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Saltaire church celebrates renewal and hope within the community
As a faithful church member in the Independent Nonconformist tradition I never expected to enter my church on a Sunday morning to the sound of church bells – but then everything about Saltaire United Reformed Church is unexpected. Indeed some years ago a photograph of the church was used in an advertising campaign to attract visitors to the city – with the caption ‘Bradford - A Surprising Place’. Bradford, West Yorkshire is hardly the first place which leaps to mind as a tourist destination – more a place of ‘dark satanic mills’ – but times change.
The church at Saltaire is set in the Aire valley about four miles from the centre of Bradford amongst trees, with lawns which sweep down to the Leeds – Liverpool canal. Beyond the canal is the river Aire and a park. The church entrance is at the end of a driveway directly opposite to the main entrance to Salt’s Mill which was built by Victorian Industrialist Sir Titus Salt. A Congregationalist, driven by the Protestant work ethic, he purchased and developed the land and reserved the best site in his village for the church. The building, completed and opened in 1859, is an Italianate building in the style of the churches which Titus had seen on his honeymoon on the continent and far removed from the design of most other Congregational churches.
first class angel
The Salt family mausoleum, attached to the church is dominated by the statue of an angel sculpted in Carrera marble. She (for her gender is very apparent!) arrived in Saltaire by train from London. I imagine her travelling, First Class of course, and dispensing blessings. The entrance to the church is dominated by a circular tower above a pillared portico set at the top of a flight of steps. At the turn of the 21st century the tower had long since ceased to support a peal of bells – it’s structure being insufficient to safely support their weight.
The peal of bells was not the only thing which had fallen silent in Saltaire. The mill had been famous in Titus’ day for the manufacture of fine cloth from the alpaca goat, a process that Titus had innovated and developed and which made his fortune. It was the success of the cloth amongst Victorian ladies of fashion, including the Queen herself, which had led to the building of the mill and the surrounding village to house his workers away from the pestilence and disease that was rife in the city. In his model village Titus provided a hospital, almshouses, a public dining hall, schools, bath and wash houses and an imposing Institute Building. The business thrived for more than a century. With the collapse of the woollen industry in the 1960s the mill’s viability gradually declined and when it finally closed and its looms silenced, the prospects for the mill, the village, the church and indeed the whole community looked bleak.
In 1986, Jonathan Silver, a local entrepreneur, bought Salt’s Mill and set up an art gallery there to house a collection of Hockney paintings and to develop the building as a base for other businesses. This plan thrived. One part of the mill was redeveloped to provide residential apartments whilst the larger mill is open to the public. Here are shops selling books, artist’s materials, designer products for the home, early musical instruments, rugs, jewellery, outdoor pursuits equipment, antiques, flowers and bespoke tailored suits. Restaurants and a coffee bar also cater for the needs of tourists. Over the years visitors have flocked to the mill in increasing numbers.
world heritage site
The expansion of the city of Leeds as a commercial centre has made Saltaire an attractive commuter village with easy access to the moors and dales. In 2001 Saltaire was designated a World Heritage Site.
These developments have provided the church with an opportunity for outreach. Always a favourite venue amongst the locals for weddings, the church is open to visitors every afternoon from the beginning of April to the end of September. Every Sunday afternoon as well as being open, a café is provided which has become a resource for local people to come and gossip with their friends. We use this contact as a way to befriend members of the community and to pass on the gospel message. Parties of school children are often brought to Saltaire on educational visits. A small group of dedicated volunteers open the church on request to show them around, to give talks to the pupils and often to provide refreshments.
Although many of those who come may be just passing through, we want them to learn that the church is not just a vaguely interesting relic of a bygone era but a living vibrant community with a message of salvation to proclaim. We try to make every visit as positive as possible and an opportunity to learn about the living presence of Christ. It’s a case of ‘cast your bread upon the waters’. We may never see these people again but we trust in the power of the Spirit that their visit may sow the seed that others will bring to harvest.
celebration
In 2007, we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the fellowship, which began meeting in a house in the village. In 2009 the building itself will be 150 years old. We plan to mark that special year by a series of events to draw in people from the village and the city. It would be good too if we could raise sufficient funds to repair the church entrance and make disabled access, long discussed and fretted over, a reality. This work will cost in the region of £250,000. To properly complete the restoration, the first phase of which was finished in 1999, we need to raise about £1 million. Should we be spending such a sum of money on a building? A vexed question. But it is the building itself which attracts the visitors and enables our outreach.
And the bells? Sadly, Jonathan Silver, the man whose vision in purchasing the Mill was the start of the regeneration died in 1997, aged 48 years. His widow, Maggie, who continues the developments at Salt’s Mill, chose to give the peal of bells in Jonathan’s memory and to strengthen the tower to make the gift possible. They were installed in September 2003 making Saltaire the second United Reformed Church to have a peal of bells. *As is the tradition each bell is named. One is named Titus, another is Jonathan.
So the bells, rung by a small enthusiastic band of volunteers, many of whom are newcomers, are part of the celebrations of each service and wedding. As they call the villagers to worship, they also celebrate renewal and hope within the community. Their peal announces that the followers of the living Christ are meeting. It is our task to make sure that Christ’s story and his message of love and salvation is told for everyone.
Valerie Jenkins is a member of Saltaire URC
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A candle lit carol service waits to start |
