I ♥ Saltaire

Part of Salts Mill, reflected in the window of the Saltaire Dining Room opposite.  The Dining Room now belongs to Shipley College.  I think the heart-themed window display is the work of their design students.  (It seemed an appropriate motif to acknowledge Royal Wedding Day here).  For more information about the original use of the Dining Room, please see this earlier post.

This is my entry for Weekend Reflections, hosted by James at Newtown Area Photo. Please click here to see more reflection-themed photos from around the world.

Jane Hills

I'm always learning something new as I look out for interesting subjects for this blog. I've passed these cottages daily for several years, as they're very close to where I work.  They are right on the canalside (I was standing on the towpath to take this photo) but I hadn't known until I visited the exhibition on the Kennet (see yesterday) that at one time some of these properties were lived in by boatmen who worked on the canal.  The working boats' trips were short enough that the boatmen didn't need to live permanently on board, so they and their families tended to live beside the canal, many of them in places like Burscough in Lancashire.

The three oldest cottages here date back to 1796 and were originally two homes with a textile workshop attached.  Wool would have been loaded in directly from the canalside through a door on the gable-end, now blocked up.  Other buildings were added in the mid-19th century.  Before Saltaire was built the buildings would have been quite isolated in a rural setting.  Salts Mill is about a quarter of a mile up the canal.

One of the cottages is currently for sale but the estate agent's details don't tell you how old and historic the property is (it is Grade II listed) ...  and nor does it mention some other important details about the site....

Boatmen on the Kennet

 

The theme of the World Heritage Day celebrations this year was 'Water', so there was a particular focus on Saltaire's waterfront.  There were some very interesting talks and displays about the canal and the river and the part they have played in Saltaire's development.  One of the reasons Titus Salt chose this location for his mill was the proximity to water power from the river and transport links on the canal and railway.  The canal was opened in 1777 and the railway in 1847, so both predate the mill which was opened in 1853.

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society's boat, the Kennet, was moored in Saltaire over the weekend with an exhibition inside about local waterways.  Built in 1947, the boat is one of the last unconverted boats to have worked on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and, typically, is a wide-bodied barge and not a narrowboat.  Boats carried all manner of cargo including alpaca wool from the Liverpool docks to Saltaire.  The early examples were towed by horses. (See also my post here).

Saltaire beach

What a difference from a few months ago - this area was flooded during the winter (see my earlier post). Now the River Aire has resumed its usual proportions, leaving an area of  - well, earth... not exactly sand. But it may as well have been a beach, as there were children paddling and digging just as though they were at the seaside.  It's great to see Roberts Park in Saltaire, refurbished last year, being so well-used on a lovely, sunny, spring day.  There's something for everyone - cricket to watch, a huge area of grass for games and picnics, music in the bandstand and refreshments from the Half-Moon Café.  It really feels to be back to its Victorian hey-day and that's good to see.  Maybe they should go the whole way and bring in a load of real sand for the summer!

Incidentally, if you're interested in seeing more of Yorkshire's beauty, I have recently posted a number of photos of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal on my other blog, Seeking the Quiet Eye.

Springtime melodies

The band weren't actually playing 'Younger than Springtime' but they might as well have been ... or maybe 'Younger IN Springtime' would have been a more appropriate title.  Crowds of people of all generations gathered around the bandstand in Saltaire's Roberts Park to listen to the Hall Royd Band giving the first concert of the 2011 season.  The bandstand (new last year to replace the original Victorian one that had long since disappeared) looked picture-perfect encircled by blossom trees, its dome sparkling in the sunshine.  I definitely think that a good brass band playing in the bandstand is my favourite; the sound was terrific.  I've heard smaller ensembles and different types of music but somehow the sound of brass works best.  The audience, including the four silver-haired ladies on the bench, were clearly enjoying the entertainment and the wonderful weather.

Alpaca Parade

(Click on picture to enlarge it)
Well, I wondered how long it would be before Saltaire adopted the idea of painted creatures. Skipton, as reported on my blog some while ago, had their sheep. Now Saltaire has alpacas - and not only painted ones; we had real ones too. I adore them - such lovely woolly things and they have gentle, pretty faces.  I think they can be a bit vicious and spit if not well-handled but these three seemed quite docile and contented. ( I'm afraid I didn't take proper notice of the farm they came from, sorry!)

