Bolling Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Bradford, set in a commanding position on a hillside. The earliest part of this building dates back to the 14th century. The Manor of Bolling is first mentioned in the Domesday Book and had a man named Sindi. The manor then came under the control of Ilbert de Lacy. By 1316, William Bolling owned the mansion, and Bollings owned the estate until the late 15th century when the power went to the Tempests, who held the estate until 1649. During the second siege of Bradford in 1643, during the English Civil War, the house was a Royalist base. On this occasion, the Royalists took the town, which had strong Parliamentarian sympathies, and it was thought that the victors would put the inhabitants to the sword. There is a legend that a ghost appeared in the bedroom where the Royalist commander Earl of Newcastle stayed to tell him to "Pity poor Bradford. "The estate changed hands several times after that until it was eventually left to several tenants until it was presented to Bradford Corporation in 1912. It was opened as a museum three years later. Bolling Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is currently used as a museum and education centre. The building is about a mile from the centre of Bradford. Its surroundings are suburban. Before the Industrial Revolution, Bradford was a small town challenging to defend as it lay in a basin.

However, Bolling Hall occupies a commanding position on a hillside. The earliest part of this building, dating from the 14th century, has been interpreted as a Pele tower, although Bradford is somewhat outside the typical geographical area for these defensive structures. The Manor of Bolling (Bollinc) was first mentioned in the Domesday Book and had a man named Sindi. The manor then came under the control of Ilbert de Lacy. By 1316, William Bolling owned the manor mansion, and Bollings owned the estate until the late 15th century when the power went to the Tempests, who held the estate until 1649. The estate changed hands several times until it was eventually left to several tenants until it was presented to Bradford Corporation in 1912. It was opened as a museum three years later. During the second siege of Bradford in 1643, the house was a Royalist base during the English Civil War. On this occasion, the Royalists took the town, which had strong Parliamentarian sympathies, and it was thought that the victors would put the inhabitants to the sword. There is a legend that a ghost appeared in the bedroom where the Royalist commander Earl of Newcastle stayed to tell him to "Pity poor Bradford". There is usually material on display relating to the English Civil War, including a death mask of Oliver Cromwell. In the 18th century, parts of the house were modernised by John Carr following a fire. The Bolling Chapel at Bradford parish church, now Bradford Cathedral, was restored by the Tempest family in the 17th century but did not survive the twentieth-century rebuilding of the Chancel.