by If you gave a child a sketch pad and asked them to draw a model village, they would come up with something like Saltaire. Beautiful stone houses with window boxes? Place a tick. A beautiful park with play spaces and a cute band? Place a tick. A babbling river and a nice canal? Place a tick. Train to the big city? Place a tick. A narrow boat selling ice cream? Tick!
But, while these features now make Saltaire the perfect place for a day out in West Yorkshire, there are more complex reasons behind its conception. Titus Salt, a textile magnate who owned five different mills in the late 1840s, worked as a woolen stapler in Wakefield before taking over the family business and quickly transforming it into Bradford’s largest employer it.
Salt was elected mayor of Bradford in 1848, and Salt saw the challenges facing ordinary workers. So, channeling his enthusiasm for innovation to a paternalistic, religious worldview, he set about Saltaire – a model factory and mill village four miles north of the city.
He named himself and the river Aire that runs through it. And he did it very differently from the “dark satanic mills” that arose from the turn of the century.
Saltaire’s architects, Lockwood and Mawson, proposed an Italianate style for the mill and the new houses, and their cream-coloured stonework is still a source of wonder in the village. The magnate also occupied a hospital, almshouses, a church and an Institution – now known as Victoria Hall. The latter even had an on-site gym and library.
Was it really paradise? Not exactly. The layout of Saltaire clearly shows the village hierarchy. For the workers, there were two-up, two-down platforms near the mill. Large houses on the outskirts of the village were reserved for overseers and managers. Residents were not allowed to hang laundry in the street, and Salt is said to have posted a watchman in one of the tallest buildings who would monitor the roads and cut clotheslines if anyone dared to tie them.
Meanwhile, the super mill employed 3,000 hands who produced 30,000 yards of cloth every single day. That kid’s sketch probably doesn’t include other kids running around under the tracks and spinning the jerseys during long shifts.
Salt even banned pubs from the village (which explains why there is now a bar in the promenade of shops called Don’t Tell Titus).
These days, however, Saltaire has Unesco status and a cosmopolitan buzz. West Yorkshire is packed with beauty spots, but this mill complex is a one-off complex. Despite being full of visitors, it is not a museum but a thriving community. Where modern developments often feel soulless and samey, this 170 year old feels homely and warm. The smart terraced houses are ranged over a neat grid of streets, the rear yards are well tended.
At the corner of Caroline Street and Edward Street there is a notice board explaining that the site was once the Wash House. Opened in 1863, it contained a dozen male and a dozen female baths, as well as a Turkish bath, six washing machines, rubbing and boiling tubs, a rubbing machine and hot air dryers. It is now replaced by a delightful community garden.
Despite appearances to the contrary, however, Saltaire was not always perfectly maintained. Although the mill remained until 1986, the complex was deteriorating and many of the buildings were semi-redundant. Saltaire Village Association was formed in 1984 to regenerate the area. Then another visionary owner, art history student turned entrepreneur Jonathan Silver, bought the mill and turned it into a successful cultural space called Salts Mill.
In 1987, he opened the 1853 Gallery on the ground floor, displaying works by local legend and international art superstar David Hockney. New Hockney exhibitions are hosted almost every year. These days, the mill houses restaurants, cafes and shops as well as a second gallery space.
It’s easy to lose yourself in its sprawl, and I can think of few spaces better for wet weather (it’s been known to rain on the Western Third). On my visit, however, the sun was shining. So after paying my respects at Salt’s mausoleum in the church, I crossed the bridge over the canal and then a footbridge over the Minister.
Roberts Park made a beautiful place to enjoy ice cream outside the pavilion. Sometimes there is a cricket match here. Families often have picnics and parties. And a bronze statue of Sir Titus Salt, who was knighted in 1869, looks on. When he died in 1876, 100,000 people lined the streets of Bradford for his funeral.
I think he would be happy with his legacy. A great place to explore, a pleasure to visit, Saltaire is also a place where community spirit is expressed in many ways. Author Helena Fairfax, who has lived in and around the village for 13 years, told me, “There is a community of gardeners who maintain the allotments near the mill, a community that has built a nature reserve out of wasteland in by the canal, a community of historians who are building an archive of the village’s history, a community of crown green bowlers, and a community that runs the Parkrun in Roberts Park.
“What also stands out is that the houses are beautifully kept, and in the spring the courtyards and tiny gardens are bursting with flowers. The high street has a lively vibe, with young students from Shipley College, visitors to the mill, and people going to the shops, the park, or one of the cafes or bars.”
Fundamentals
Go there
The main Leeds/Bradford-Skipton railway line stops at Saltaire. There are regular buses to and from Bradford city centre.
Where to stay
You can rent the Grade II listed Overlooker’s Cottage for up to five guests, from £360 per week. Visit Bradford has other options nearby.
Where to eat
As well as the dining options of the Salts Mill, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants along Victoria Road and Bingley Road. Tambourine has excellent coffee and the Saltaire Brewery Tap Room and Salt Beer Factory compete in the craft ale stakes.
Dates for your diary
The Saltaire Arts Trail – featuring exhibitions and workshops across many buildings in the village – falls on the weekend of 4-6 May in 2024. The Saltaire Festival is an annual community-focused celebration of music, culture and craft, between 14-22 September Autumn. . The Bradford Dragon Boat Festival will take place near Roberts Park on July 19-21.
