SE1438 : "Salt Pot Slug", Aire Sculpture Trail and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Saltaire
taken 11 years ago, near to Saltaire, Bradford, England
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is the longest canal in Northern England at 127 miles long. The first of the trans-Pennine canals it took 46 years to build at a cost of five times the original budget, mainly because of the length and complexity of the route. It passes through 91 locks with a summit level of 487 feet at Foulridge near Nelson and Colne. It was originally conceived in the 18th century to carry woollen goods from Leeds and Bradford and limestone from Skipton but in its 19th century heyday it carried stone, coal and many other goods. The impact of the railways was not as great as with other canals and commercial traffic continued along the main canal until 1964. Regular work stopped in 1972 when the movement of coal to Wigan Power Station ceased. In the latter part of the 20th century the leisure potential of the canal was developed and it is now a popular destination for cruising, fishing, walking and cycling. See Link for detailed information.
Salts Mill (sometimes Salt's Mill) is a Grade II listed building built in 1853. Titus Salt employed Lockwood & Mawson to design this textile mill which sits in the model village of Saltaire, built at the same time to house the mill's workers. Both were built on a greenfield site outside Shipley on the banks of the River Aire and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. It closed in 1986 and now houses many different businesses including an art gallery, a technology company and a café.
The Aire Sculpture Trail runs from the Victoria Road bridge over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Saltaire to Baildon Bridge, which carries the A6038 over the River Aire. It consists of sculptures made by Mick Kirkby Geddes based on ideas from pupils at Wycliffe Primary School Shipley. The trail of 15 sculptures was officially opened on 25 May 2013.