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originally for the West Bowling Local History Newsletter and published in "Bygone West Bowling", April 2003.
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Older residents and former residents of the West Bowling district will no doubt have (hopefully) happy memories of their visits to the local cinemas - Birch Lane, Carlton (albeit in Marshfields) and Towers Hall. Many anecdotal stories can be told of such visits and hopefully my factual observations based on recorded and documented information will provide a stimulus to others to tell of their own personal reminiscences and experiences.
 A purpose-built brick building of plain rectangular construction with its main entrance at the side in Birch Lane near Clough Street. Opened just after the start of the First World War on Thursday 12th November 1914 with a seating capacity of 750 and a proscenium width of 18 feet. The Civic Opening included "A Selection of the Latest War Pictures". Vendetta - 5-reels. France, 1914 B/W Silent. Among its many proprietors over the years were George F. Longden and R. Longden (early 1920's); Bowling Cinema Company (late 1920's through 1930's) with J.T Wilcock as manager; Ace Cinemas (F. Lionel Agar in 1950's) who was also involved with the Coventry Hall in Wakefield Road, Elysian at Lidget Green and the Picturedrome/Astra in Wakefield Road and Cansfield's Marshfields Cinema Co who later operated the newer Cosy at Wibsey and Carlton cinemas. Lambert Cansfield, a quarry owner, was also quite a cinema entrepreneur and even built a cinema in his own garden which fronted on to the Leeds & Bradford Road at Stanningley - it was to be the rather grand Savoy. In the early 1930's the American RCA Sound System ("talkies") was installed. The cinema survived two world wars running until Saturday 26th September 1959 when it closed with the final film: Hollywood or Bust - USA 1956 Colour. Three years later in 1962 the building was re-opened by E.C Douglas as the Silver Birch Bingo Club to enjoy another life serving the West Bowling community.
Carlton Cinema A more superior purpose-built stone building of plain rectangular shape running lengthways along Manchester Road next to Ransdale Road and with its main entrance at the side of the hall fronting on to the main road. With 1231 seats and a proscenium width of 25 feet it opened its doors on Saturday 23rd September 1922 with silent films. Sacred and Profane Love - USA 1921 B/W Silent. The Carlton boasted having one Clement Ambler directing the Carlton Symphony Orchestra in a "floral setting" - its drummer Billy Stean having previously played at the Lyceum at Thornbury and the Towers Hall. A photograph surfaced in 1984 and believed to be the only one of its kind in existence and discovered by Ernest Hodgson of Spring Mill Street. It showed the commodious interior of the Carlton with its curved ceiling and ornate plaster frieze decoration and what appeared to be an organ console in the orchestra pit positioned centre stage. Deeper research showed that this was not a pipe organ as favoured by other cinemas; but was a reed organ and one of only three in the city. This reed organ was played by the aforementioned Clement Ambler. The other two reed organs were installed in the Regent on Manningham Lane and the Saltaire Picture House around the same time. 
Closer examination of the photograph with a magnifying glass does seem to confirm this detail and the flower arrangements across the foot of the stage could clearly be seen. Local newspaper records state that Mr Hodgson's father was was an attendant at the Carlton and later worked at the Birch Lane and Towers Hall. Its owners throughout were Marshfield Picture House Co Ltd run by the Cansfield family (A. Cansfield as manager) with similar involvements with Birch Lane and Cosy cinemas. In the early 1930's the American Western Electric sound system was installed and the orchestra made redundant. Much later the Carlton was one of the first cinemas outside the city centre to be equipped with a new wide CinemaScope widescreen and stereophonic sound in 1955. This new sound system was an early version of 3-channel (left, right and centre) stereo sound from the screen loudspeakers plus an ambient effect from speakers around the hall. Its manager Harry Allerton boasted that the Carlton was the second cinema (after the Essoldo) in Bradford to install the full CinemaScope and Stereo sound system to meet the requirements of 20th Century Fox, the CinemaScope distributors - quite an achievement for a suburban cinema. The Carlton closed in Saturday 31st March 1962 with the final film: Breakfast at Tiffany's - USA 1962 Technicolor. The building was then demolished during which an Otley man working on the site as a mechanical shovel driver was partially buried by masonry on 6th June 1962 when bricks fell about 30 feet, he suffered spine and head injuries. A second man (also from Otley) was also injured. The site was later developed as a petrol filling station. 
