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unesco-saltaire-inscribed-on-the-world-heritage-list-in-2001

News and events

The site of the baths and wash house in Saltaire. There is a notice board, a garden with lavender bushes, and a bench.

Saltaire World Heritage Day – Saturday, 27 April 2024

World Heritage Day is to celebrate Saltaire’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status, by attracting visitors to explore and find out more. Saltaire is one of the earliest, largest and most complete industrial model villages in the world. The World Heritage Site includes Salts Mill, Roberts Park, the United Reformed Church, Victoria Hall, Salt School (now Shipley College), a hospital (now flats), shops (up to Bingley Road) and 850 houses all designed in Italianate style. World Heritage Day is held in April every year, around the world. It aims to increase awareness of the diversity of cultural heritage and preserving it for future generations to promote peace.

You can find a full list of events by visiting What's On Saltaire | Saltaire Festival page.

Information can be found on Saltaire Festival Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SaltaireFestival/?locale=en_GB

Canal towpath closures for resurfacing

The canal towpath will be closed for resurfacing from January to March 2024. More information can be found on Improving the canal towpath from Shipley to Hirst Lock page.

Please share with contacts who use the canal towpath.

Saltaire United Reformed Church architect wins the King of Prussia Gold Medal

Saltaire United Reformed Church architect wins the King of Prussia Gold Medal for innovative repairs at the National Church Awards.

The church is open for Sunday services at 10.30am and new people will be very welcome. There are also regular cafes run by volunteers in the basement below, and the church is opened for viewings and organ recitals for special occasions, which is free but donations are welcomed for future repairs.

The Peace Museum

The Peace Museum in Bradford is moving to Saltaire World Heritage Site. The museum has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for an exciting heritage project, IMAGINE: Creating The Peace Museum of the Future. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project will create brand new public exhibition and engagement spaces at Salts Mill in Saltaire. The museum is aiming to reopen to the public in summer 2024.

Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will focus on creating engaging and accessible exhibitions, and developing a dedicated learning space in its new home. Opening in these new premises will create many more opportunities for visitors, researchers, and community groups to explore the diverse range of stories told by the museum’s collection.

The Peace Museum is the only museum in the UK dedicated to peace, and holds a unique collection of international importance. With Salts Mill being a key Bradford landmark and located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saltaire, The Peace Museum team is confident that opening at this venue will allow a larger number of people to freely access peace history for the foreseeable future.

This perfectly complements and supports UNESCO’s founding objective of the promotion of peace, through using education, science and culture to build greater understanding between peoples and nations.

"We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years, particularly while we've been closed to the public. We are still fundraising to support the costs of reopening the museum, including expanding our team to help us to welcome more visitors."

Find out more about the move.

Events

World Heritage UK talks

World Heritage UK are hosting a series of talks/webinars on the UK’s industrial World Heritage Sites.

Thursday 11 January – The Slate Landscape of NW Wales with local historian David Gwyn
Thursday 8 February – Forth Bridge with Mark Watson from Historic Environment Scotland.
Thursday 7 March – Derwent Valley Mills with Adrian Farmer from Derbyshire County Council.
Thursday 4 April – Cornish Mining with Aynsley Cocks from Cornwall County Council.
Thursday 2 May – Ironbridge Gorge with WHS Chair Marion Blockley
Thursday 6 June – Saltaire with Sheena Campbell, Saltaire World Heritage Officer and Maggie Smith, Saltaire Collection
Thursday 4 July – Reflecting on the UK’s Industrial World Heritage Sites with Prof. Ian Wray, Heseltine Institute, Liverpool University

Tickets are £5 per talk or £25 for all 7.
All talks are 7 to 8pm and will be recorded, so if you miss one, you can catch up on YouTube later.
Book your ticket(s) at https://worldheritageuk.org/events/whuk-spring-webinars-the-slate-landscape-of-nw-wales/

You can find a full list of events on the Visit Saltaire website.

Visitor survey

Please complete the visitor survey and share with others too.

Energy efficiency and your home

Please see the advice from Historic England.

Bradford Cultural Voice Forum

If you want to join visit the Bradford Cultural Voice Forum website

Grants available

Visit the Bradford City of Culture 2025 website for grants and opportunities.

Culture and Heritage grants available through Bradford Council.

Attic room insulation grants available through Better Homes Yorkshire.

A virtual tour of Saltaire Victorian model town (recording)

Online event, by the Victorian Society.

Author and Historian Neil Jackson gives a virtual tour of Saltaire, examining the development of this Victorian model town over 23 years.

Price: £5 or £11.03.

To book tickets and find out more, visit the virtual tour of Saltaire eventbrite page.

Film screening on the Bradford Big Screen

Individual short scenes from the film sponsored by Saltaire Festival, Pollie Toothill in Saltaire will be shown on the Bradford Big Screen in the city as part of the daily programme.

Find out more on the Bradford Big Screen website.

Saltaire Active Travel Neighbourhood

As a result of Bradford Council successfully securing £2m from the second tranche of the Active Travel Fund there will be a trial series of Active Travel Neighbourhoods (ATNs), also known as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, across Bradford. ATNs are areas where a number of residential side streets are closed to motorised vehicles and other measures introduced to discourage non-local traffic from using these streets to cut through an area.

Bradford Council is now looking to trial ATNs in a number of areas around Bradford. The third area being proposed for a trial ATN is Saltaire.

The consultation for the Saltaire ATN scheme launched on Tuesday, 20 July 2021 and ended Tuesday, 17 August 2021. During the consultation period, local residents, businesses and users of the area had the opportunity to identify local traffic issues. Highways staff will develop more detailed proposals, consult on local details April - May 2022, prior to implementation of the trial measures later in May - June 2022.

There is a website where you are able to see where the Saltaire trial ATN is proposed and leave comments and suggestions on the proposals.

You can also feedback any comments or ask questions via email, freephone or Freepost, the details for which are listed below:

Email: info@activetravelbradford.co.uk
Freephone: 0808 196 9119
Freepost: Freepost BFD Highways

Enhancement works – path, paving, pavement extensions

Towns Fund Accelerator funding enabled works to improve accessibility and enhance the area during 2021-22.

Read the New path, paving, pavement extensions report (PDF).

Clean Air Zone

Check out the Clean Air Zone proposed for Bradford in September 2022.

Passenger car owners (not including private hire cars) will not be charged for entering the zone.

HGV, Coaches, buses, LGV, minibuses, Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles are liable for the charge if they are not compliant with the Clean Air Zone vehicle standard.

Volunteers

Saltaire World Heritage Site is a thriving community with many events, attractions and activities available for residents and visitors to the area. Many local groups exist that are managed and run by volunteers. If you are interested in joining these groups and getting involved you can either contact them directly, see links below or register with Volunteering Bradford.

Volunteers would be welcomed at the following organisations: