About

Samuel Lister was a local manufacturer and inventor, designing new machines which revolutionised the production of textiles. His highly sought after silk fabrics were produced from nearby Manningham Mills. In 1870 he sold his family home, Manningham Hall and surrounding estate to Bradford Corporation to develop Lister Park and later Cartwright Hall.

The original Boathouse, a wooden structure with very little architectural merit was removed in the mid-1980s. Today’s modern structure combines functionality and aesthetic appeal with a sensitive use of light and space.

The café offers light meals, various hot and cold drinks, toilet facilities and access to boating on the lake.

The play area ,redeveloped in 2022, is an enclosed adventure play area accessible to children of all abilities. It has 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.

The Mughal gardens were created to reflect the cultural diversity of Bradford’s heritage, providing visitors with a picturesque and peaceful area to sit. 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 were carefully chosen for their sensory appeal to create a harmonious and restful atmosphere.

Mr Samuel Margerison of Leeds designed the botanical gardens in 1903. He planned to represent every family of plants in British flora. He also added a geological trail with different types of rock from throughout the Yorkshire region and a replica of Thornton Force ( a water fall at Ingleton, North Yorkshire) which is fed by a culvert from the stream that runs alongside the garden.

The garden was replanted in 1952 on a ‘Themed Basis’ with plants used in the textile industry in addition to plants used for medicinal purposes. Extensive landscaping works were undertaken between 2001and 2002 as part of the parks restoration to bring the garden to today’s award winning status.

Lister Park hosts statues of Samuel Cunliffe Lister and Sir Titus Salt, has sculptures of four lion ,Diana the Huntress , Peter Pan, The Stag situated around the park.

View AccessAble’s Access Guide to find out about this venue’s accessibility. The guide contains detailed, accurate information which has been put together following a visit to the venue by one of AccessAble’s trained surveyors (link opens in a new window).