I'm fortunate to live very close to some beautiful ancient woodland. I walk through Hirst Woods most weeks, enjoying the peace that one finds among huge old trees. There are more woods along Shipley Glen that I sometimes explore but I rarely come to the area in these photos. This is the site of Milner Field, the huge Victorian mansion that Titus Salt Jnr had built in 1870, to the north-west of Saltaire. The broad path you can see in the photos is, in fact, the carriage drive, an extension of the Coach Road (see yesterday) that runs past the back of Salts Mill and alongside Roberts Park, across the river from Saltaire. It formed the driveway through the mansion's grounds, guarded by a lodge at either end.
Titus Salt Jnr died suddenly here, aged just 44, in 1887. The house was then occupied by a succession of other families, all of whom suffered family tragedies and early deaths, such that the house gathered a gruesome reputation and was eventually unsaleable. It stood empty from the 1930s and was demolished in the 1950s. Now, the site of the house is barely discernible, becoming overgrown with trees. The grounds are reputed to be haunted! Certainly, it can feel very isolated and eerie up there, which is why I rarely venture through the gates. However, on a beautiful spring day, I decided there was little to be feared and I quite enjoyed my walk, delighting in the fresh new leaves and the early bluebells.
For Titus Salt Snr. the early demise of his son must have been an unmitigated disaster. In pre-Pankhurst Victorian times females had very little say, unlike nowadays when they say quite a lot!
ReplyDeleteTitus Snr had already died, in 1876. But Titus Jnr's early death meant only Edward was left in charge of their business interests and, combined with other factors, Salts Mill went into receivership in 1892 and was sold, ending the Salt family's relationship with the Mill.
DeleteA sad story but a beautiful place. And bluebells!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, the first one has emotion, a story.
ReplyDeleteSad history for such a beautiful place. I saw online old photos of the mansion, inside and room inside, at the Milner Field website. The house is imposing with a Gothic vibe.
I like seeing a woods where there isn't a lot of undergrowth...just trees. Somehow all the woods I see around here have many bushes that make it impossible to just wander among trees...but stay on that worn path.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks like a lovely place now!
ReplyDeleteI've lived in, or on the edge of, Saltaire for 59 1/2 years ... and I don't think I've been into or through Milner Fields more than once in all that time.
ReplyDelete#LongOverdue #ExploreYourOwnDoorstep