, at noon, followed by a committal service at Nab Wood Crematorium at 2pm. 

A request has been made for family flowers only, but donations in memory of Mr Hall may be made to the ICU ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary. 

Memories of Mr Hall will then be shared by people at both The George pub and Sunbridgewells.

The funeral details have been shared on the venue's Facebook page.

The post, from Binder Xavier Lal, added: “It's a day of reflection for such a sad loss to all friends and family.

“Graham will be remembered long after this day and forever more.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Wallers Brewery, in Sunbridgewells, paid this tribute to Graham Hall Wallers Brewery, in Sunbridgewells, paid this tribute to Graham Hall (Image: Wallers Brewery)

Wallers Brewery, one of the bars located in the complex, left a touching tribute to Mr Hall.

The tribute included a full pint of lager, a burning candle, a photograph of Mr Hall and a small chalkboard with the message: ‘Reserved Graham Hall – 1968 to 2022’.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Hall from people across the district including former Lord Mayor of Bradford, Geoff Reid, who was in the role when Sunbridgewells opened. He described Mr Hall as a ‘one-off and great asset to Bradford’.

The former Lord Mayor said: “Graham was a wonderful combination of friendliness and eccentricity. He was brilliant at making visitors feel welcome and one of those people who rapidly came to seem as if he had been a city centre character for ages, even though had only been open since our civic year in 2016-2017.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Graham Hall pictured inside the Sunbridgewells complex Graham Hall pictured inside the Sunbridgewells complex (Image: Newsquest)

Jonny Noble, manager of Bradford BID, tweeted: "Very sad news that Graham from Sunbridgewells has passed away. I remember him showing me around infilled tunnels and a complete building site describing every inch of what was to come and he had a vision that’s for sure and he delivered."

Sunbridgewells opened its doors in December 2016.

In its first year, the complex, which is home to a mix of shops, restaurants and bars, was visited by Princess Anne.

During her visit, she was given a guided tour of the site and unveiled a plaque in Wallers Brewery.

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