The Myrtle Grove estate dates back to the mid-18th century when it consisted of a house known as "Spring Head", a farm and an old
Quaker meeting-house. In 1767, Dr Johnson Atkinson purchased the estate, demolished the existing buildings and commissioned the current mansion which was designed in the
Georgian style, built in
ashlar stone and completed in around 1770. He took on the name Johnson Atkinson Busfeild after receiving an inheritance from his wife's uncle, Thomas Busfeild, in 1772. Sharp was one of the town commissioners and having already been instrumental in founding the
mechanics institute in York Street, he initiated a proposal on behalf of the town commissioners, in 1890, to take a lease on the mechanics institute, to establish a public library there and to convert the old reading room into a board room. After significant population growth, largely associated with the
worsted yarn industry, the area became an
urban district with the old mechanics institute as its town hall in 1895. After Sharp died in 1896, his wife lived at Myrtle Grove for a while, but in 1908, the new council decided to acquire the whole Myrtle Park estate for the town. The council progressively moved its staff into Myrtle Grove between 1923 and 1926, at which point the house became Bingley Town Hall. A council chamber, which was wood panelled, was installed in the building at that time. Myrtle Grove continued to serve as the headquarters of
Bingley Urban District Council for much of the 20th century but ceased to be the local seat of government after the enlarged
Bradford Council was formed in 1974. It was subsequently used as offices for the delivery of local services by Bradford Council. ==See also==