About our new home
About Lister Mills


inside Lister Mills

Lister Mills, a restored Bradford landmark


What is Lister Mills?

Lister Mills is a beautiful old textile mill in the heart of Bradford. It is Grade II listed, which means that it is an important building in Bradford's history. It is also called Manningham Mills.

When it was built, the Times said it was as "breathtaking as Versailles", the royal palace in France. You can see the chimney from just about anywhere in Bradford. It really is spectacular.

The mill was once the biggest silk mill in the world. The silk and velvet they made went all over the world. They even made the curtains for the White House in America!

The workers at the mill went on strike in 1891, which was important for the development of the Independent Labour Party in 1893.

When the mill closed, no-one looked after it, but now Urban Splash are working hard to make it as good as new so people can live and work there.

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Where is Lister Mills?

Lister Mills is in Manningham, in Bradford. It is about 15 minutes by bus from Bradford Interchange, or from Forster Square Station. We will put a map on these pages soon.

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Will anyone else be at Lister Mills?

Yes, lots of people and different organisations. It's enormous - to give you an idea it is nearly as big as 8 football pitches put together.

Urban Splash is creating flats for people to live in, community spaces for the people living in and around the Mill, and commercial units for businesses to work from.

Mind the Gap will be one of the first organisations to set up home in the Mill, and we're very excited about it!

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What will Mind the Gap do there?

When we move in, we will immediately start work on developing a brand new show, Boo, for touring in Spring 2009.

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