Lister Park

Bradford's Lister Park, in Manningham, covers quite a large area, with a boating lake, bandstand, children's playground, lawns and flower beds. The municipal art gallery, Cartwright Hall, is at its heart. I used to cross the park every day on my way to and from my student bedsit and the University Management Centre where I was studying. In the fifty years (!) since then, the park has changed quite a lot, not least because the trees have grown much taller. It had an open-air lido at one time but that has long since disappeared. It has always been a lovely green space in the midst of the urban sprawl. There are fewer students (most now live in smart, purpose-built blocks in the city centre, the likes of which I could only have dreamed of!) and there are more Asian families living in the Manningham area, so that it is common to see ladies in hijabs power-walking the paths to get their exercise, and young families enjoying the playground. A diverse park with a diverse population enjoying its calm space.  

The Lister Park lions have been returned to an island in the lake. There are now three. One of them, over 150 years old, was one of four original terracotta lions that were removed in the 1970s. It has been restored and used as a template to make two more. A children's competition to name them was held; they are now called Roary, Leonard and Lowry. 

Part of the northern side of the park is a small botanic garden and geological trail, with a stream running through it. There was some nice colour there from acer trees and flowers in bloom including some bright orange crocosmia.