They were all gathered for an 'Alpaca Parade' on Monday to celebrate World Heritage Day.  Without alpacas, Saltaire probably wouldn't exist. It's a well-known story that Titus Salt, on a business trip to Liverpool one day in 1836, was intrigued by a some bales of wool from Peru, gathering dust in a warehouse. He took a sample of the 'useless' material, that no-one else wanted, back to Bradford and set about working out how it could be washed, combed and spun.  He and his team discovered that, by combining alpaca weft with a cotton or silk warp, a durable, light, lustrous cloth could be produced at reasonable cost, eminently suitable for the fashions of the day.  From that innovation, it's fair to say, Titus Salt made his fortune.

Saltaire, World Heritage Site

Saltaire definitely pulled out all the stops to celebrate World Heritage Day over the weekend of 15 -18 April - and the wonderful spring sunshine helped enormously, bringing visitors in large numbers.  It's ten years since Saltaire was granted World Heritage Status by UNESCO.  The criteria by which it received the accolade are:
Criterion (ii): Saltaire is an outstanding and well preserved example of a mid 19th century industrial town, the concept of which was to exert a major influence on the development of the "garden city" movement.
Criterion (iv): The layout and architecture of Saltaire admirably reflect mid 19th century philanthropic paternalism, as well as the important role played by the textile industry in economic and social development.

For more information please have a look at the UNESCO World Heritage website.

Regular visitors will recognise the lovely Italianate tower of the New Mill (opened in 1868, so not that new now!) and the covered footbridge over the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, which links the newer building with the earlier Salts Mill.  (I think some of you know this place now like the back of your own hand - even if you've never visited for real!)

Blue window reprise

I have posted this on my blog before, in the very early days, but it's one of my favourite photos of Saltaire URC.   The famous Victorian church is much photographed and it's hard to find a new angle on it.  Looking upwards above the entrance door, there is this little blue glass window and you can see some of the detail under the canopy, which has undergone extensive restoration since I took the photo.

Mausoleum

This is (a repost of) the angel in the Salt Family Mausoleum inside Saltaire's beautiful Victorian United Reformed Church. The church was built by Sir Titus Salt as a gift to the people of his mill village of Saltaire.  It was completed in 1859 but the Mausoleum was a later addition, added in 1861.  Sir Titus Salt himself was buried there in 1877 and several other family members are also laid to rest here.

Inside Saltaire's church (2)

This is a photo I've used before on my blog, but it nicely shows more of the inside of Saltaire's famous church.  Being a non-conformist church (originally a Congregational Church and now United Reformed) it doesn't have the separate chancel (the bit where the choir and clergy sit) that an Anglican church would have.  The organ and above that the pulpit, take centre stage, emphasising the importance of preaching and sung worship.  You can also see more clearly on this photo the scagliola columns I talked about yesterday - hollow columns, painted to look like marble.  The blue screening to the left of the picture hides the entrance to the Salt Family Mausoleum where Sir Titus Salt, Saltaire's founder and several members of his family are interred.

Inside Saltaire's church

The inside of Saltaire's famous Grade I listed United Reformed Church (formerly known as the Congregational Church) is as ornate as the outside - perhaps unusually so for a non-conformist church.  I am never sure whether I like or dislike the decorative cut-glass and ormolu chandeliers, originally lit by gas. They are so heavy that the roof had to be especially strengthened.  It is a nice light space inside though and the ceiling is most attractive.  The green columns, which you can see in the corners, are hollow and decorated with a paint effect called 'scagliola'.  A little balcony sits over the entrance door and looks up the aisle towards the front, where the organ and pulpit are.   I believe it was intended for the use of members of Sir Titus Salt's family, though as Sir Titus did not live in Saltaire himself, I'm not sure if he regularly worshipped in the church.

For more photos and information, please click the Saltaire URC label below.

Heavenly host

Things are definitely getting a bit more cheerful round here - colour is bursting onto the scene in swathes of daffodils and early blossom, with fresh green buds on the trees.  And then everything seems a bit more bearable, don't you think?

I can never decide which season brings out the best in Saltaire's lovely Victorian church.  In winter, snow can lighten up the stone work, autumn brings wonderful colour to the beech trees around it, summer means lots of visitors and fetes, with all the colour and life that brings.  And in the spring, a host of golden daffodils certainly has impact.... the church becomes the backdrop instead of the main focus.

Talking of visitors and fetes, next weekend April 15-18 sees festivities in Saltaire to mark International World Heritage Day - raising awareness of our history and the efforts needed to protect and preserve our heritage worldwide.  It's the first time this has been marked in Saltaire since the village and mill was granted World Heritage Site status in 2001.  Full information and a programme of events is available on the Saltaire Village Website.  I hope to bring you more news later!

