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Monday 12 April 2010

Alexandra Square, Saltaire

I mentioned the Almshouses in Saltaire a while ago. There are 45 cottages, built in 1868 around a square at the top of Victoria Road. They were originally intended as a sanctuary for the aged and infirm, but management of them proved problematic over the years. Some are now privately owned and the rest, managed by a Housing Trust for Bradford Council, are still let mostly to elderly tenants and those with mobility needs. Local historian Roger Clarke has written a very interesting history of the Almshouses, available to read on the Saltaire Village Society website (Saltaire Journal Vol. 1 No 3).

The square has what must once have been a rather attractive formal garden. It's dominated now by the trees that have overgrown the space, and other plants have a hard time of it. I think it is at its most picturesque at this time of year. The weeping willow trees have a soft haze of green and there are a few daffodils out. It's also easier to appreciate the Venetian Gothic architecture of the buildings, most of which are one-storey cottages, interspersed with two-storey houses.

7 comments:

  1. The red door just adds that bright colour to draw the eye.

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  2. They look nice places to live. I can't believe they are so old. Lovely architecture.

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  3. Lovely picture! I've heard of Almshouses -- happy to see a picture of a bit of one!

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  4. At least the trees provide some shade! What a beautiful place.

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  5. What a lovely corner of the world you live in...
    I have to take time and read the pieces of History you share with us.

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  6. How attractive bathed in spring sunshine :)

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  7. There's just something about a stone structure that I'm drawn too. Love that architecture. ~Lili

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