I was so enchanted by my recent Saltaire visit Mary and I decided to visit for a weekend. I was also asked by my brother, Clive, to search out the Electric Picture Shop which he had encountered some years ago. This is a shop frozen in time. It is dusty, dingy and full of junk televisions that are leftover from an era when TVs could be repaired. It still opens six days a week but I cannot imagine many people crossing the threshold.
Across the road from the Electric Picture Shop is Fanny’s Bar with the police lantern hanging above the upstairs window. This was once the police station for Saltaire. It would have been in the time when Titus Salt didn’t allow pubs in his town. He had seen what alcohol did to the working classes in Bradford so rather than have pubs he built a community centre where dancing, singing and learning took place. Fanny’s Bar is now named after one of Sir Titus Salt’s children.
The whole concept of the model town is the delivery of a community for the workers however some of the critics of the time accused him of keeping his workforce reliant on his mill and therefore they didn’t have the freedom of movement we take for granted now. He provided a hospital, schools, almshouses and community support. This level of philanthropy is sorely missed and isn’t something we can expect from the likes of Sir Philip Green who ripped off the pensions of his BHS employees.
This community is on the edge of the countryside and not only did we walk the length and breadth of the town we also walked alongside the river Aire, strolled the Leeds/Liverpool Canal and back through the woodlands in the setting sun showing the last of their autumn of leaves.
The end of a beautiful day and wonderful weekend.
On our way home we called into the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield. It’s always worth a visit because although it isn’t a large gallery by London standards it is friendly and interesting. Every time I visit I learn something new about Barbara Hepworth.
