A real Bradford gem – visitors can enjoy an art gallery, boating lake, café, bandstand, and well-laid-out walks past the Mughal Gardens.
What’s there?
Lister Park, also known as Manningham Park by locals, has something for everyone. It is picturesque and steeped in history, but it also works hard to stay relevant as a communal space.
Truly unique, this Green-Flag awarded park is home to an Islamic and Hindu architectural-style water garden, a boating lake and café, and Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, which houses a permanent display of work from Bradford-born David Hockney. Visitors can also spot various sculptures throughout the park, including Peter Pan, which sits at the centre of the lake.
As a functional space, it provides various facilities that allow communities to come together. Visitors can take advantage of the tennis courts, bowling green, and newly developed play area.
Lake and Boathouse Café
The lake
The lake is one of the first features to be constructed for the park and appears on a map of 1887/8. The lake is fed by a stream running around the Botanical Garden, and in the middle of the lake are four islands, each housing a piece of art.
Boat hire price list:
£12.00 per half hour up to two people
£2.00 each per additional person
£15.00 per half hour for family of four
Deposit for all boats is £10.00
The Café
The original Boathouse, a minimal wooden structure, was removed in the mid-1980s. Today’s modern building gives way to a bustling cafe that serves hot and cold drinks, food, and ice cream. Open April – September 12-noon -7 pm. October 11 am – 5 pm (weekends only), subject to weather.
Cartwright Hall Art Gallery
Cartwright Hall was built on the former site of Manningham Hall and opened as a gallery in 1904.
The star attraction is the David Hockney Gallery, which showcases Bradford’s unrivalled public collection of early work and provides an introduction to his life and art with a particular focus on Yorkshire and Bradford.
At the front of the gallery sits the statue ‘The Stag’ and ‘Diana,’ crafted in bronze by Pierre Louis Rouillard (1820–1881). This is a replica of ‘Diana the Huntress’ of Versailles, a marble statue in the Louvre Museum in Paris
Situated in the original 1904 Refreshment Room is Cartwright Hall Cafe. Free entry. Open 10 am-4 pm Tuesday-Friday and 11 am-4 pm Saturday & Sunday.
Fenced in Play Area
The enclosed adventure play area was redeveloped in 2022 and was designed to be accessible to children of all abilities. It includes a wide variety of equipment sited on a soft rubberised surface to encourage imaginative and physical play. Surrounded by grassed areas, this is an ideal place for family picnics.
This is a dog-prohibited area. No entry for people over the age of 14 unless supervising a child.
Gardens
Lister Park contains a variety of flower gardens throughout the park.
Mughal gardens
By combining Islamic and Indian architectural styles, the gardens aim to reflect the cultural diversity of Bradford’s heritage and provide visitors with a scenic and peaceful area to enjoy. The rectangular design is divided into smaller squares by water channels with two water cascades and nine fountains, giving the essence of a traditional Mughal Garden. Plants and trees have been carefully chosen for their sensory appeal and to create a harmonious and restful atmosphere.
Botanical Gardens
The botanical gardens are a beautiful feature of the park, with a geological trail winding throughout the various beds, which are themselves based around the stream. The stream is a copy of Thornton Forge.
Multi Activity Community Area and tennis courts
Free to use and open 24 hours. Area includes: 5-a-side, basketball, cricket and two tennis courts.
Car Park – the vehicle barrier is locked between 4pm & 6pm. Vehicles still in the park can leave via the one way flaps. Strictly no overnight parking. There is additional disabled parking for visitors to Cartwright Hall at the rear of the building.
History
Ellis Cunliffe Lister
The story of Lister Park begins with Ellis Cunliffe Lister, a member of parliament (1832 – 1841) and son of the wealthy mill-owning John Cunliffe. In 1837, Lister erected Manningham Mill for his sons, John and Samual. The Park was originally part of the Manningham estate, and sitting at its heart was Manningham Hall, where Ellis Cunliffe Lister was to live between 1819 and 1853.
Samuel Cunliffe Lister
Son of Ellis Lister, Samuel was a local manufacturer and inventor, designing new machines that revolutionised textile production. His highly sought-after silk fabrics were produced from Manningham Mills. In 1870 Samuel sold his family home, Manningham Hall to Bradford Corporation. It was purchased at “half real value” on the condition that the land was used to make a public park. At this time, the name was changed from Manningham Park to Lister Park.
An open-air swimming pool, the Lister Park Lido, was added to the Park in 1915. Although it was very popular in its early years, by the 1930s, the public was losing interest in the facility, which no longer met the standards of hygiene they expected. In response to proposals made by the baths committee, the council carried out a modernisation scheme in 1937 involving installing a filtration, sterilisation, and heating plant. The Lido reopened in May 1939. However, the popularity of the Lido waned over time, and by 1982 repairs to the value of £60,000 were needed. The Lido closed in 1983 and was demolished in 1991.
Natural history
A visit to Lister Park at any time of year will result in wildlife sightings. The mature trees are home to numerous bird species, and the neighbouring gardens provide additional buffering habitat. Watch and listen for the familiar blackbird, song thrush, robin, and jackdaw. During winter, the park’s grassland is visited by migrant species, such as fieldfare and redwing.
Summer evenings are a great time to observe the fascinating activity of bats. All 18 species found in the UK are insectivorous. The common pipistrelle and soprano pipistrelle may be seen skirting the tree canopies and lake area hunting for insects to feed on. Sometimes given a bad press because of the association with horror films, bats are not to be feared and are essential in keeping down numbers of midges and mosquitoes.
Also, listen to the buzz of queen bumblebees early in spring as they visit the colourful crocus display on the lawns.
Visit the things to do area for details of all events.
Fun fair
Lister Park partners with Ride Zone to host an annual fun fair.
Parkrun
A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Every Saturday at 9 am. Visit the Parkrun website for more information: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/bradford/
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