I stood for ages waiting for a little bit of light to illuminate the almshouses. This is just one side of the square, which has around 45 small cottages, originally for the elderly and infirm. Residents were initially selected by Sir Titus Salt himself and later a Board of Trustees, and could live here rent-free, with a small pension. Some are now privately owned but others are still reserved as social housing. Until fairly recently, you could barely see them for foliage but they have felled a couple of large trees on the green (Alexandra Square), which has lightened the whole scene a great deal and must have made them brighter inside too. The almshouses were constructed in 1868, towards the end of the creation of Saltaire. They are at the top end of the village, so you can appreciate the lovely backdrop of Baildon Moor and Hope Hill.
Definitely sturdy houses, and I wonder what it's like to live in them now! I've slowly gotten used to living in a hive of apartments, where I can ignore the bumps and gurgles that are shared through the walls.
ReplyDeleteThank you for waiting! The light is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI remember how lovely these looked when I visited Saltaire.
ReplyDelete