Norman Arch, Lister Park
The Keighley Road Memorial gatehouse, more commonly called the Norman Arch, (Grade II Listed) is an mock-historic structure erected in 1883 to celebrate the visit to Bradford of the Prince and Princess of Wales
Designed by Frank Healey in 1883 it has a central arch which contains a timber framed portcullis style gate and is flanked by octagonal turrets.
The Keighley road side of the Arch has two shield shaped ashlar tablets. The one on the right has the 3 lions of England and the left one represents the four nations of the British Isles
Above the shields runs a balcony with alternating carvings of the white rose of Yorkshire and panels with relief carvings of the feather motif of the Prince of Wales.
Originally the structure only had one large central arch and a smaller one but a former city architect added another because he loved symmetry
Looking up at the structure from inside the park you will see a tablet carved with the Bradford coat-of-arms when Bradford was still classed as a town.
The four numerals in each corner represent the date 1882 and there is the legend labor omnia vincit in a gothic script which means "Work conquers all".
John Hill was mayor of Bradford 1881-1882
