Number 102 June 2011

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TIME TO TIDY UP

WAR ON WORDS WHERE NOT WANTED

Councillor Kevin collecting these but Cllr In this issue Warnes [Green Party] Warnes, who will be The paper BLACKSMITHS has launched a war on writing to the residents Plus of the graffiti across Shipley, directly involved, hopes including , and to arrange for garden TRAMS Plus a team is already at waste sacks to be people of work repainting 'hot provided and for these to ALL OUR USUAL

Saltaire spots'. be emptied by the UNUSUALS Residents are urged to Council in the usual way. let the Council know if NAV SPECIAL Meanwhile, Cllr Warnes HISTORY they notice any more GUEST AT tells us that, having been CLUB HULL that need dealing with. in communication with SVS AGM The black bin bags, full Northern Rail, he is CONNECTION Nav Chohan, Principal Saltaire History Club of garden waste, which "watching closely" the of , will meets again at 7pm on are regularly 'fly-tipped' situation at Saltaire be discussing his role near the almshouses are railway station, regarding Thursday, June 16th and that of the college in also on the 'clean up' rubbish, which has in the Methodist Church the community when he agenda. The Council is featured prominently in on Saltaire Road. Craig is guest speaker at the not responsible for these pages of late. McHugh, the World Saltaire Village Society ______Heritage Site Officer, Annual General Meet- will give a talk entitled

ing on Tuesday, June KING JAME S AT URC “Sir Titus Salt and the Orphans of Hull” and 14th in the Half Moon Café in Roberts Park. Saltaire United until Thursday, 30th. Tish Lawson, who until Doors open at 7pm, to Reformed Church will (2-4pm). On Sunday, very recently was the allow time for light be celebrating four 26th, solo speakers and Senior Archivist at West refreshment and a chat hundred years of the verse speaking choirs Yorkshire Archives, will before (one hour of) King James Bible with will recite sections of the speak about The Royal business, which will two special events this "Authorized Version". Yorkshire Jubilee include reports and month: An exhibition of Details are available of Exhibition of 1877. [We elections, commences at paintings, embroideries, these and all events in the understand that the re- 7.30 prompt. collages and models runs Church on the website:- freshments will be of All welcome. from Thursday, 23rd www.saltaireurc.org.uk especial interest –Ed]

WHATEVER IT IS - SAY IT IN THE Sentinel ! [email protected] Deadline: 20th

VICTORIA RED HAIRED WOMEN

TEAROOMS By Roger Clarke 8 Victoria Road Is it an urban myth that red haired women who worked in Salt’s Mill were prized Open Daily for the properties of their urine? Coffee, tea, cakes, scones, It is one of those ideas which perpetuate themselves without anyone knowing snacks and novelty gifts their origins. The story is that Titus needed his female workers' urine as a source 01274 - 823092 of protein in his dye house to act as a mordant to fix the colour in his cloth. There ______is lots of evidence for the use of urine in the textile industry, especially when it village? was a cottage industry. The resultant finished cloth had a particular odour, but in PETER Victorian times this would hardly have been noticed. But what about the special RANDALL urine of red-haired women? Gentleman’s Rather than perpetuating the story, I decided to check it out. Hairdresser I have a friend, Malcolm Brown, who was Curator of the Colour Museum in PICTURE FRAMING in 2004 and still has many links there. He agreed to ask colleagues. HOUSE SIGNS They all agreed that they had heard the story and accepted it as a fact, but no-one AND MUCH MORE ! could say where they had heard it. So it is not just in Saltaire that the myth 205 Road survives. Not happy with the lack of a scientific explanation, Malcolm dug 01274 – 597140 deeper. He is also the Honorary Secretary of the Society of Dyers and Colourists,

