Girlington
Area of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England
Human settlement in England
- City of Bradford
- West Yorkshire
Girlington is an area in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Girlington is located to the west of Bradford city centre. The majority population of Girlington are of South Asian origin in particular Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi.
History
The stone-built Elite Cinema was constructed for the Elite Picture House Company at the junction of Fairbank Road and Toller Lane with a barrel vaulted ceiling and seating capacity for 700 - opening in 1913.[1] The cinema closed in 1924 to enlarge the hall to 1,304 seats, reopening the next year. An electronic organ was installed in 1925 and sound in 1928. The cinema had a large stage for live performances but these ended during the Second World War. The cinema was sold to C & H Cinemas after the war and in the early 1950s the organ removed, the cinema refurbished and briefly supported live stage shows. Star Cinemas took over and installed a wide screen in 1954 but closed the cinema in 1968 - reopening as a bingo club. In 1986 the property was sold to become the Jamiyat Tabligh-Ul-Islam mosque but was partially destroyed by fire in 1987 and partially demolished. In the 1990s the auditorium was rebuilt but the building retained the original stone facade and entrance.
Opened in 1914 the stone-built Victoria Picture Palace was constructed on Thornton Road and was operated by Hibbert Pictures Ltd. The cinema was refurbished in 1927 and reopened as the New Victoria. In 1929 a British Talking Pictures sound system was installed, and by 1934 a Western Electric Sound system had been installed. In 1955 there was a serious fire after which the cinema was refurbished, and a CinemaScope wide screen installed while the seating capacity was further reduced. The cinema closed in 1961 and after a short period as a bingo hall the cinema was bought by Wm. Morrisons Ltd for conversion to a supermarket.[2]
In 1961 Morrisons opened its first supermarket (Morrisons Victoria Supermarket) in the converted Victoria Cinema in Girlington.[3] The cinema building was subsequently demolished and a nearby modern supermarket building replaces it.
Over the years a number of public houses and former hotels in Girlington have closed - The Craven Heifer (named for the eponymous Craven Heifer), The Girlington, The Shoulder of Mutton on Thornton Road, The George and The Royal on Kensington Street and The Travellers Rest (formerly known as the Tut 'n' Shive) on Duckworth Lane - only one pub now remains open.[4][5]
Landmarks
In the west of Girlington on West Park Road is West Park a small community park. There are areas for basketball, five-a-side football, and cricket, a bowling green, a fenced-in play area and a skatepark.[6][7] Girlington has a community centre on Girlington Road[8] and churches include Saint Chad's on St Chad's Road, and Saint Philip's on Thorn Street.[9] Mosques include Jamiyat Tabligh ul Islam on Hoxton Street and Masjid E Umar on Durham road.[10]
There are a number of listed buildings in Girlington - Rand's Almshouses (1876), a single storey range of almshouses with 2-storey wings,[11] mill buildings within Whetley Mills,[12] the Parish Church of Saint Chad (1912) on St Chad's Road,[13] 80 and 82 Duckworth Lane.[14]
Economy
Around Ingleby Road is a shopping park consisting of shops and supermarkets such as Morrisons, Lidl, The Range, McDonald's, KFC, and Domino's Pizza. The area has a post office in Kensington Street.[15]
Education
Schools in the area include Girlington Primary School on Girlington Road,[16] St Philip's Primary on Whitby Terrace[17] and St William's Catholic Primary School on Young Street.[18]
Transport
The main roads through the area are the A6177 Ingleby Road - Whetley Lane part of the Bradford ring road, B6144 Toller Lane, and B6145 Thornton Road.
Sport
Cricket is played at Girlington Cricket Club.[19]
References
- ^ Sutton, Colin (2004). "Bradford - Elite Cinema History". Bradford Timeline. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ Sutton, Colin (2005). "Victoria Cinema History". Bradford Timelines. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "Company History". Morrisons. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Pubs in Girlington". Pubs Galore. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Lost Pubs In Bradford, Yorkshire". The Lost Pubs Project. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "West Park, Girlington". Bradford Parks & Landscape Service. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "New Skatepark West Park Girlington". Bradford Parks & Landscape Service. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Girlington Community Centre". girlington-centre. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ The Church of England. "St Philip, Girlington". A Church Near You. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "Jamiyat Tabligh ul Islam". London Mosques. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Rand's Almshouses". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Two Parallel Blocks". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Parish Church of St Chad". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "80 and 82, Duckworth Lane". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Opening Hours Post Office Girlington". Opening hours for post offices. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Girlington Primary School". Girlington Primary School. 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "St Philip's CofE Primary School". School etc. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "St William's Catholic Primary School". Saint Williams. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ^ "Girlington CC". Play Cricket. Retrieved 27 August 2016.; "Girlington Cricket Club". Facebook. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Girlington.
