Saltaire Collection

Items

• Ajeeb, Mohammed

  Bradford councillor and Lord Mayor in 1985-1986
• Anne, Princess

  Only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
• Baker, John

  John Baker was a Clerk of Works at Salts Mill during the early twentieth century when it was owned by Sir James Roberts. He then became Roberts' representative in Saltaire when Salts Mill was sold in 1918. He collected rent for Roberts, gave out pensions and generally looked out for his interests. The Saltaire Collection includes correspondence between Baker and Roberts.
• Balgarnie, Robert, Reverend

  Robert Balgarnie was a friend of the Salt family for over twenty years. Following the death of Sir Titus Salt in 1876, Balgarnie wrote a biography of the founder of Saltaire, the only biography from a contemporary. Sir Titus Salt was a committed Congregationalist. Balgarnie was a prominent Congregational minister who maintained a close relationship with the Salt family, which allowed him to provide a detailed, firsthand perspective on Salt's philanthropic motivations and business philosophy. While originally written in the 19th century, modern editions (such as a 2003 version with commentary by local historians Barlo and Shaw) remain essential reading for those studying the village's origins.
• Bates, Lois

  Lois Bates grew up in a large family in Almondbury, Huddersfield, before beginning a career that would shape early years education in Saltaire and beyond. In 1879 she was appointed Mistress of Albert Road Infant School, remaining there for more than fifteen years. Her influential books - 'Saltaire Action Songs' and 'Guessing Games' - helped popularise her Froebelian education methods, many of which were adopted by the Education Department. Children under seven experienced a less formal style of teaching, learning social skills and manners through stories, songs and play. Although she had to give up her teaching career when she married in 1895 , Lois continued to write, producing further works including her 'Kindergarten Guide', now recognised as an important contribution in the history of early-years education.
• Beatrice, Princess

  Princess Beatrice was the youngest child of Queen Victoria. In 1887 she visited Saltaire with her husband Prince Henry of Battenburg to preside at the opening of the Royal Yorkshire Jubilee, an exhibition to celebrate her mother's silver jubilee, and organised by TItus Salt Junior in honour of his father and to help funding of the new School of Art and Science in the village. The Royal party stayed with Titus Junior and his wife Catherine at thier home of Milner Field.
• Bowtell, Albert E

  Albert Bowtell worked in the accounts department of Salts Mill for 28 years up to its end as a textile mill in 1985. He was very interested in the history of the textiles business and gave illustrated, entertaining talks on the story of Saltaire. Albert sadly died in 2003 but in 2007 his widow Joyce kindly donated his extensive archive of photographs, original documents, Salts-compay objects and newscuttings. Together, these provide an important insight into the textile industry and Salts Mill. The highlight, perhaps, are over 100 original company photographs of the inside, working mill from the early twentieth century.
• Briggs, Asa

  Leading twentieth century British historian
• Byles, Harriet

  Harriet Byles (1853–1937) was a prominent progressive educator who served as the second and longest-serving headmistress of the Salt Girls' High School in Saltaire. Appointed in 1886 as the successor to [Medina Griffiths](https://www.saltairecollection.org/story-of-saltaire/biographies/medina-griffiths/), she led the school for 34 years until her retirement in 1920. Background and Appointment - Family: She was born into a prominent non-conformist, Liberal-supporting family in Bradford; her father, William Byles, was the proprietor and editor of the *Bradford Observer*. - Early Career: She taught at the Salt Girls' High School under Medina Griffiths before being promoted to headmistress in 1886. Leadership and School Expansion Under Byles' leadership, the school underwent significant growth and modernization: - Physical Expansion: In 1906, due to an increase in student numbers (partly from absorbing a local pupil teacher centre), the school premises were expanded with a second storey, adding three classrooms, a laboratory, and a domestic science room. - Increased Access: In the early years, the school received no government funding, making it difficult for poorer students to attend. Byles successfully obtained scholarships from the West Riding County Council, which allowed more girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to enroll. - University Progression: A considerable number of her students progressed to higher education, particularly the University of Leeds. Educational Philosophy Byles was known for an inclusive and trust-based approach to education: - Individual Potential: She believed in ensuring every girl achieved her full potential, regardless of her future path. She famously supported the view that schools should not just focus on 'clever' students to win successes while neglecting the 'rank and file'. - Corporate Responsibility: She fostered a strong spirit of comradeship and provided students with 'liberty combined with trust,' which she believed developed a high sense of individual and social responsibility. - Successful Alumni: Her students went on to achieve high-ranking positions, including Edith Dolby (headteacher of Bedford Girls Modern School), Dr. Hilda Byles (head of the Women's Hospital in Hankow), and others who became factory inspectors, medical missionaries, and secretaries to the League of Nations. Retirement and Legacy - Parting Gift: Upon her retirement in 1920, her colleagues presented her with a pony and trap, which she used to travel around her new home in the village of Austwick. - Historical Record: In retirement, she wrote a written reminiscence and an account of her time at the school, which the Saltaire Collection identifies as an invaluable source for understanding the history of education during that period. The Saltaire Collection preserves several items related to her tenure, including her letter of thanks for her retirement gift and copies of her school history.
• Byles, Hilda

