Home - Saltaire Collection Telling the stories of Titus Salt's mill and model village Visit us Saltaire: West Yorkshire's World Heritage Site Titus Salt opened his state-of-the-art mill in 1853 on a new site a few miles from Bradford. Over the next twenty years he oversaw the building of a new model village. Saltaire’s neatly planned streets were a world away from overcrowded and insanitary Bradford. Saltaire had schools, a hospital, a social club, an educational institute, a park, and a magnificent Congregationalist ‘cathedral’. It even had proper sewers. Today, Saltaire stands largely intact. In 2001 it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as an outstanding example of a nineteenth century model town that demonstrates the social and economic impact of the textile industry. Our collection of over 7000 documents, photographs, maps, plans, newspaper cuttings, artworks, books and objects tells the local and global story of Saltaire since the 1850s. Saltaire Collection Explore the Collection Search and browse the Collection catalogue View online exhibitions See some of our items from the comfort of your own home Discover the stories of Saltaire and its people 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 All items Documents Photographs Personal stories Featured contents The story of Saltaire Learn about the history of Saltaire from its foundation to its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site Tours of Saltaire Follow our video tours around Saltaire in English (with subtitles) or Urdu. Or travel our online or downloadable heritage trails for families and children For researchers Find out how our collection can help local historians, academic researchers and others interested in industrial heritage and social history Get involved Discover the opportunities for volunteering, donating items, and supporting the Saltaire Collection Recent news Temporary closure 17 December 2025 The Saltaire Collection is closed to visitors until October 2026. We are suspending taking donations until October also. Salt and Roberts families visit Saltaire 1 August 2025 At the end of July the Saltaire Collection and Shipley College welcomed three generations of the Salt family and two of the Roberts family to Saltaire Bradford Heritage Festival 11-13 July 2 July 2025 Find out about the first Bradford Heritage Festival. Events all across Bradford and district 11 to 13 July. Snippets of history Every British hen should be on active service 31 March 2026 Explore the history of the national egg donation scheme and its significance in supporting wounded soldiers during World War 1. Meet me Gwen on Shipley Glen 9 February 2026 Read about a song from the early twentieth century where a young man arranges to meet his sweetheart on Shipley Glen Before and after Sir Titus Salt’s funeral 13 January 2026 Sir Titus Salt died 150 years ago this year. Read about some of the civic and public acclaim for Sir Titus in his later life and after his death. Supporting learners View Learning Resources As one of only two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Yorkshire, Saltaire allows learners of all ages to engage directly with the past at a site of global cultural significance. Our Learning Resources are currently being updated ready for publication later in 2024.