To Baildon

There are basically two ways to get to Baildon on foot from Saltaire. The more intrepid route involves walking up the steep path beside the Glen Tramway and then negotiating a series of narrow paths around the crags and up into the village above. In this time of 'social distancing', I decided the chance of meeting someone coming the opposite way on the path and having no way to avoid close contact was too risky, so I chose the longer route round the bottom of the cliffs. It is scenic in its own way, a weird mixture of suburban, semi-rural industrial, woods and moorland. The escarpment saw quarrying for its gritstone in the past, which is what has left it so craggy and rough. I guess many of our older houses have sills and lintels made from the stuff. Then there's the hamlet of Baildon Green, originally a farming community that expanded in the 19th century around a small textile mill. It sits overlooking an open area of ancient Common Land that used to host a large annual gathering of gypsies in the past, though that tradition appears to have died out.

A little further east, the track climbs towards the centre of Baildon on the hill above. There are some interesting old houses, all perched precariously on the hillside.

It's a nice walk, especially on a lovely sunny morning.

Our hamlet

Baildon Green is a hamlet that almost looks lost in time, the houses (and a small mill or two) huddled under the escarpment that skirts round Baildon Moor.

I noticed that the Chapel on the Green (in my earlier photo here), which is still in use, has recently had an extension added to the front that looks as though it provides an entrance hall and toilets. I was a bit surprised as I think it is all in a conservation area but I suppose, even so, things need to keep up with the times.

Baildon Green sits in between Saltaire, Shipley and the larger village of Baildon. I think, although some of the hamlet developed around a Victorian textile mill, a few of the properties here are even older. The grassy area is still, I believe, common land (originally where people were allowed to graze animals and forage for firewood).

Life as art

I'm always fascinated to see what people do with their leisure time. It was Sunday morning up by the Glen Tramway and a dog obedience class was in full swing. I only had my iPhone, which didn't cope well with the lighting conditions, so I've played with this image a bit to give it a painterly effect. Barking mad, perhaps?

Local history

On the road between Saltaire and Baildon there is a hamlet of old houses called Baildon Green, tucked under the rocky cliffs of Baildon Bank. The area was once quarried for gritstone and clay. There have been dwellings here since medieval times, built on the edge of the Green, an area of common land used for grazing. Most of the existing houses date back to the 18th and 19th century. In the 19th century a small textile mill, Clough's Mill, provided employment. There's a pub too, The Cricketer's Arms (out of shot to the right). The existing pub was built in 1899 but replaced one on the opposite side of the road, now a house. See also here and here.

Baildon Green revisited

Although it's only a fifteen minute walk from Saltaire, the hamlet of Baildon Green always feels to me like a different planet altogether. Many of the buildings pre-date Saltaire (which lies further down in the valley, more or less at the end of the road you can see). The hamlet grew up as a small farming community; then the textile industry developed, firstly domestic handlooms, then a 'loom shop' attached to a farm and in 1840 a small mill was built. The open land was 'Common Land' (something Saltaire did not have) where people were allowed to collect firewood and graze their animals. To this day the grass on the right is grazed by goats and a natural spring forms a small pool. Baildon Green became famous for an annual Gypsy gathering. They say that over 5000 people attended in1881 but the tradition died out at the beginning of the 20th century. These days the area is a Conservation Area, so hopefully its character will continue to be preserved. (See also this early post of mine.)

Baildon Green

Baildon Green is a hamlet about a mile north-east of Saltaire. Most of the cottages here date from the 18th and 19th century. It grew up around a small quarry and, like Saltaire, a textile mill, albeit a much smaller one than Salts. The Church on the Green started in 1858 as a chapel made from three cottages. They were bought for £5 each by three Christian Brethren who gave the chapel to the local community. It is still in use.

I'm always surprised by the villagey feel of this little area. It seems like it might be out in the Yorkshire Dales. (Notice the goat browsing). In fact it's very suburban, with a good view over the city of Bradford and modern housing estates in close proximity. But it's still charming.

On the Bradford council website (www.bradford.gov.uk, under C for Conservation) there is an interesting leaflet about the Baildon Green Conservation Area that tells something of the area's history - but unfortunately I can't make a link to it.