Lower School Street, Saltaire

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It would have been unsurprising if this short street had been named, like the majority of streets in Saltaire, after a member of Sir Titus Salt’s family, or another personage of note. Instead it was given a logical title in keeping with its location, flanking as it does the north side of the original Factory Schools (now premises of Shipley College).

At the time there were no descendants of Titus Salt awaiting the honour of having a street named after them, but there were arguably other candidates, who had contributed to Saltaire’s success. In addition to the architects Lockwood and Mawson – who had streets named after them – there was, for example, William Fairbairn, the civil engineer who had so successfully specified and designed the mill’s engineering requirements. There was also Charles Stead, who had worked for Salt since the 1840s and had been a company partner since 1854. Perhaps regrettably, their names are absent from Saltaire’s street lexicon.

The street was completed in 1868, the houses being two-bedroomed “improved workman” cottages. Lower School St had seven such dwellings (Higher School St six). Annual rent for a house was approx £7. 4s.
 
Deserving of applause are the improvements made in October 2005 to the external appearance of one of the Lower School St properties. Its handsome stonework, which at some stage had been painted white, has been restored and re-pointed. The result leaves the entire terrace of properties as one of the most harmonised streets scenes in the village, and a credit to our World Heritage Site.

© Barlo & Shaw