Don't tell Titus

Today we went to the Saltaire Festival. Saltaire is a Model Village and a world heritage site to boot.
It was built by Victorian philanthropist Sir Titus Salt for his mill workers in the 1850s and is now associated with the artist David Hockney who painted the picture above found in the permanent exhibition in the former mill. (Have a look at their website and find the dentist chair in the 1853 gallery...)

I was slightly taken back to see who I first took to be Colin Campbell propelling this contraption called a Flatulator.

In the Victoria Hall, one room is given over to a harmonium museum, the only one in Britain. An organist was playing a number of the instruments as part of an informal recital. This is basically a room in one of the wings of the former institute with a large number of Harmoniums squeezed in, ran privately by proprietors Phil & Pam Fluke and free for the day.

Sir Titus didn't approve of the demon drink and about the only local amenity he didn't supply was a Pub. (He did fund a stunning & now grade 1 listed Italianate Church though, surprisingly ornate for a non-conformist building). This Pub/wine bar in the main street has a rather tongue-in-cheek name!

I asked David afterwards what he liked best, his answer: The knitted cakes! (He was holding the chocolate one out of shot).

A cake made of liquorice?

Pontefract is a large market town about 15 miles due east of Morley. This week they are celebrating the Liquorice festival with Licquorice day being on Sunday 15th.

There is loads on, plenty of eccentric stalls and there is even the chance to try unusual products like Licquorice beer.

The town is home to the celebrated Pontefract Cake originally made by Dunhills, the business now being owned by Haribo

This year, I'll watch where I'm going and try not to fall off the pavement into the road.