Sir Titus Salt was a conscientious employer and a politician: former Mayor of Bradford and, for a short-time, an MP. He was concerned to provide his workers and their families with all that they needed. Shortly after his mill opened he provided a school in the Dining Hall, to comply with legislation to limit the hours worked by children and to provide them with education, but in opening the Factory Schools in Saltaire in 1868, he went, I think, beyond what was minimally required. The two schools (one for boys, one for girls) were advanced in their facilities and provided a foundation of education in Saltaire that was further extended by his son, Titus Jnr, after Salt's death.
The Factory Schools, now part of Shipley College, are opposite and complementary to the Victoria Hall, forming a pleasant focal point at the heart of Saltaire.
He done things well ... what a great Boss - I'm sure workers were pleased to be in the employ of Sir Titus.
ReplyDeleteHe sure didn't scrimp on education. Good for him and the inhabitants. Great to see it is still used as an education facility.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to hear of those who felt a responsibility to help others with the resources he had. People are free to do that, and so much better than the government extracting it from them and using it on their own projects. I think people forget their role of responsibility. Good for Sir Titus Salt! What a beautiful building.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting lesson about Sir Titus and Saltaire, and another post benefitting from your fine research. Thanks.
ReplyDelete