Come and join the celebration!

Saltaire put a bit of bunting out to celebrate the wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton on Friday.  It was all rather low-key locally ... a lot of us Brits are fairly reserved about that kind of thing and, as far as I know, there were no street parties in the immediate area.  I sense that there has been as much excitement in Australia, Canada and even in the States.  I know of some American ladies who travelled to London, not to attend the wedding on the processional route but to watch it on our TV channels!  I love a big occasion though, and watched the whole thing on BBC TV with some friends - pink lemonade and all. (Pre-lunch seemed a bit too early for champagne!)  I thought it was all really brilliant.  I enjoy the ceremonial: the guards and the horses, the bands and the carriages, all the colour and ceremony.  I like the sense of history unfolding and the layers of symbolism, the links with the past but also in this wedding a real sense of optimism for the future. William and Kate both looked stunning and the marriage service in Westminster Abbey was beautiful. (I was particularly moved by Kate's brother James's masterly reading from St Paul's Letter to the Romans.)  They seem a lovely young couple and I do sincerely hope theirs will be a long and deeply happy marriage.  May God bless them both.

Pictures from BBC TV

PS: Possibly the cutest and most amusing of the photos I've seen of the wedding is this one.

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!

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.)

Heritage Trail 6 - The Boathouse Inn

'Retrace your steps...' from Roberts Park back over the footbridge.  From this viewpoint you can see the old Saltaire boathouse from where, in earlier days, you could hire a rowing boat or take a cruise on the steamboat.  Nowadays it is a popular bar and restaurant, recently revamped after a fire all but destroyed it.  The canal is the other side of The Boathouse Inn and the church, seen through the trees, is on the far side of the canal.

The view to the left, of Saltaire's New Mill and the weir, is equally lovely and I have featured it several times - see here and here and last month on December 18, 'Lights' was a night shot of the view from almost exactly this spot.

There is also the most wonderful piece of film footage in the Yorkshire Film Archive online, shot in 1912, of people on the steamboat outside the Boathouse - see this link.  The relevant snippet is at 2 minutes 53 secs in to the film (2.53) if you don't want to watch the whole film (though I recommend it!)

[Roberts Park is No 3 on the plan]

Heritage Trail 3 - Saltaire's United Reformed Church

'Continue downhill along Victoria Road, passing the impressive Saltaire United Reformed Church on the left...'  I have posted many photos of this beautiful and unusual building (click the 'Saltaire URC' label to see more - both inside and outside) - but for completeness as we 'walk' the Heritage Trail I'm posting another one. I never get tired of looking at it anyway, as it's such an iconic building.

Originally the Congregational Church, it was completed in 1859.  Sir Titus Salt, Saltaire's founder, was a staunch Christian and was anxious to provide spiritually as well as materially for his employees.  The church was in many ways the crowning glory of his paternalistic vision for a township that would provide all that his workers in the vast textile mill, and their families, could need. (As well as a last resting place for himself and his family, in the adjoining Mausoleum.)

Situated directly opposite the main entrance to Salts Mill, the church stands at the end of a long drive that focuses the visitor's attention on the magnificent entrance and tower.  To the right, you can just see the Stable Block cottages.

[No 2 on the street plan]

Snow joke ....

This section of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, down by the entrance to Roberts Park in Saltaire, is a popular spot for visitors.  There is usually someone there feeding the ducks and pigeons, so the birds have learned to congregate there.  With snow on the ground and ice floes in the canal, they were probably hungrier than usual - but there were few visitors about.  The ducks were milling around, more in hope than expectation.  Perhaps standing on the snow was warmer than swimming in the water.  Not much trade for the ice-cream boat either! When it's raining we say "Nice weather for ducks" - but this.... it's snow joke!
(The photo was taken before the latest snowfall.  The canal is completely frozen over now.  In fact pretty much the entire UK is covered in snow, as this satellite picture shows.)

First snow

Snow has the power to transform English churches into something magical and its effect on Saltaire URC always pleases me, even though the church is far from a quintessential country church.  We woke up on Saturday morning to a couple of centimetres of crisp, sparkly white stuff and even though I had a 'To Do' list as long as my arm, I couldn't resist a walk.  The sun was not very high so the shadows were long but the snow around the church was virgin.  No-one had yet walked or driven down the drive - and I didn't go and spoil it either!