______and had a reputation to maintain. He discovered that there is some truth in the fact that the urine of red-haired women is especially effective as a scouring agent, but not necessarily as a dyeing agent. It contains more alkali and is more potent for The SPA scouring. 21 Titus Street [* Aside - The scouring process follows wool sorting and then washing. Raw The Authentic wool may contain up to 50% dirt and natural grease (lanolin), and these are Village corner shop removed by passing it through long tanks containing progressively weaker Open Mon-Sat solutions of soap and alkali. After refining, the lanolin is used for the 8am-10pm manufacture of ointments, plasters, and disinfectants, and is the basis of many Sun. 10am-10pm cosmetics. Less refined grades are used for polishes, inks, soaps and veterinary products. Any burrs or seeds which remain after scouring are removed by 01274 – 826534 carbonising (baking in dilute sulphuric acid at a high temperature). ______The wool is then passed on to the carding process where the fibres are disentangled to produce a continuous sliver of untwisted fibres.] SALTS By now Malcolm is warming to the task! On the internet he found a book called “The Strange World of the Brontes” by Marie Campbell, in which she mentions MILL that farmhouses in the area had special toilets for redheads in order to collect their Opened in 1853 and urine, which was valued above that of other women. still Perhaps, therefore, Titus was aware of these facts and created special toilets for Open Every Day redheads too. There are so few records from the Mill that it is impossible to know – unless Sentinel readers can throw more light on this fascinating subject. Attractions include: What of us, gentlemen? I am aware that there were many tanning works in the SALT’S DINER area, and urine was used extensively in the processes of leather Cafe in to production. That’s any old urine, so men’s would have been equally useful here. Titus sourced as many of his materials as locally as possible, and so who knows the Opera where he obtained the leather belts for the transmission on his machines. Or is SALTAIRE HISTORY this creating yet another urban myth!! EXHIBITION ______1853 Gallery TREASURE HUNT RESULT THE HOME Carol Burton of Beverley is the official winner of The World Heritage Treasure and many other, varied Hunt, devised by Eddie Lawler (published in April's Sentinel and elsewhere), for retail outlets which she receives the prize of a £25 voucher kindly provided by . ADMISSION FREE A draw was made by Rob Martin, Chair of Saltaire Village Society, as the 01274 - 531163 competition resulted in six joint high scores of 18½ points out of 22.

PORTRAIT TRAMS READY TO ROLL CAROLINE DRAWING BUT VOLUNTEERS ARE STILL NEEDED STREET GROUP The first of a series of SOCIAL CLUB informal portrait draw- next to the car park ing sessions was held always has a warm upstairs at The Butterfly welcome for all Rooms on Bingley Road on Saturday, May 14th. Regular Events 01274 – 585140 In a room that overlooks the rooftops of Saltaire, participants enjoyed two SALTAIRE hours sketching in a relaxing environment. BOOKSHOP As these sessions are 1 Myrtle Place intended simply as an Regular Events Authors read and talk. opportunity to practise, is on track to re-open at 01274 - 589144 there is no tutor but all the end of this month – provided enough abilities are welcome. A volunteers step forward to operate it. fee of £3 is payable to The The trams (one of which is pictured, above, courtesy VICARS Butterfly Rooms for the of the Tramway) have been completely refurbished, Café Bistro use of the workshop space each now having a new chasis and emergency but the activity itself is braking system. The original tops have been 79 Victoria Road separate from this and not- reinstalled and the original seats, stripped of their “Pop in and see us!” for-profit. Artists are layers of paint, have been newly varnished. 01274 – 597818 therefore asked to bring Councillor Dale Smith says, "We have been ______their own drawing working so hard to bring things to a satisfactory ADVERTISING materials. Basic boards outcome and at long last we are nearly there!" All the establishments and a model are provided. Volunteers are very much needed who would be featured in the ‘small ads’ The next sessions are on willing and able to do any of the following: Drive on these pages serve as the following Saturdays and operate the TRAM; Staff the BOTTOM outlets for this newspaper from 2p.m. until 4p.m.: STATION; Staff the SHOP; Maintain and renew the and are promoted on that June 11th, July 9th and fabric of the buildings; Check, maintain and basis. Please note: space August 6th. The room has refurbish the mechanical and electrical installations. in the Sentinel is not for a capacity for about eight, Volunteers work at times suitable to themselves, on sale, but neither is it not including the model. a rota, four or five hours slots at weekends and Bank offered free for Please note that the space Holidays and similarly on weekdays to carry out commercial advertising. is on the second floor and maintenance work. The that access is via stairs. The Tramway can be contacted by post: Shipley Saltaire Sentinel can also be found at Helen Graham Glen Tramway, Prod Lane, , BD17 5BN, or Enquiries: 07981 348020. email: [email protected] VICTORIA HALL ______Saltaire CUPPACARE CRICKET IN ROBERTS PARK UNITED The café and bookstall in Saltaire First XI REFORMED New Kirkgate, Shipley, is JCT600 Bradford Cricket League Division 2 CHURCH Saltaire a non-profit enterprise, Saturday, June 18th (1.30pm) v Idle run by Shipley Christians POST OFFICE Together, open 10am - Saltaire Cricket Club Saltaire 1.30pm Mondays and TABLE TOP SALE MEDICAL Fridays, which will be PRACTICE celebrating its 25th Victoria Hall Sunday, June 19th from10 am Shipley To reserve a table, call 01274 787908 anniversary this year. LIBRARY