  Hilda attended Salt Girls' High School before studying at the London School of Medicine for Women. In 1907 she sailed to China to lead the London Missionary Society Hospital in Hankou, quickly gaining a working knowledge of Chinese and the respect of the local population. For 24 years she worked tirelessly in difficult conditions helping others including  the destitute, lepers, and girls trapped in prostitution, often risking her own safety. Hilda died of pneumonia in Hankow in 1931. Described in her obituary as 'a little woman of amazing energy and capabilities', mourners from three cities gathered at her funeral to honour a woman they greatly loved.
• Carr, Henry

  Henry Carr was a renowned British portrait and landscape artist. Between 1957 and 1959 he painted 14 murals showing the stages of textile production at Salts Mill.
• Cattell, Alan

  Alan Cattell is a historian and author who has written several books related to Saltaire and the Salt family.
• Clarke, Roger

  Roger Clarke is a historian and author who has researched a great deal on Saltaire.
• Coates, Colin

  Colin Coates is a prolific historian of Saltaire. He has produced hundreds of timelines of people, locations and events related to Saltaire, with information taken from such sources as historical newspapers and census records. Colin has donated this set of documents to the Saltaire Collection.
• Collins, John

  General manager in the estates division of Illingworth Morris. John worked at Salts Mill for 11 years.
• Crossley, Edward

  Edward Crossley was a son of Joseph Crossley, a major textile industrialist in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Edward was also an industrialist, an MP and mayor of Halifax, and a keen amateur astronomer. His main connection to Saltaire is that his sister Catherine married Titus Salt Junior. There were financial dealings between Edward and the Salts.
• Denby, Gertrude

  Eliza Gertrude Denby married Bertram Foster Roberts, a son of Sir James Roberts, in 1903.
• Dickens, Charles

  Renowned nineteenth century novelist. Dickens wrote an article in his Household Words publication entitle 'The Great Yorkshire Llama' regarding the early days of Titus Salt's discovery and use of Alpaca wool.
• Edward VII, King

  Edward was king of the United Kingdom between 1901 and 1910. As the Prince of Wales, he visited Yorkshire in 1882 with his wife Princess Alexandra to preside at the opening of the new Technical College in Bradford. While visiting, the prince and princess stayed at Milner Field, the home of Titus Junior and Catherine Salt.
• Fairbairn, William

  William was a leading British engineer and was contracted by Titus Salt to design the interior of Salts Mill. William's significant engineering skills enabled the mill to operate smoothly and perform all the functions that took raw materials through the series of processes required to make high quality cloth. William was responsible for the Mill's iron structure, the lay-out of the machinery, the design and manufacture of the boilers, steam engines and line-shafting. He also designed a tubular-girder bridge over the river Aire that runs through the village. Fairbairn published his plans for the mill in a book that ran to four editions and was translated into French and Spanish. He was justly proud of Salts Mill, his largest work of mill construction.