What made developers in a Yorkshire town seek inspiration in the industrial past? Lynne Greenwood reports
When Sir Titus Salt opened his showcase mill on September 20, 1853 - his 50th birthday - in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, recently designated a World Heritage Site, the philanthropic industrialist threw a party for 3,000 workers and guests in the combing shed.
Like-minded developers Alec Newsham and Andrew Mason
As yet, the developers of its neighbouring mill are making no promises. But it would raise few eyebrows among those who know the two men who head Newmason Properties if they arranged a similar bash for the 600 residents once the conversion is complete.
The closest they have come to plans for a celebration at Victoria Mills, Shipley, some time in 2008, is managing director Andrew Mason's off-the-cuff remark: "When it's finished, we'll put a big, pink bow on top."
For although he and his partner, chairman Alec Newsham, have not deliberately styled themselves on Sir Titus, whose strong moral view of life led to his creation of the self-contained village for his workers, they do not dismiss the comparison.
"We're not emulating Sir Titus - he was a visionary," says Andrew, who, in a few minutes, zealously paints a picture of his current "seductive" working environment, his committed colleagues and the "morality" of creating a good village community.
"But we are attempting to create a microcosm of his community in the 21st century. There are definite parallels."
Comparing the two is a fascinating exercise. The history of Sir Titus's achievements, on display in his original Salt's Mill, records that when he chose his site "water and rail facilities were critical factors".
So, too, for the 21st-century men. The waterside location of Victoria Mills, between the river and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, is attractive and the few minutes' walk to Shipley station, for a 12-minute journey to Leeds, is appealing to commuters.
Sir Titus wanted to provide a clean and healthy environment for his workers, building a washhouse with steam-driven washing machines, 24 individual baths and a Turkish bath. "Physical pursuits" could be enjoyed in a gymnasium, drill hall and, surprisingly, an armoury, and later in the 14-acre park he created.
Soon, along the towpath, residents of the 400 apartments in the converted Victorian Mills and three new-build additions will be able to work out in the gym, play tennis, boules or outdoor chess on the central courts, which will be integral to the sophisticated landscaping plans.
They will have the chance to walk along the currently overgrown riverside path or the canal towpath between Victoria Mills and Saltaire, which the developers have undertaken to improve - a condition of the planning consent.
When it comes to Sir Titus's provision for his workers' moral and aesthetic needs - a church, library, reading room and lecture hall - the Newmason duo have no plans to follow suit.
And they differ from the great man's ban on "an ale house… after witnessing the ruin drink could inflict on the working class" by providing a bar and restaurant.
They also plan to cater for needs not even a blip on the radar 150 years ago - 24-hour concierge service, an intranet service with a news forum, car valeting and multi-storey car park "so the site doesn't look like Ikea on a Saturday afternoon".
The two met when Andrew bought Alec's daughter's much-loved pony. Despite different backgrounds - Alec in investment, Andrew in worldwide construction - they share similar interests and philosophies and are both keen to create a community of which they and their children will be proud. Profit, they say, is not the paramount driver. "Our priority is to do the job properly," says Alec.
Newlywed buyers Craig and Jenny
They first spotted the mill complex, which had been in full production until the late 1990s, in the spring of 2003. "One look told us these were fantastic buildings in very good order which would convert beautifully to residential use," says Alec.
They completed the purchase swiftly, and spent nine months looking at similar projects in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow.
To make the sums of this £70million scheme add up, they included a new-build proposal - "something big and bold, not pastiche, curved, with glass corners" - housing 200 apartments which go on sale next week.
The conversion of Old Mill is complete and virtually sold out. New Mill will be finished by Christmas and has only a few apartments still unsold. The style is that of many mill conversions - exposed brick, big, original windows, modern "industrial but gutsy" fittings. Prices range from £120,000 for a one-bed apartment to £300,000 for a two-bed, two-bath duplex.
The early buyers were split: two-thirds investors, one-third owner occupiers - figures they hope will be reversed as the site displays more of its attractions to those seeking a permanent home as it nears completion.
But among those early buyers are two Newmason employees - heralding faint echoes of Sir Titus's provision for his workers. Without specifying the deal, quantity surveyor Craig O'Brien admits he was offered a discount on a top-storey duplex apartment. He and his wife Jenny moved in a month after their wedding in July.
"We'd both sold our places in 2003 to go travelling for seven months and were renting when we came back," says Craig, 32. "I brought Jenny to see the show apartment and then we looked at the floor plan for the duplex. We wanted one with a roof garden and we were involved early enough to change the layout to suit us."
Not all buyers are young professionals. Others include a family with teenage children and several retired couples - the beginnings of a rounded, well-integrated community.
Now, wouldn't Titus be pleased?
Information courtesy of telegraph.co.uk
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