- No, there isn’t enough evidence for in Saltaire for us to conclude that its residents were happy. For example, we cannot speak to them now! However, the evidence we do have would suggest they were very well. If we look at the most solid evidence, some of the buildings in Saltaire, we can see he provided his workers and their families with good homes, which all had running water and gas supply. Their health was looked after with the Hospital, and the Almshouses where the elderly could be cared for and were supplied a pension. Although people could only retire to Almshouses if they had served Salts Mill long enough.
Working hours in the Mill were long, around 6am-5pm. Schools were built for children, mostly from Saltaire to be educated. The Congregational church gave people the opportunity to practice their beliefs, Salt also built an Anglican Church and Methodist chapel, however the Congregational was the most splendid.
Saltaire had no public houses, because Salt opposed to excessive drinking and the evils they were linked to, although alcohol was available. Instead of pubs Salt provided The Institute, which also had a library, gym, lecture room, art room, etc. Roberts Park was clean and peaceful, which had lovely gardens, lawns for controlled sports, etc.
- There are arguments to suggest Sir Titus was either a selfless social reformer, or a selfish social controller.
Maybe he built Saltaire just so he could control his workers, the watchtower is a sinister reminder of how Salt liked to keep and eye on them. More likely, Saltaire was simply built so the workers could move from Bradford where they would be looked after, and the watchtower was only to make sure there was no trouble in the village.
Salt partly controlled the social lives of the workers. Roberts Park was lovely and clean, with glorious gardens, lawns for sporting use, however people had to obey strict rules to keep it that way. No throwing stones, no shouting, young children must be with an adult, no drinking, no gambling, and obviously no criminal activities. Public houses were banned. Instead, The Institute was the recreational centre of the village, it provided a place for people to rest, talk, socialise, and be educated. It had a library, reading room, games rooms, lecture rooms and theatres, an art, room, a gym, and more.
The Saltaire statue suggests Salt wanted people to remember and respect him, although this makes us think he was maybe boastful. However, Salt probably deserved to be remembered after achieving so much, and being so generous. The fact that his company went bust soon after his death may be because he pumped so much money into the town and its peoples’ well being. He also gave large amounts of money to charities – this could have just been a stunt coming from his spare change rather than his heart, but doesn’t sound likely.
Working for Salt was tough, hours were long, and he believed people should work hard and never be late. Although, he did reward some by taking them on a day trips to Malham, or Scarborough – all paid for by himself.
Saltaire residents’ health was looked after by the hospital, funded entirely by Salt himself. However, he could have just wanted the workers to be healthy so they would work more. In old age, small pensions were available, and the Almshouses were rent free and beautiful buildings for the elderly. But, to get into the Almshouses workers had to serve Salts mill long and hard. In turn, this gave Salt more control over the current workers, and put them under pressure to be good.
Overall I believe the good points outweigh the bad, and Titus Salt was more of a selfless social reformer. He genuinely cared for the residents of Saltaire, but in return they had to work hard and obey his rules. I think it’s understandable that he had so much control over them – he was just a businessman out to earn a living, the fact that he looked after the workers at all seems good enough to me.