SALTAIRE AND SIR TITUS SALT

Whilst up in Yorkshire we visited what we thought was going to be just an old village with a few shops in it - oh no how wrong can you be. Saltaire is actually a complete old Victorian Mill town that was built by Philantrapist Sir Titus Salt and was named after him.  This is now a world heritage site.  He knew that the mills were billowing out smoke and pollution which was not good for his workers health and so he decided to build a new mill in the country and bought some land three miles from Bradford that was on the River Bure on which to create his vision.

He built housing for his workers.

Although some of them are back to back houses Titus had the houses built to high design specs, check out those stained glass windows.

Love the back alley ways complete with their recycling bins showing that life goes on and that the village is very lived in and not just a museum piece.

He also built a large memorial hall, bathhouses, almhouses, church and hospital

There was parkland and of course walks by the river.

The mill looms have long since been silenced but the mill itself has been turned into a shopping area Salt Mills.  There is the most wonderful bookshop in there.  Being the daughter of a bookseller I could have spent hours browsing through the books, then through into a marvelous cookware/homeware shop with a breathtaking array of items for the kitchen and home, stopping for coffee in the American style diner and then through into the antique centre at the end. 

Another great plus is that the Mill has an exhibition of David Hockney paintings.


Along the streets are little individual shops, my favourites were a little vintage shop The House of Rose & Brown which I treated myself to a few bits from plus an old fashioned bakers that sold the most wonderfully tasty pasties.

All in all it is a town that is worth taking a trip to - put it on your list of places to visit.

MARCH MAKES FOR THE VINTAGE & HOME MADE FAIR

Spent most of today running around like a woman possessed getting ready for tomorrow's Northampton Vintage and Home Made Fair.  I was making up packs of tags whilst eating my toast this morning - busy, busy.

Here are some shadow boxes for my March Monthly Make which I will be taking to the fair - the pictures are not that great as the sun was out and I kept getting a reflection - but I am not complaining I will exchange good photo's for sun anytime.

The conservatory is filled with boxes, cases and baskets full of lovely lovingly sourced items and the weather forcast is set to be warm and sunny.  If you can make it come and say hello we would love to see you.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS - YORKSHIRE MOORS AS YOU IMAGINE THEM TO BE

Whilst we were up in Yorkshire we could not go without a visit to Bronte country and of course the Bronte village of Haworth.  It was a just the kind of day you would expect when exploring the Yorkshire Moors, dark, damp and rather misty.

 First stop had to be the Bronte Parsonage where Charlotte, Emily and Ann were brough up together with their brother Branwell

Although not the largest of buildings it has to be one of the most interesting houses I have visited for a while and I came away having learnt things I never knew.  It is really sad to see the family items from such a tragic family.  I never knew that Charlotte was pregnant when she died.  Very sad.

Apparantly the village itself had a very high mortality rate and it was all because (for those of you with a quesy constitution please do not read the next bit)...  The Victorians decided that putting slabs of concrete on top of the graves was a good idea, in actual fact this meant that the natural evaporation of the bodily fluids that would occur through the earth could not happen and what actually happened was that they drained off into the earth and into the village water course - yuch.  As you can see from the picture above the graveyard was packed to the gunnels with bodies, no room to spare there then.  Fascinating stuff - I don't know about you but I love a bit of useless information.

Beautiful stained glass window in the church.

 Of course no trip would be complete without a little shopping and this shop was absolutely fabulous selling old style sweets and beautiful luxury hand made  bath items.  I treated myself to some super foot soak...

The shop is as it was in the Bronte sisters time and it is actually the same shop that Branwell used to go to get his laudenam - no sign of any of that on sale I have to say.

THANK YOU MR TESCO

Every year we collect our Tesco vouchers up and in March we cash them in for a short weekend break with a Marriot Spa hotel - this time we chose the Hollins Hall Country Spa in Shipley Yorkshire.   This year my sister and her husband joined us which made it even more special as we have not had a break away together for some years.  All in all the stay not including dinners or drinks cost £4.00 now that is what I call a bargain.  A big thank you to Mr Tesco.

Our first stop on the way to the hotel had to be the spa town of Harrogate and of course no visit to Harrogate would be complete without a visit to Betty's Teas Rooms.

How about these for Easter Egss - the largest one was £220.00!!! I'll stick to my Cadbury's thank you.

A little light lunch

then onto the serious business of shopping.

Just down the road from Betty's we came across a shop that was selling the most wonderful vintage and retro goodies over two floors.SPACE the girl behind the counter was dressed in a forties outfit and was wearing her hair in a snood - mind you it was pink so a little bit of todays fashion had crept in too.

After some time spent browing we moved onto the Montpelier Quarter of Harrogate where the antique shops are situated and spent some time browsing in the lovely shops there.  I bought lots of things for the stall and the booth and I also treated myself to this deco handpainted part tea set by Grimwades which I could not resist.

Of course no shopping trip would be complete without popping into CK's and this was our final port of call before moving onto the hotel.

I was really taken with the latest range of bags being made from vintage fabrics that are only being produced in ones and two's.   Could kick myself as I walked away from one that I really liked and when I went back it had gone.....

A LITTLE BIT OF SHOPPING

Not long to go until the Northampton Vintage and Home Made Fair and I thought I would go a bit further afield to try and find some vintage goodies for the stall.  I have been on annual leave this week and decided to take myself on a trip to some antique places I had never been before.

Firstly I visited Bourne Mill Antique Centre in what was an old mill which is a warren of tiny little rooms over four floors filled with bits and pieces, some stuffed in nooks and crannies that you just had to peer into, very quint.  The owners were very friendly and helpful and I came away with a few items from there.

Second visit was up the road to the Antiques Warehouse the setting for this old converted barn is in wonderful fields of horses in paddocks and then up a gravel drive to

This was fullof exquisite antiques most of whcih were out of my price range but which were lovely to look at. 

If only I still had my big garden.  Mind you I did manage to find items in both places, some of which went straight over to the booth in Brackley and some I have kept back for the fair.

Here is s sneak peek of some of the bits I will be taking with me.

Also whilst out and about I found this young lady who has joined my other dolls.  I actually came across her in a Red Cross Charity shop.  Even though she is not in the best of conditions - needs a little bit of TLC with a needle and thread, I could not resist her and out the cabinet she came.

She has such a lovely face and her little red apple cheeks look like they have been kissed many times as they are a little rubbed.  Now she can join some of my other dolls (oops another of my  collections).