Golden light

The weak spring sunshine, low in the sky late one afternoon, seemed to touch the pussy willow by Saltaire's New Mill with a sprinkling of gold.  (April Fool's Gold perhaps?)

I have played up the effect a bit in Photoshop, thinking the photo lent itself to a bit of 'antiquing'.  I'm trying to teach myself how to use textures and blending modes.  I'm making slow progress but it's fun.  I'm wondering now if I should have cropped this a bit more, to get rid of some of the sky and reflection on the left that is too bright.... but I still quite like the image.

Saltaire in pink and green

Some early pink blossom looks pretty against a backdrop of ivy and a pinkish door.   Spotted on Albert Road in Saltaire.

Men at work .. and a Countess

When I saw this scene I was reminded of those arithmetic puzzles we used to be given at school.... 'If it takes two men three days to fill in a hole in the road, how many days would it take five men to fill in the same hole, starting on a Sunday?'  I never could work them out.  Anyway, it was a Sunday and, in theory, the infamous Saltaire roundabout was a little quieter than usual.  So this gang got to work with their tarmac and brushes and a roller.  I think they were probably filling in a pothole.  The bad winter we've had here has left the roads in a terrible state.  I am using my mum's car at the moment and I have found you really need to keep your wits about you when driving, even on the motorways, as there are some dreadfully big holes around and they don't do your car a lot of good!

In the background, you can see the pub now called The Countess of Rosse. It seems to change hands with regularity and tries to appeal to a younger crowd with live bands, quizzes and Sky Sports.  Not my scene!  I am far more interested in the Countess herself, Mary Rosse (1813-1885) - a Yorkshire lass who was an accomplished blacksmith, pioneering amateur astronomer and photographer.  She sounds a remarkable woman.  She also found time to give birth to eleven children, though only four survived to adulthood.

PS: Found a bit more about Mary Rosse here.  Fascinating.

It must be spring!

If yesterday's photo showed a popular spot for an outing in the early 20th century, then today's shows the modern equivalent.  I don't suppose the early residents of Saltaire would have had any notion that one day the village would be designated a World Heritage Site and would become a real draw for tourists.  This is the approach along the canal towpath, with the church on the right bank and the New Mill ahead.  The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted today's refreshments.... yes, the red and yellow ice-cream boat is back, so it must be spring - even though it doesn't look very spring-like!  (After being warm and sunny all week when I've been stuck indoors,  it's cool and cloudy again now it's the weekend.)

Then and now

Hirst Wood is about a quarter mile outside Saltaire along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.  The old photo above shows a lock-keeper standing by the swing-bridge at Hirst Wood, with a cottage behind him.  The cottage is a bit of a mystery and it's unclear whether it belonged to Hirst Wood Farm or to Hirst Mill, or whether it was the lock-keeper's cottage.  We know it existed at the time the first Ordnance Survey map was drawn in 1847 and had been demolished by 1934.   The canal itself dates back to 1777.  I took the colour photo at more or less the same spot to show how it all looks now.  You can see the same bit of stone wall on the far bank, in both photos.

Where Hirst Wood Farm used to stand, there is now a car-park (on the right) but the canal and swing bridge are much the same.  In the distance you can see a building that is now Hughes Bakery, which makes walking in the area a pleasure, owing to the fragrance of fresh-baked bread wafting around! The young lady standing by the bridge was waiting for a narrowboat to pass through the lock.  She had the job of opening the bridge to let the boat proceed up the canal.

Look back here, here and here for other notes and photos on this little area.

Diamonds and setts

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and though a humble manhole cover may not be the most obviously photogenic feature on a Saltaire street, nevertheless, nestled among the granite setts I find it has a certain attractiveness.

Spring garden

A neat and simple display in a Saltaire garden - but one that brings a welcome reminder of spring.  I love the miniature daffodils.

Birds in a blue sky

Something about a blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds makes my heart sing.... and never more so than when it forms the backdrop to the sunlit stone of the World Heritage Site of Saltaire.  Here you can see the tower of the New Mill peeping up above the administrative block of Salts Mill.  The Pace logo, of the telecommunications company that now occupies much of the mill complex, reminds us that this is not just an old historic site 'pickled in aspic' but a living, working community with several very successful businesses at its heart.  The birds flying overhead are mostly gulls - not the seaside type but the ubiquitous black-headed gulls that can be seen all over the UK, including right here in the middle of the country in Pennine Yorkshire.  They like to sit on the mill roof in the sunshine and every so often they swoop off in flight - just, it seems, for the joy of it.

This is my contribution to Skywatch Friday.  For more skies from all over the world, click here.