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Sunday 27 November 2011

The Park Lodge


Saltaire Park was opened in 1871, laid out with a large cricket field, the Half Moon Pavilion, the bandstand and a number of walks and avenues around a central promenade, surrounded by shrubs, trees and formal planting.  In those days Victoria Road, the main thoroughfare through Saltaire, crossed the River Aire by a bridge and ended at the Lodge you see here, with the entrance to the park on the left.  To the right and through metal gates, a long private carriageway led up to Milner Field, the grand house built by Titus Salt Junior and later lived in by Sir James Roberts' family.

The Park was renamed Roberts Park in 1920, when it was given to Bradford Corporation by Sir James Roberts (who in 1918 had sold Salts Mill and Saltaire to a consortium of businessmen).  Sir James was another remarkable man, who had revived the fortunes of Salts Mill after it went into liquidation in 1892 and who contributed much to Saltaire's history.  (He later bought Haworth's Brontë Parsonage and bequeathed it to the nation.)  He outlived his four sons and the park is dedicated to one of them, Bertram Foster Roberts, who I believe died in 1912.

8 comments:

  1. Another remarkable man. Sad that he outlived his four sons!

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  2. A good image of an excellent restoration job done on the gate-house.
    Reading your article prompted me to investigate further the life and times of Sir James Roberts . . what a truly remarkable man, every bit deserving praise as Sir Titus himself. Seems that when a lad young James walked all the way from Haworth to saltaire in order to work in the mill, in which he became a manager at the age of 18.
    Google Sir james Roberts, there is a wealth of information . . . thank gooness for Google on wet and windy autumnal days . . . .

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  3. Behind every place there are so much stories to learn..

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  4. This is a lovely pic Jenny with the soft light catching the corner of the gate-house - I love reading these snippets of history.

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  5. I have just read your blog on my iPad and it is amazing how fast it goes, including all the links which open lightening fast!
    Very interesting Jenny!

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  6. Beautiful lodge and beautiful blue skies on this November day! ~Lili

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  7. Lovely old Lodge. Your village is full of such interesting history.

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