United Reformed Church, Saltaire

Visited the fascinating village of Saltaire near Bradford today and enjoyed the interesting buildings and history associated with it. The village was built between 1851 and 1876 and included Salt's Mill, the biggest woollen factory in the world when it was opened in 1853.

Sir Titus Salt, the founder, was a Victorian philanthropist with ideas on the welfare of his workers which were way ahead of their time. He provided homes for them all which had the very latest mod cons and when they were too old or infirm to work, they were given free living accommodation in beautiful almshouses and a pension for life.

He also built this wonderful Italianate designed church, now a Grade 1 listed building and is buried in the mausoleum inside.

There is also a school and a community hall, all beautifully designed, and the whole village is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The huge mill has been turned into an artists' gallery which specialises in works by the Bradford-born artist, David Hockney. We had lunch in the delightful Cafe in the Opera, surrounded by paintings by him:-) My blip today was a toss up between the church and the interior of the gallery (see here), but the church just won!

A very hot and rather humid day to be doing a heritage walk around the village, but well worth the effort.