Sir Titus Salt – Bradford, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 48.913 W 001° 46.392
30U E 580769 N 5963661
This statue of Sir Titus Salt is located in Lister Park near to the north eastern entrance.
Waymark Code: WMDG10
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/11/2012
Views: 1
Lister Park
Lister park was originally the grounds of a large house owned by Samuel Cunliffe-Lister, a local successful mill owner. After he moved to a village called Addingham, and built an even large house he sold the grounds cheaply to Bradford Council on condition that it became a public park.
Sir Titus Salt
Sir Titus Salt was another successful mill owner in Bradford. He pre-dated Lister somewhat who was only 19 when Salt died.
Sir Titus Salt at one point had 5 mills and was the biggest employer in Bradford. However Living conditions in the city were very poor for the mill workers and after he became mayor he tried to campaign for better housing conditions.
When this failed, he decided to take action himself. He bought land within Bradford’s boundary, but in an unpolluted area of the borough. He then built a large mill designed to be well lit and ventilated, and included after burners on his boilers to reduce pollution.
He also built a model village for his workers, with good housing, public baths, a school, a church, a hospital and a public park.
The village was located on the banks of the River Aire and he named it Saltaire. He employed Lockwood and Mawson as his architects for all the buildings in the village. In 2001 UNESCO designated the village as a World Heritage Site, and it is the only one in the world where the whole site was designed by one firm of architects. Saltaire is also an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage in the categories of 'Textiles' and 'Production & Manufacturing'.
His Statue
He was so well respected that this statue was built in his honour whilst he was still alive. This is an unusual honour and one that he at first resisted but then accepted. It was originally erected outside the town hall in 1874, just two years before his death, but then moved to its current site in 1896.
The statue shows him sitting within an ornate canopy and is a scaled down and simplified version of the Albert Memorial which was erected in London in 1861.
On top of the tall plinth is a seated white marble
statue of Salt that is about 1.3 times life size.
A square stone tower and spire rise out of the centre
of the canopy with four gabled niches with a richly
moulded multi-jamb (colonette) pointed arch
opening containing small statues of allegorical figures.
The details above can be found on this web page. http://www.bradford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/519BDACA-D586-4F7B-8177-53909E7ACB4D/0/Manningham09LISTERPARKFINAL.pdf
The 4 figures are represent
“Justice,” “Prudence,” “Temperance,” and “Charity”.
The memorial is number 1057706 on the English Heritage Listed Buildings website and is a Grade II listed building.
The sculptor selected for the work was Mr. John Adams-Acton, who, on
receiving the commission, proceeded to Cararra, in order to obtain a piece of
marble, similar in quality to that out of which he had previously carved the statue
of Mr. Gladstone, in his robes as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The block secured
weighed fourteen tons, and required sixteen horses to convey it from the wharf to
the studio.
The Allegorical Figures at the top of the memorial.
The 4 figures are each one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues of Christian Theology. Three of them Cardinal Virtues, whilst the fourth is a Theological Virtue.
Temperance : moderation in action, thought, or feeling; restraint. It is one of the 4 Cardinal Virtues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperance_(virtue)
Justice : is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair. It is one of the 4 Cardinal Virtues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice
Prudence: is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is one of the 4 Cardinal Virtues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudence
Charity : In Christian theology charity, or love (agape), means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others. It is one of the 3 Theological Virtues.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charity_(virtue)
The statue of Sir Titus Salt stands near to the north eastern entrance of Lister Park. If you are interested to compare his statue to that of his rival, Samuel Cunliffe Lister there is a statue of him near to the southern entrance. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMD78G_Samuel_Cunliffe_Lister_1st_Baron_of_Masham_Bradford_UK
Visit Instructions:
You must have visited the site in person, not online.