Explore some Collection highlights
The Saltaire Collection may be on the small side, but we have items from across a wide range of subjects and periods.
You can get some idea of this range by viewing the online exhibitions below. Each exhibition tells a story involving some of the fascinating items from the Collection.
Alpaca Wool: From the Andes to the Looms of Bradford
Saltaire exists because Titus Salt made a fortune from his innovative use of alpaca wool to make a hugely successful fabric.
The humble alpaca from South America became the symbol of Salt's textile business. Alpacas are found all over the buildings of Saltaire, on business documentation, on memorabilia, even on the crockery used for royal visits.
Our exhibition reveals the story of how the alapca has been so important to Saltaire.
Turning wool into cloth
There are many processes involved in turning raw wool into finished cloth. The Collection contains a small booklet produced by Salts (Saltaire) Limited describing all of the stages undertaken at Salts Mill.
Our exhibition displays the original booklet, complete with its attached samples. There is then a full transcript illustrated with photographs from our wonderful Bowtell Collection.
World Connections
Saltaire has the status of a World Heritage Site because of its international and national significance.
To mark World Heritage Day 2019, we created an exhibition to demonstrate some of Saltaire’s global connections.
Hidden heroes and heroines
The Saltaire Collection and Saltaire History Club worked together in 2019 to tell the stories of Saltaire’s unsung Heroes and Heroines.
The exhibition features men and women who built Saltaire, educated its children, or used or worked to make life better for others.
You may also be interested in
Find out about visiting the Collection including details on where we are located and how to get to Saltaire
View our histories of Saltaire, travel through our timelines, and read the biographies and personal memories of some of the people who built, worked in, lived in, and saved Saltaire
View our introduction to the 80+ individual collections that make up the Saltaire Collection
