Saltaire

Saltaire Village is near Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is named after Sir Titus Salt who built a textile mill and this village on the River Aire in 1853.  In December 2001, Saltaire was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

 

The mill is now a shopping and exhibition centre and a must visit if you are in the area.  At 1 million sq ft over 5 floors it is on a massive scale and I got completely disoriented and lost.

Salt was appalled by the conditions in which his workers lived, in Bradford.  He first built the mill, with workers brought by train each day, then built housing, church (the dome of which can be seen in the centre of the photo), school, infirmary, almshouses etc.  By 1871 Saltaire provided homes for 4300 people in 25 acres.

It is obvious which houses were for the workers, the foremen and the managers.  Note the extra wide street - perhaps he envisaged the time when cars and lorries, not horses, would be the method of transport!

There is only one detached house in the village and it is the biggest.  In the 1870s, it was occupied by the company’s chief cashier, demonstrating his importance.

In 1871 the "New Mill" on the right was built - the business was obviously flourishing.

Properties are much sought after - and expensive!

The website is well worth a look.

3 miles; 11 locks; 3 moveable bridges

TOTAL:  511 miles (212 miles broad, 40 miles river); 255 locks (122 broad); 55 moveable bridges