23.05.17 — Journal

Saltaire

Now that I’ve finally finished sorting some stuff out for the School of Design’s 2017 Degree Show, I took a few days off to relax, during which I made a trip to Saltaire to take a few photos and get out of the hectic air of the city. Saltaire is only fifteen minutes outside Leeds and is currently protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to it’s history and pretty, quaint appearance.

A house in the village

I arrived in the car, which my parents had left me whilst they went on holiday, and began to meander through the pretty repetitive rows of houses towards the centre of the village.

The quaint houses of Saltaire
Looking into the valley

From the centre I headed down towards the mill, but as the time remaining without rain was limited I thought I better explore the outdoor areas before heading inside. Down the road and after crossing the river there’s a lovely park area where you can sit by the river with an ice cream, but the British weather wasn’t in the mood for cooperating on that particular day…

Looking over the cricket ground
The mill from the park

Wandering a little more, I soon made a friend in a Canadian goose which was wandering through, but as the clouds continued to roll in I soon headed back up the hill towards the church and the mill. For those who aren’t familiar with the history of Saltaire, pretty much the whole village was built in 1851 by Titus Salt, who used his surname alongside the name of the River Aire.

My new pal

Built around the old textile mill, Salt created the neat rows of pretty housing for the millworkers, and included buildings such as a town hall, community rooms, and a beautiful church – which I wound up visiting after tiptoeing around a family of geese which had invaded the churchyard…

The church in Saltaire

After this I hopped over the road and paid the huge mill a visit, which is now split into four floors of cafés, shops and exhibition spaces. Whilst there I stumbled on the current exhibition of work by David Hockney, the famous artist who hails from Saltaire’s neighbour, Bradford.

Inside the mill
The David Hockney exhibition

After a lovely stroll around, and a huge salad from the café where Hockney had designed the print on the menus, I eventually called it a day and headed back to Leeds. Feeling somewhat refreshed, I am now in the throes of preparing my portfolio and rehearsing my presentation for my final piece of marked university work ever tomorrow… Wish me luck!