Sunbridgewells legacy to continue under Graham Hall's son

Tributes poured in following the death of Graham Hall, Bradford visionary and founder of Sunbridgewells, in December.

Graham Hall (Image: Newsquest)

The underground complex of tunnels will now be run by his son, Harry Hall, 27, who lives in Australia.

Harry Hall with his dad Graham Hall (Image: UGC)

"I've lived in Australia for three years now," said Harry.

"My dad passed away in December and when I came over for the funeral in February I met with many of the people at Sunbridgewells."

And although Australia is halfway across the world and thousands of miles from Bradford, that will not stop Harry from running Sunbridgewells.

"I'm on the phone all the time and running it from overseas," said Harry.

"With my dad passing, it's a case of learning on the job."

Harry Hall has taken over the running of Sunbridgewells (Image: UGC)

But Harry is up for the challenge and has said that he will be "changing things a little bit" to bring in the right clientele.

"We want to make it a better place to enjoy Bradford," he said.

"We hired a security firm at the door who'll look after all of the bars and restaurants in Sunbridgewells.

Harry Hall lives in Australia (Image: UGC)

"We're trying to change the reputation of Bradford and we want people to visit Sunbridgewells and see what we're trying to do.

"We need the support of the local community to do that."

He said Visit Bradford and similar organisations from Leeds, Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield have been to Sunbridgewells to see what it has to offer.

It is home to restaurants La Caverna Pizzeria and KoKo Bay Caribbean Restaurant, The Coffee Booth and Bar, The Rose and Crown pub, as well as the Not Guilty bar, Wallers Brewery and The HideOut. Two new bars, Enigma Lounge and Mr Paul's Bar, are also set to open very soon.

"We're trying to build on the legacy for my dad," said Harry. "He worked on Sunbridgewells for 10 years of his life.

"He brought royalty to Bradford when Princess Anne came to open Sunbridgewells.

"He had high ambitions for Bradford as a whole and there's no reason why we can't achieve this and make Bradford like anywhere else in the world."

Harry moved to Australia three years ago and he is a full-time football coach there.

He lives in Mudgee, a town in New South Wales known for its wine-making.

"I've been a football coach since 2018 when I lived in the UK.

"I moved to Australia because I wanted to try a hotter climate and see other places in the world."