Manningham, Bradford

In 1912 the Manningham Kinematograph Company Ltd opened the 519 seat Oak Lane Picture House on a site on the north side of Oak Lane between St Mary's Road and Sunderland Road. The cinema was a converted horse tramshed of the Bradford Tramways and Omnibus Co Ltd. The name was changed to Oriental in 1920 and by 1931 Western Electric sound had been installed. The building closed in 1936 for a partial rebuild involving a new roof, balcony, and an enlarged screen, and the cinema reopened in 1937. A Hammond organ was subsequently installed but was removed at the start of the Second World War. In 1955 a CinemaScope screen was installed with stereophonic sound, but the cinema closed in 1958. The building was subsequently demolished and a mini-supermarket built on the site.[5]

The purpose-built 1,250 seat Marlboro Cinema was located at the junction of Carlisle Road and Carlisle Street and opened in 1921.[6] The building was designed by architect T Patrick and is built of red brick with a white tiled entrance and domed tower. It was owned by Moulson's Marlboro Cinema Company headed by Milton Moulson.[6] Sound films were shown by 1930, and the number of seats was reduced to 1227 in 1944. Walter Eckert's Star Cinemas (London) Ltd acquired the cinema in 1950 and installed Western Electric sound. It had a panoramic screen from 1954, but stereo sound was never installed. Bingo was introduced on a part-time basis but the cinema closed fully in 1962 with bingo continuing full-time until 1968.[6] From 1962 to 1982 it was known as the Liberty Cinema showing Asian films. After closure and removal of the raked floor and balcony the building became a bedding and textile warehouse.[6] After a major refurbishment by Asian Cine Ltd in 2000, the cinema - now reduced to 400 seats - showed Bollywood films. In 2001 a blaze wrecked the cinema, and its fire-damaged part was rebuilt as an Asian Marriage Hall and function room.[6]

The former Manningham Methodist Church off Carlisle Road was converted into the Sangeet Cinema opening in 1970 which showed Asian films. The former church building was very large and also housed numerous Asian businesses. The Naz was a smaller cinema created at the rear of the building which was only used occasionally. The Sangeet closed in 1980, and a series of fires struck the building in the 1980s, after which the whole building was demolished.[7]

Manningham was the location of the Manningham riot (June 1995) and the Bradford Riots (July 2001). In April 1994, The Independent newspaper reported that unemployment in Manningham stood at 40% (around four times the national average at the time), and that a large number of known drug users and alcoholics lived there.[8]

Manningham Lane, part of the A650, stretches from Hamm Strasse to Lister Park (also known as Manningham Park) where it becomes Keighley Road. It is a busy road in terms of both traffic and commerce, lined with shops and businesses for practically its entire length.

White Abbey Road - which becomes Whetley Hill at the junction with Whetley Lane and Carlisle Road - part of the B6144, is similarly active, with several large clothing outlets and jewellery shops.

Lumb Lane, running parallel to and between Manningham Lane and White Abbey Road, is the home to many independent shops, mainly catering to the local South Asian community. There are also several pubs and South Asian restaurants.

Recent actions by the Bradford Council and local community groups have helped in starting to improve the area.[10]

White Abbey is a historic district on the northwestern edge of Bradford city centre. Its boundaries are roughly the equivalent of White Abbey Road to the west and south, Lumb Lane to the east and Carlisle Road to the north. Like many of the older districts of inner-city Bradford, White Abbey was once a vibrant and highly populated neighbourhood. Today the area is dominated by social housing.

Notable local amenities include the pub, Haigy's, and the "Pakistan and International Link Community Centre."