[After the great but inconclusive size debate, would it be very eccentric of me to post 'landscape' format images in Blogger's X large size and 'portrait' format ones in its Large size?  This one certainly looks better bigger.]

Another view

 

Taken a couple of weeks ago (before it snowed!) Tee hee! You'd have laughed, watching me trying to take this!  I have long been convinced that there is a good photo to be had by framing Saltaire's famous United Reformed Church in its own wrought iron gates. It's not the easiest project.  For one thing the gates are often open and I would not like to be caught closing them without permission.  But it's a tricky prospect mainly because of the contortions I have to get into, to get the framing right.  There are two gates, so neither of the round holes shows the church exactly in its centre when viewed square on.  Standing up I'm too high, kneeling down I'm too low - so I have to adopt a very awkward and unbalanced twisted half-crouch... must look hilarious.  This was hand-held but even with my tripod, I doubt I could get it to the right height.  I've tried once or twice to do this - this is my best effort so far.

Remembrance Sunday

'Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.'

The War Memorial in the grounds of Saltaire United Reformed Church, unveiled on 27 June 1920, at a Service of Remembrance after the First World War.   The church organ was restored in 1950, as a memorial to those who died in the Second World War.

Church bells

I was passing near Saltaire's United Reformed Church on Saturday, when I heard the bells ringing.  That's a sound that was not heard in the village for a long time.  The church's original bells, installed in 1870, were removed in about 1939 to make munitions during the Second World War.  In 2003, to celebrate the bi-centenary of Sir Titus Salt's birth, a new peal of bells was donated by Mrs Maggie Silver.  The church is one of only four non-conformist churches in England to have a ring of bells.

Despite the new bells and the church's beauty, I haven't noticed many weddings here (I believe about 25 a year) so I was pleased to see that the bell-ringing was celebrating a wedding.  It wasn't a great day for a photo - rather dull and dark - and you can't see the bride and groom, who were well-hidden amongst the crowd.  But I just caught this shot as the wedding party let loose a stream of balloons.  I'm not aware that is a traditional English wedding custom, but things change all the time!

You can get an idea of the scale of the building when you see people on the steps.  It is only a week or so since they removed the scaffolding and sheeting that has been covering the front of the church all summer.  The cupola (porch) canopy timbers and beams have been restored.  The next scheduled phase of restoration involves work to the Salt family mausoleum.


Once again, a million thanks to all who have voted for my photos in the 'Yorkshire Landscapes' competition.   And if you haven't... there's still time!  (See my Saturday post for more info.)

Amber

There have been some lovely summer evenings in Saltaire of late, and some beautiful skies - though usually, by the time I notice, the sunset has all but gone. The terrace of houses behind mine obscures the western sky and I can only see a small patch from my study window (which is usually where I am in the evenings.) So I look up, see a pretty pink or orange sky, grab my camera and dash out and by the time I've legged it down into the village, the best of the show is over! That's happened a few times.... though I did like this rich amber glow I managed to catch behind the tower of Saltaire's lovely church.

Rooftops

This is the view from the window of the room in Shipley College where my Photography course was taught. (The course has ended now, sadly. I shall miss it, as I really enjoyed learning.) Shipley College - a Further Education College for adults - uses various buildings in Saltaire village, including the Exhibition Building and the old Dining Hall. My course took place in what used to be the village's Factory School. It is situated right in the village centre opposite the Victoria Hall, and this photo is looking north across the rooftops and down towards the United Reformed Church, whose tower you can see. The roofs may not have quite the beauty of those old red-tiled sun-baked houses you see across Europe - but the blue slate and honey-coloured local stone gives it all a certain charm. Wherever you stand in Saltaire, you can not only see buildings but also a swooping view up towards Shipley Glen and Baildon Moor. It's a refreshing reminder of why Sir Titus Salt chose this greenfield site outside the city, to build his mill and village.

