Salts Mill in Bradford, West Yorkshire is a former textile mill. It was opened in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt. Congruent with his Utopian vision, Sir Titus Salt also built the adjoining village of Saltaire to house the mill workers. With cloth production ceasing in 1986, the mill was subsequently purchased by the late Jonathan Silver. The vision being to create a place where culture and commerce could thrive together.
Salts Mill, Saltaire
We were treated to a visit to Salts Mill while staying with friends on what turned out to be a rather wet Saturday morning. Salts Mill is the perfect anecdote to a rainy day in Yorkshire and a very suitable choice for adults and teens alike.
Housed within the three floors of Salts Mill is an array of artwork, shopping and dining. Culture and commerce certainly co-exist here as was intended.
There is also an amazing selection of books that could keep you browsing for hours in this beautiful space.
1853 Gallery
On the Ground Floor of the Salts Mill, Jonathan Silver created the 1853 Gallery.
The 1853 Gallery displays the world’s largest permanent collection of work by Bradford-born artist, David Hockney.
David Hockney
‘Tennis’, David Hockney
The giant fax picture, Tennis, was transmitted by fax from Hockney’s studio in LA to Yorkshire. The print was sent in 144 sections and erected in the 1853 Gallery.
Pretty amazing to see up close. Also amazing was having to explain what a fax machine was!
The Arrival of Spring
Also on display in the 3rd Floor Gallery is David Hockney’s ‘The Arrival of Spring’ exhibition. This colourful collection of original works were actually drawn by David Hockney on his iPad and scaled up for prints.
Café in to the Opera
Also on the 3rd Floor is Café in to the Opera, so called because of its proximity to the entrance of one of David Hockney’s opera sets that were displayed here. The décor of Café in to the Opera, as you can see, is incredibly opulent but unfortunately for us, with it being half-term, it was a long wait for a table. There are several places to eat here at Salt Mill, but this one took our fancy for obvious reasons.
Saltaire
The village of Saltaire itself has a lovely selections of independent shops and eateries including the very aptly named Bar and Restaurant ‘Don’t Tell Titus …..’. With his sympathies towards the temperance movement, Titus made sure there were no public houses or saloons in the village. Hence ‘Don’t Tell Titus ….’!! We did enjoy some well earned sustenance here in the form of food and drink but our lips are firmly sealed!
In 2001, Saltaire became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With ample parking and free entry to Salts Mill, a visit to Saltaire is definitely a good days entertainment should you find yourself in the area.
Nicky
That just looks gorgeous, shame it’s a 6 hour drive away! I’ll add it to my ‘maybe one day’ pile. Lovely photos!
#TweensTeensBeyond
Yep, 4 hours for us too! Otherwise I’d be there all the time. But you never know when someone may be in the area. I doubt we’d have known it was there if it wasn’t for our friends.
This is a place I’ve heard a lot about (a friend used to live in Saltaire) but never visited. It looks fab though, and an excellent re-purposing of an old building! #tweensteensbeyond
I just had a look on the map and this is the perfect halfway spot to meet my brother and kids! We are always looking for places to meet and it usually ends up being Yorkshire Sculpture Park but it’s about time we had a change – this is where we’re heading next time now. Thanks for the introduction!! #tweensteensbeyond
I just had a look on the map and this is the perfect halfway spot to meet my brother and kids! We are always looking for places to meet and it usually ends up being Yorkshire Sculpture Park but it’s about time we had a change – this is where we’re heading next time now. Thanks for the introduction!! #tweensteensbeyond
What an amazing place. Sadly too far for a day trip but maybe if we ever come up that way. It looks stunning 🙂
Ha ha ha the fax machine!!! I used to hate using them things. Might test the kids later to see if they know what it is lol.
Looks a fab place to visit! #Tweensteensbeyond
I’ve been to places like this in the states. It’s nice to see big, old buildings finding new life.
Glad it was a good time by all!
#tweensteensbeyond
I love the interior styling of the place! Sounds like he was a bit like John Cadbury who started the Cadbury Factory and surrounding village of Bourneville. They had similar ideals and treated their workers with a level of integrity and generosity not often seen in big business nowadays! Glad your tween/teens enjoyed it, it’s not easy to find activities for that age group. #Tweensteensbeyond
This place looks right up my street!! The books ,the art…could happily get lost for a few hours here! #tweensteensbeyond
I’ve visited Saltaire 20+ years ago but Salts Mill looks amazing now. And the world’s largest permanent Hockney collection – who knew? (everyone except me, probably) Loved his iPad work in the Tate exhibition last year. Sounds well worth a visit if in West Yorkshire – thanks. #TweensTeensBeyond
Love the way this impressive old building has been used. It looks like a fascinating place to visit – love the sense of history. Great pics too! xx #TweensTeensBeyond
This looks like a real find Nicky. So nice to see a creative use of such a beautiful building. I love Hockney and enjoyed his exhibition at the RA on the iPad pieces he produced – so clever and as it turned out a great way to inspire children to explore art in a new medium.
I am itching to see the David Hockney at Salts Mill. It is years since I’ve made it to Saltaire despite it being only 50 mins away. Perhaps once the GCSEs are out of the way we will make it there. #TeensTweensBeyond
I find myself in random places around the UK when I visit and came across Saltaire a few years ago when child 3 was living in Leeds, I refused to pay the exterminate prices for city centre parking so stayed in a little village near Bradford and found myself only a few miles from here and had a lovely afternoon exploring on my own. I love how it’s a World Heritage Site and people are popping in and out of their houses in such a tiny place full of tourists #tweensteensbeyond
It must have changed now because we only paid 50p. It’s lovely isn’t it. So glad to hear of someone else that’s been. A perfect Solo Date too.