Saltaire
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- See also Saltaire, New York, United States.
Saltaire_from_Leeds_and_Liverpool_Canal.jpg
Saltaire is the name of a town in the metropolitan borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
It was founded by Sir Titus Salt in 1853. He had moved his entire business from Bradford to a rural site near Shipley to provide better sanitary arrangements for his workers than could be had in Bradford. He also built better houses, a park, a hospital and wash-houses with running water, as well as an Institute for recreation and education, with a library, a reading room, a concert hall, billiard room, science laboratory and gymnasium. There were also almshouses, allotments, bathhouses and a boathouse. The Mausoleum houses Sir Titus's body; he died in 1876.
Similar projects had been started a few years earlier by Edward Ackroyd at Copley and as early as the beginning of the 19th century in New Lanark, Scotland by Robert Owen (amongst others).
There is controversy as to whether Titus Salt was a philanthropist or simply a very astute capitalist. There is little doubt that the quality of life for the workers in Saltaire was better than that of many of their counterparts elsewhere. However, it was also very highly regulated, primarily to increase their profitability. Notably, the town did not contain a pub; this was not because Salt was opposed to drinking (he owned an extensive wine cellar) but because he saw pubs as a breeding ground for dissent and the formation of trade unions.
Nowadays, the mill complex is a shopping centre with a major art gallery housing works by the Bradford-born artist David Hockney. Its industrial use continues, as it is also home to the electronics manufacturer Pace Micro Technology. The Institute houses the Victorian Reed Organ Museum.
In December 2001, Saltaire was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is served by Saltaire railway station.
External links
- BBC radio interview with a worker from Saltaire (http://db.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/england/bradford/audio_1.shtml)
- Extensive information on Saltaire with links to other relevant sites (http://cgi.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/england/bradford/index.shtml)
- Saltaire Tourist Information site (http://www.visitsaltaire.com)