Red door

Another indicator of the status of Saltaire's Victorian tenants was the kind of front door they had. Some doors had three panels; the more up-market had four, as in the photo. Some doors opened directly onto the street, whereas the best houses had a short path through a little front garden up to the front door. Many of the original doors have been replaced in the years since the houses were built, so there is quite a mish-mash of styles throughout the village, some more attractive than others. The village is now a Conservation Area, so there are stiff planning regulations in place and people are being encouraged to reinstate doors and windows in the original style. I dare say that doesn't come cheap though, and I'm not sure whether you can get grants towards the cost any more.

For some reason I really like taking photographs of doors of all kinds, in Saltaire and further afield....I have begun to amass quite a collection. Maybe one day I'll put them all together on a big poster. I'm not sure what the attraction is - something to do with the mystery of what might be hidden behind the door? Or just that they're a nice symmetrical subject and don't tend to move too fast or pull a funny face at the very moment the shutter clicks?