Rialto Cinema

In the Clayton district of Bradford, the Clayton Picture House opened on Monday 22nd November 1920. It was owned by Albert Harrison, Herbert W. Styles, Roy Firth, Dean and Higgs, Dales Cinemas (Joe Emmott) and Alfred Howarth, had 450 seats and a Harrison sound system. The building was purpose-built, of stone.

The opening feature was “The Melting Pot”, a screen adaptation of Israel Zangwill’s famous play.

The cinema’s name was changed to Rialto Cinema in 1932, when the seating capacity was reduced to 378.

The cinema closed due to a fire in 1953. There was a Grand Re-Opening on Monday 19th October that year with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in “Singin' in the Rain”.

However, the cinema closed on Saturday 17th March 1956, with a double bill of “Shadow of a Man”, starring Paul Carpenter, and Dorothy Gordon in “The Blakes Slept Here”.

The building was converted into a motor car showroom. More recently it has been converted into office & storage use.

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