Former warehouse doubles up as film and TV set

Tucked away in a corner of Bradford a former wool warehouse has become a go-to location for film and TV, doubling as everything from a post-war boxing ring to a modern-day police station.

Blink and you would miss it.

Aside from the city's coroner's court, there is little reason to visit Cater Street, nestled away in Bradford's Little Germany.

But, like many of the streets which make up this area, the buildings here are a nod to its industrial past.

And one in particular has made the most of its historical setting, providing a set for some of the most popular productions on our screens.

Believed to have been a wool warehouse from the 1930s until the 1970s, the building was used for storage for decades thereafter.

However, with its original features still intact, over the past 14 years the undisturbed space has been the backdrop for shows including Peaky Blinders, Downton Abbey and Emmerdale.

"Peaky Blinders came across it because it looked the era," reveals Ray Brown, legal officer for the Sekhon Group, which owns the building.

The hit TV series charts the fates of the Birmingham-based gang of the same name, starting at the end of World War One.

In one of the early episodes the Cater Street warehouse was used for both a boxing match and as Tommy Shelby's office, where in another scene he hosted the character Alfie Solomons, played by Tom Hardy, for a meeting.

Little Germany "incorporates the grandest of the city's Victorian warehouses," according to a conservation assessment of the area by Bradford Council.

Even in 2026, the area's 19th Century roots are still evident, making it a perfect backdrop for period dramas in particular.

According to Ray, the three-storey building's breakthrough as a filming location came about "purely by chance".

"They must have been scouting around the area. There were no signs outside at the time," he recalls.

"From then, we realised what we had on our hands.

"The production team at Peaky Blinders actually said it was a great building, don't alter it, it's great for period pieces. That's why we left it."

Other productions to have followed in the years since include Bodies, starring Stephen Graham, Sally Wainwright's Gentleman Jack - featuring Suranne Jones - and Virdee, a crime thriller series set in Bradford and released during the city's year of culture.

Inside, there are still signs of its most recent assignment - a police station for the latter.

"It has brought a lot into the city - many millions," says Ray.

"When you have people like Suranne Jones here people come to see her.

"You have production companies here, you have the catering crews, you have the actors and all the entourage."

According to Screen Yorkshire, the screen industries in Yorkshire & the Humber are estimated to support about 12,000 jobs directly and indirectly, with a turnover of more than £1bn.

The building had been listed for let amid a downturn in interest from production companies, but its owners say it has once again piqued the interest of location scouts from the likes of Disney and ITV.

"From nothing in 18 months we have had enquiries in the last month, so things are very much picking up," says Ray.

"We want films in here rather than converting it for anything else."

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