Britain's first-ever Church-operated pub is to open its doors in Bradford.

The Cock and Bottle, in Barkerend Road, one of the city's most historic pubs and the scene of a notorious killing, will be run by a group of committed Christians.

Worshippers signed the papers yesterday and became the new tenants of the pub owned by Enterprise Inns.

The pub scheme is expected to cause some controversy in the Church and the Bradford Christian Pub Consortium which will run the premises, has already received hate mail condemning the project.

The group is planning Christian events to pull in the punters.

There will be evangelism nights on offer as well as counselling in the snug as the Consortium hopes it will be easier to get non-believers through the door of a pub than a church. The bar will be staffed by worshippers and will serve the usual range of alcoholic drinks.

But before any pints were pulled, the Consortium held an exorcism to give the building a clean start after its chequered history. Key member Reverend Robin Gamble said: "Over the years there have been loads of old stories about ghosts, underground passageways and there has been a particularly tragic killing. The pub is part of the folklore of Bradford. There is just a feeling of sadness about the place.

"It is usual in the church to expel all that darkness, any old spirits, any old memories and exorcise all that and attract a whole new beginning of hope, light and goodness."

He said the team visited every room with a candle, sprinkled holy water and prayed to "claim it for God".

The consortium tried to buy the Bradford City Band Club, a working men's club in Undercliffe in August last year.

Competitors outbid them but, undeterred by that and the range of hate mail they received about the project, they hunted for another venue and found the Cock and Bottle.

Mr Gamble said: "We wanted to acquire a pub and run it as a Christian pub. That means it will be a cracking good local pub with a warm welcome, really high standards and be very friendly and part of the community.

"We have written to every diocese in the country and no one has ever heard of a pub like this.

"Some people are a bit worried it's going to be almost like a church but we want people to know it's going to be like a usual pub with football talk and good beer and all the normal things."

He said they had joked about the drinks which might be on offer like Abbots Ale, Bishop's Finger and Blue Nun.

Malcolm Willis, a Christian who has been a landlord of two pubs before this, will be in charge of the day to day running of the pub.

He said he hopes to serve food in one half of the pub when they have settled in and confirmed that the pub will open on a Sunday.

An official opening will take place at 3pm on June 13 when the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David Smith, will be present.

The site of the current pub has featured a licensed premises since at least 1747, was rebuilt in 1820 and first called the Cock & Bottle in 1822.

Former pub landlady Marjorie Tooley killed her abusive and violent partner Peter Tooley in the living quarters above the pub on February 3, 1996.

It became listed as a protected Grade II building last year after a campaign by CAMRA to recognise its "compartmentalised interior".

The pub's traditional atmosphere found its way into the film The Dresser with Tom Courtenay and in episodes of TV's Minder series.

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