This is a real piece of history not only for West Bowling and Bradford but is an important piece of British cinema history that is almost forgotten. In those early days a big name was a local man Henry Hibbert (1862-1924) who was known for his lantern lectures and his support of the People's Sobriety Association (PSA), a Temperance movement in Bradford, and encouraged by the stirring preachings of one Rev A.C Perriman in the Towers Hall (between Newton Street and Coates Terrace) in the 1890's. So, it's clear the Towers Hall actually started in an older building with religious roots, but this building was demolished and a roller skating rink built on the site in 1909 by Ezra Hoyle. Henry Hibbert and his like-minded business partners had patented a cinematograph camera and projector under the name Ebor. This revolutionary contraption was made in a Bradford (Leeds Road area) cellar and the very first film was of a little girl skipping. The first public showing was to the Bradford Photographic Society in March 1896 and was hailed as "a wonder of wonders". This was to become the start of Hibbert's Pictures and the Hibbert name became associated with many cinemas across the wider area. Meanwhile the Towers Hall skating rink was a huge hall with a curved wooden roof and similar to other such roller rinks around the city, eg. Rolarena on Manningham Lane, Coliseum in Toller Lane and the Hippodrome (later the Roxy) in Barkerend Road. All these buildings became cinemas for a part of their respective histories but none so interesting as the Towers hall. 
Towers Hall cinema opened on Monday 25th September 1911 by Hibbert's Pictures with Joe Bell as the first Manager. With 1078 seats to see silent films and variety acts on the stage. Its slogan was "Always Merry and Bright". Molle La Burl, the dancing model was a popular 1911 artiste treading the boards of the Towers. Battle Hymn of the Republic - USA 1911 B/W Silent A small orchestra was in residence to accompany silent films and on-stage variety and included Billy Stean, a drummer who went on to play at the Carlton. The cinema only occupied a small part of the former huge roller rink; the larger part was used as a film studio - but more of that later. A popular manager in the 1920's was one F.G Swindin. An important event took place in Bradford on 22nd September 1930 which was to give a new dimension to the cinemagoing public. It was the opening of the 3000+ seater New Victoria cinema/theatre, ballroom and restaurant. The new luxury cinema offered films on the "talking screen" plus the mighty Wurlitzer organ and a full orchestra on the stage along with wining, dining and dancing. Meanwhile the humble Towers Hall advertised as follows: Romance of the Rio Grande - USA 1929 B/W Silent Undaunted, the Towers Hall was to compete with city centre cinemas for another 36 years. Silent films continued to 1931 when the British Talking Pictures (BTP) sound system was installed following a renovation of the hall and its seating capacity reduced to 996. The Towers Hall cinema still under the ownership of Hibbert's Pictures eventually closed on Saturday 21st May 1966 with the final film: Thunderball - UK 1965 Technicolor Panavision (aka 'scope) The premises were then sublet to the Pakistani Film Society for four years until a fire destroyed the building on Friday 16th October 1970 resulting in its demolition in 1972 coinciding with the planned reconstruction and widening of Manchester Road as a dual carriageway.
Towers Hall Film Studios
The previously mentioned Henry Hibbert, now a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, had a globe-trotting friend Charles John Cutcliffe Hyne (son of Rev C.W.N Hyne, Vicar of Bierley) who was a successful author, most notably of the Captain Kettle adventure books. Hyne formed the Captain Kettle Film Company in the larger part of the former roller rink at the back of the Towers Hall cinema. After adding a glass roof, the film studios opened in 1914 which was not a good time as the ensuing war was to stifle activity. The studios were fully equipped with arc lighting, property and scenery rooms staffed with electricians and carpenters, film processing and editing facilities and a small cinema for previewing the film "rushes". Films produced here were screened in Hibbert's cinemas around the city including (rather obviously) the adjoining Towers Hall cinema and the Temperance Hall (also known as the Jowett Hall in Chapel St, Leeds Road) which later became the Civic Playhouse and Film Theatre and more recently renamed Priestley Centre for the Arts. One of the early films was of a variety act performing next door on the stage of the Towers Hall cinema in 1912 and involving a troupe of young dancing girls where (according to historian Geoff Mellor) one of the girls was thought to have been a 14 year-old Gracie (Stansfield) Fields. If this is correct then this was her screen debut at the Towers Hall. Following the short lived Captain Kettle project, the Pyramid Film Company moved into the studios behind the cinema and produced much parochial material which was naturally popular with local folk together with a catalogue of feature films (though short in length) for showing throughout the region. The Towers Hall film studios ceased film production in 1916 due to the difficulties of the war. Despite its fascinating history, the Towers Hall Cinema did not have a monopoly in the West Bowling area for in 1913 competition appeared at the Coventry Hall (a former coffee tavern) and in 1914 the Ideal cinema opened (later to become Bert Shutt's Ideal Ballroom) and, of course the Birch Lane cinema also in 1914 and finally the Carlton in 1922 but the Towers Hall outlived them all. This has been a small but very important part of cinema and film making history in Bradford which for the most part is little known except to a handful of cinema enthusiasts and historians.
Research Reference Sources Publication An earlier abridged version of this piece of cinema history was published (April 2003) in "Bygone West Bowling" - A West Bowling Local History Publication. 80 pages with writings, memories, newspaper reports and period maps. |