Saltaire Village

Working conditions for workers of the mills in Bradford in the 1840s were
dangerous, cramped and frightening. The city was even once described as ‘the
dirtiest, filthiest and worst regulated town in the kingdom’.
Saltaire was founded by Sir Titus Salt, a woollen textiles manufacturer who
moved his entire business from Bradford - partly to provide better living and
working conditions for his workers, and partly to site his large mill by a canal
and a railway. The name 'Saltaire' comes from Sir Titus' surname and the river
Aire that flows next to the town.
Sir Titus Salt wanted to build homes for his workers that would provide them
with better living conditions than they had had where they lived previously a
few miles away in the heavily polluted city of Bradford. The living conditions
for mill workers in Bradford in 1854 were bad. The houses were tiny and
overcrowded. Families had to share toilets with their neighbours and all of the
waste was thrown into the nearest river. The smell was awful!
Building started in 1854. Each home had its own outside toilet and plumbing.
The houses had separate living rooms, which was unique for the time. Rooms
were well-ventilated with fresh, clean water piped into the houses from Salt’s
reservoir. Sir Titus said he needed strong, fit workers. It was important to him
that they were healthy and happy. Also, dirty water made people ill, which
meant they couldn't work in his mill. He also built a public bath for his workers
to keep clean. In those days you didn't have your own bath inside.
Titus Salt built neat stone houses for his workers, wash-houses with running
water, bath-houses, a hospital, as well as an Institute for recreation and
education, with a library, a reading room, a concert hall, billiard room, science
laboratory and gymnasium.
The village also provided a school for the children of the workers, a park and a
boathouse.