Shipley

The town of Shipley in the county of West Yorkshire also forms a part of Bradford and lies along the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Within the town is a unique World Heritage Site, the village of Saltaire. An outstanding piece of history, this Victorian model village was founded in 1853 and planned by the industrialist Sir Titus Salt. He brought his mills here from Bradford to provide a better environment and working conditions for his workers as well as to ensure the large textile mill was close to a canal and a railway. Using the architects firm of Lockwood and Mawson, Salt built stone houses for the workers and improved their living standards further with wash-houses complete with running water and bath-houses. For the community he provided a hospital, school, almshouses, park, boathouse and an institute for recreation and education that included a library, reading room, concert hall, billiard room, science laboratory and gymnasium. Salts Mill is no longer a working mill but instead provides visitors with a wonderful cultural attraction in the 1853 Gallery.

Visitors to Shipley will find ample amenities, pubs, eateries and an abundance of heritage in the buildings, layout and historic sites. Just over the River Aire is a scenic spot on a wooded ridge called Shipley Glen, where in 1895 the Shipley Glen Tramway was built. Still in operation today, visitors can journey to the top.