Benefits of living in Saltaire

Benefits of living in

Saltaire

Why would Saltaire be a good place to live when it was first built?

Discuss with a partner and write 3 reasons on a whiteboard

Bradford in the 1840s

Read the extracts in pairs and highlight any information that gives you an idea of what life was like in the city of Bradford compared to Saltaire.

Every other factory town in England is a paradise in comparison to this hole. In Manchester the air lies like lead upon you; in Birmingham it is just as if you were sitting with your nose in a stove pipe; in Leeds you have to cough with the dust and the stink as if you had swallowed a pound of Cayenne pepper in one go – but you can put up with all that. In Bradford, however, you think you have been lodged with the devil incarnate. If anyone wants to feel how a poor sinner is tormented in Purgatory, let him travel to Bradford.

Saltaire

Watch the following videos about Saltaire. Imagine you had moved there as a child in the late 1800s.

TaskImagine you are a child in 1890. You are 11 years old and grew up in the centre of Bradford, however, you have recently moved to Saltaire with your family. Your task is to write a letter to your cousin who lives in another city. Write about how different Saltaire is compared to your old life in Bradford. Keep your letter to a maximum of 3 paragraphs.