Saltaire has some solidly elegant public buildings, as well as the mill and the church. It was part of the grand plan for the village that the approach road down to the Mill should be lined with prestigious public buildings and shops. The most significant building, the Saltaire Club and Institute, completed in 1871, is now known as the Victoria Hall. Its name may have changed but its function as a social club and educational facility for the community has not. Where once there was a library, laboratories, classroom, a billiard room, lecture halls and a rifle drill-room, nowadays the rooms are used for meetings, exhibitions, concerts, weddings, craft fairs, fitness classes and all sorts of clubs and other activities. It's a well-used and much-loved place, a successful marrying of a beautiful and historic building with modern village life.
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