Programme

Conference Dinner

To mark our 2025 Annual Meeting our conference dinner will be held at the impressive Victoria Hall in the UNESCO World Heritage Site village of Saltaire, preceded by a short guided tour around the village.

Why is Saltaire village a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Saltaire is named after philanthropist Sir Titus Salt, a wealthy wool manufacturer, and the River Aire, which flows by the village. It is “an exceptionally complete and well preserved industrial village of the second half of the 19th century” (UNESCO).

Commissioned by Salt in the 1850s, Saltaire was designed to house workers in his textile mill, the Salts Mill. In contrast to the crammed slums of nearby cities Bradford, Leeds and Manchester, Salt’s model village was a revolutionary development that aimed to improve the living conditions of workers through thoughtful urban planning. In addition to the Salts Mill and worker housing, Saltaire features educational and health facilities and green spaces.

Saltaire has had a profound influence on the architectural design of industrial social welfare and urban planning of developments in the UK and beyond, including the “garden city” movement.

About Victoria Hall

Victoria Hall was opened in 1871 by Salt, as a 'centre for recreation, culture and learning' for the villagers. The Hall originally housed a library, gymnasium and rifle drill-room, fencing room, armoury, chess room, laboratory and lecture theatre, bagatelle and billiards room, a school of art, and a large dance hall with a fully sprung floor. Today, the venue is owned by the Salt Foundation - a charitable trust - and is used for many of the same purposes as when it was first built.

Saltaire became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 for its integrity and authenticity to the original architecture and design, and as an example of showing human values during its era.

Highlights of Victoria Hall include:

• The stone lions sitting outside Victoria Hall were originally destined for the bottom of Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square, London. It is said the lions clamber down to the River Aire after dark each night to drink, before returning the next morning.
• It’s 15th century Italian architectural style which was admired by Salt.
• Hosting influential speakers such as John Ruskin, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and the great explorer David Livingstone. Charles Dickens was booked to speak shortly before his unexpected death in 1870.

We are delighted to invite all conference delegates to enjoy a short guided tour of Saltaire before dinner.