Salt School, Shipley

The Victorian model village, Saltaire, Shipley, was built in 1851 by Sir Titus Salt, a leading industrialist in the Yorkshire woollen industry. In 1854 ‘The Dining Hall’ was built with an access tunnel from Salts Mills directly opposite. Conceived as a means to provide cheap meals for the workforce, its extensive space was also used as a ‘factory school’ for ‘half-timers’: mill workers in the morning, schoolchildren in the afternoon, and vice versa. By 1868 a large, new building to house the schools was opened in Victoria Road, Saltaire. The Salt Schools catered for both day scholars and half-timers, who would work at the mill for half a day and attend school for the other half. The schools could accommodate 750 pupils and their facilities were advanced, having hot water central heating, gas lighting, tip-up lavatories, fitted cupboards and playgrounds at the rear including covered areas for use in bad weather. In 1874, there were 806 half-timers and 454 day scholars, with an average attendance of 665. In 1869 'The Saltaire Institute' was opened opposite The Salt School. The grand Italianate Institute was used as a library, dance hall and lecture theatre with meeting rooms, a billiards room and a gymnasium. From the outset both buildings were used for education and night school facilities with the Institute housing the successful Schools of Science and Art. Titus Salt Jnr. and his wife Catherine strongly advocated education for children and were supporters of Froebel’s work on education for under-fives. In 1878, following their gift of land for a new elementary school, The Salt School split, with infants moving to a new Board School in Albert Road and the Salt Schools becoming the Salt High School. The School of Science and Art at the Saltaire Institute grew so popular that purpose-built premises were opened in 1887. Titus Salt Jnr’s campaign to erect ‘The Exhibition Building’ as its home - and as a memorial to his late father - resulted in The Salt Schools incurring a large debt. Salt's High School continued with segregated boys' and girls' sections until around 1945, after which it operated as ‘Salt Grammar School’. In 1963 it moved to new premises on Higher Coach Road, Baildon, Shipley and became a comprehensive while keeping the Grammar School name. In 2008 a new school - renamed ‘Titus Salt School’ - opened to students on the same site and the 1963 building was demolished shortly after. The School of Art and Science eventually became Shipley College, a College of Further Education, which now occupies the Exhibition Building, The Salt High School’s former building, the original Dining Hall and the Jonathan Silver Building (2005). The ‘Board School’ on Albert Road still exists today operating as Saltaire Primary School. Saltaire Institute is now known as Victoria Hall and continues to be a central part of the village as a popular venue for events.