Salts Mill - a pleasant diversion (Salts Mill (Shipley))

Member Name: The Daz

Product:	Salts Mill (Shipley)
Date:	19/01/09 (181 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free entry, loads to see.

Disadvantages: Can get quite cold outside of summer.

Salts Mill is a good way to get an injection of culture, pass a couple of hours on a rainy day or to pick up a gift or something for you that's just a little bit different.

It's in Saltaire, just 4 miles from Bradford and a short drive further on from the M606 and open 7 days a week. The former seat of leading Industrialist Sir Titus Salt's empire, the whole village is a World Heritage Site and offers a glimpse into the community of work and living that was built up here in the revolutionary heyday of the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Comprising one colossal mill building, one of several along the River Aire, the Mill has a large car park, and is sited adjacent to the Saltaire railway station (on the Leeds and Bradford Forster Square lines), and across a small bridge to Saltaire village, replete with art and craft shops, galleries, cafes and the like. Behind the Mill you will find Shipley Glen, a vast expanse of wooded and rolling parkland.

We've been several times now as it offers a good mix of shopping and Arts to enjoy, and is fairly unique in scope and setting, offering an ideal day trip destination to take guests to. It can get a bit chilly inside the cavernous mill so be sure to grab a jacket!

The basement level is taken up by a soft furnishings store with a Middle Eastern leaning - plenty of silks, cushions and chaises here, set amongst soft music and a relaxed ambience.

The ground floor is mostly shopping, selling all the high quality art supplies and brushes that any budding artist could desire. The walls display some art work by Bradford born David Hockney, including "Nude" of 1984 which is a montage of hundreds of photographs of various parts of the body placed together to create a huge nude piece - very clever!

On the First floor there's a large bookshop and card shop except, uniquely, most of the cards are hand made by individuals so you're unlikely to find the designs elsewhere. A section of the bookshop is given over to children, with more fun and creative books and gift sets than you thought existed and a play area where you can sit and read to your growing offspring.

Further on in an adjoining wing, the ladies will certainly enjoy a perusal of the jewellery shop as it's pretty pricey but the designs are all very "contemporary" so unlike anything you'll see in most regular jewellers. Lot of great gift ideas!

More my cup of tea is the Allan Austin outdoor shop with lots of boots, clothing and rucksacks for hill walking and trekking and even has a small children's department. Here is also where you'll find a quiet little café serving delectable cakes, hot drinks and the odd light bite. Both of these are behind the jewellery shop and next to another small gallery that leads off the side of the diner.

The home ware department is quite big, and very very flash; the sort of place from which you'd aspire to be able to furnish your kitchen. A mixture of modern designer items and retro bespoke designs abound. With stylish and quirky dining tables and uniquely designed chairs, some upwards of £1500, it's nice to look and dream..

So if like me, all this shopping and art has left you in need of refreshments, there's the diner on this floor. A massive area linked to the wings of the mill on this floor, the diner seats several hundred and has a full menu range and a nice opne kitchen where you can see the array of chefs at work.

The top floor which I don't often bother to visit has an antiques shop, a very smart bespoke gent's tailor, the Opera Café: an elegant bistro setting on the top floor, with award winning plates, and a series of theatre sets based on some operatic greats such as Cosi Fan Tutti.

In the building next to the mill, there's also a really good, and rather large bike shop with a variety of brands available, and all the accessories required to tackle any terrain.

(This review is also posted on Trivago).

Summary: Great day out for all the family.