Notices - News - Announcements - News - Notices

VILLAGE LAST OF THE BLACKSMITHS REGULAR Sentinel reader Kevin Archer writes: WEBSITE MUSIC AT THE When I moved into our bungalow [in Grosvenor The Saltaire Sentinel is Avenue] in 2004, I learned from our neighbour, BANDSTAND available online, via the not whose husband had built it in 1959, that it was IN ROBERTS PARK for profit Saltaire Village Website, thanks entirely to on or adjacent to the site of the last blacksmiths Sundays at 2pm Pamela Reynolds, who in Bradford. She recalled parties of June 5th manages and maintains the schoolchildren visiting and that it looked after Liz Narey site at the horses at Salts Mill. Last autumn I found a Hall Royd Band www.saltairevillage.info 1911 map in Shipley College archive and June 12th ______noticed that the building between us and the Champagne Perry REPORTERS shops (now Schofield’s) had existed at that time Voicemale with open land behind it. In my deeds there is a June 19th ALWAYS WANTED reference to a blacksmith William Pedley and I Aire Valley Singers To fulfill its role as the found him recorded with that profession in the Fairfax Concert Singers local Community News- 1901 census living on Oastler Road. June 26th paper, the Sentinel needs to Confirmation came during the World Heritage Otra contain reports as well as weekend in April when I met Mr Frank Senior at Bradford Voices promotions. It is always a fascinating lecture on the waterfronts of July 3rd pleased to hear from Saltaire. Associated with the Mill from 14 year- St Peters Choirs readers who would be old basement worker to sitting on the Board of Hot Aire willing to provide write- Directors in the 80’s, Frank remembers our ups, on their own initiative bungalow being built and William Pedley JAZZ AND CURRY and/or when requested, working at the site probably until the 1950s. EVENING conduct interviews and I would be very interested to hear from any Saturday, June 25th accept invitations to various readers who have similar recollections or 7.30-9.30pm events on the editor’s indeed knowledge of any records or With music provided by behalf. photographs in existence. Darren Dutson-Bromley ______VISITOR Shipley College WORLD HERITAGE INFORMATION WHEELIE Reprographics Service Does NOT talk rubbish CENTRE OPEN We are pleased to announce that the long-awaited For all your printing needs don’t hesitate to Visitor Information Centre contact Shipley College: is now open, every day [email protected] 10am-5pm, at Salts Mill. "I hope you will pop in and Typical prices: see us, and pass on the A4 Mono - 4 p news that we are finally A3 Mono - 6 p "Before anyone quotes the open!" says the Visitor cliché, I can tell you that Information Manager A4 colour -15 p Cllr Warnes has tidied up Rachel Oxborough. A3 colour -18p his own back yard!"

The Saltaire Sentinel, written by the people of Saltaire and photocopied by Shipley College in the heart of Saltaire every month, is not affiliated to, nor in any way controlled or influenced by any group, society or organisation. Sadly, sooner or later you will dispose of this copy of the Sentinel. Please do so with care for our World Heritage Site. environment. [email protected]