Inside out

Saltaire's historic Congregational Church (now known as the United Reformed Church) is undergoing extensive renovation at the moment, to make safe the canopy and steps. Though it remains open to visitors in the afternoons, it is shrouded in scaffolding and screening and looks externally rather unattractive. No pain, no gain, as they say! More information about the church and its restoration can be found on its website.

Meanwhile, I have been doing a bit of demolition work on it myself... experimenting with merging some images of the church. This idea is, I have to confess, not original to me. I have seen several examples of photographs of buildings that use this 'cut-away' technique to suggest the interior view. I've just learned how to do it, on my photography course, and there's nothing like a bit of practice to help to understand and embed the principles! The interior of the Grade 1 listed church is as breathtaking - in its inimitable Victorian way - as the exterior, and I think it's rather intriguing to see both at the same time.

The church was built in 1859 by Sir Titus Salt, as part of the 'model' village he had constructed round his vast mill complex to house his mill workers. A staunch Christian himself, Sir Titus saw it as his duty to ensure the spiritual wellbeing of his villagers. Later, he decided to add an extension to act as the Salt family mausoleum and he and several other members of his family are interred there. Designed by the architects Lockwood and Mawson, the church is in the ornate Italianate style that characterises Salts Mill and the World Heritage Site village of Saltaire.

For more detailed photos of the interior see my blog 22 June 2009, 24 October and 26 October.

Blue mood

Since the beginning of May, we seem to have been edging closer to winter again rather than to summer! The tower of Saltaire's United Reformed Church, however, looks splendid against a moody sky. I just love all those blue-grey tones with the honey coloured stone. I think the dome is covered in lead - thankfully it's too high for thieves to strip it! (Though you may remember I said in an earlier post they'd managed to plunder the roof of the Salt Family Mausoleum attached to the church.)

To see more photos of the church, click the 'Saltaire URC' label.

And by the way, for those who asked to see more of my portfolio for my course, this is one I'm thinking of using.

St George's Day Parade

Last Sunday, the nearest to St George's Day, saw the annual parade of local 'uniformed groups' (which means Cubs, Scouts, Guides - and as seen here, Sea Scouts.) I wasn't aware it was happening and was just setting off from home for a walk when I saw the parade passing down Victoria Road through the centre of Saltaire. In the interests of reportage, I ran to catch them up - hence the rather less than flattering rear view! But using this picture also gives me chance to show you the scaffold and sheeting that has suddenly mushroomed up around Saltaire United Reformed Church. It rather spoils its impact.... It's all part of the ongoing renovation and restoration work, starting with repairing the canopy in front of the tower, replacing rotten timbers, making it watertight and resetting the steps. It's sad that people making a special trip to visit Saltaire won't get to see the church in its full glory for some time to come. Never mind, there are other gems to see in the village, and you can still view the inside of the church.

Incidentally, there's a bit of a campaign to get England to celebrate St George's Day more lavishly, but unlike the Scots, Welsh and Irish we don't seem all that bothered about our Patron Saint.

Homage to a rusty fence

I was only away from Saltaire just over a week but I keep noticing things that have changed in my absence - both in the natural world (the trees have burst forth leaves and blossom in glorious adandon) and in the man-made environment. Saltaire's church is suddenly shrouded in scaffolding and screening (not a good look!).

But more shocking to me has been the removal of The Fence. This was an old corrugated iron structure that separated one of the local cricket fields from the canal towpath - perhaps for safety reasons? (to stop people rolling down the hill?) or possibly - rumour has it - that at one time the cricket club used to charge spectators to watch their matches, so it stopped non-paying voyeurs. Whatever the reason, it was an ugly old fence, but I was incredibly inspired by the colours - rust and lichen - and regularly used to stop to take photos of it in different lights. People must have thought me mad! And now it's gone! I must admit the view has improved, as its removal has really opened up the area - but where will I get inspiration now?

Anyway, I felt I should post a photo, as a mark of respect for my old friend, gone to the final scrapyard. If I was a talented poet like Martin H at Square Sunshine, I'd write an Ode to it! If you'd like to see it in its former glory, it snakes its orange way through the middle of this photo (view it large).