Salts Works

For a long time, this site on Saltaire Road housed a rather rundown shop/showroom space that had a multitude of different tenants and uses over the years. A few years ago, that was demolished and this rather smart, architect designed building was constructed. It must have been a speculative venture and it has stood unfinished and empty now for several years. Recently there has been work going on there and then I had a leaflet through my door, advertising the new users: Salts Works.  

The ground floor will be the home of the non-profit People Powered Press: the world's largest letterpress printing press, relocating, I believe, from somewhere in Leeds. They work collaboratively with community groups and individuals to create poetry, creative writing and large-scale letterpress works and will also run workshops related to writing, calligraphy, printing, book-binding and signwriting. 

The upper floor will be a new 15 desk co-working space, run by design studio Split, with access to meeting rooms, desk spaces and internet. It's opening at the beginning of July. 

What was designed as a car park at the side will now be a garden. That sounds nice... with my only reservation being that it will likely put even more pressure on nearby streets, which are already chock full of local workers' parked cars during the week. 

It all sounds rather exciting to me and is just the kind of venture that should do well in this neck of the woods, Saltaire being already quite a creative hub. I wish them every success. (Just don't park outside my house!) 

(See HERE for their website and HERE for a recent press write-up)