Today was a beautiful early autumn day so we headed off to North Yorkshire. Our main target was the model village of Saltaire, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but we stopped off briefly at Bolton Abbey on the way.
We've enthused about Salts Mill before but in today's weather we added a tour of some of the best preserved Victorian buildings provided to his community by Sir Titus Salt.
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| The remains of Bolton Abbey |
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| Saltaire's United Reform (originally Congregational) Church, opened in 1859 |
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| The Italianate portico |
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| The bell tower topped by a fine cupola |
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| Detail of columns supporting the portico |
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| The surprisingly ornate interior |
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| One of the two massive chandeliers |
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The hollow columns around the church have a 'Scagliola' finish
- a paint effect to simulate marble |
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| The flower theme is throughout the church, here on the decorated ceiling... |
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| ... and even on the pews |
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| The chandeliers were originally lit by gas, and now electrified |
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In the vestibule is a bust of a young Titus Salt, with alpacas around the base -
weaving with alpaca wool was an important part of Titus's commercial success |
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Across the river in Roberts Park is the former pavillion (now Half Moon Café)
with a statue of Titus on the flat roof |
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We didn't cross the river but here is a closeup of the statue on a more cloudy day
The church can be seen in the background |
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| Single storey almshouses built round a garden area |
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| Two storey almshouses opposite |
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| Unusual feature added to roof to mark the opening in 1863 |
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Victoria Hall, a place for 'recreation, culture and learning'
- today there was a wedding so we couldn't go in |
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| Here's what we missed; there are five large rooms, all equally ornmate |
We left Saltaire at about 5pm and drove home into the late, low Sun. Our return journey took us north-west, joining the A65 and following the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales: Skipton, Long Preston, Settle, Ingleton; then turning left to cross the moors, following the River Greta through Burton-in-Lonsdale, Melling, Hornby, Caton; then left across more moors to home, arriving just as the Sun was setting.
A perfect end to a perfect day.
