SITE NAME: Saltaire
DATE OF INSCRIPTION: 16th December 2001
DECISION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE:
"The Committee inscribed the Saltaire on the World Heritage List under criteria (ii) and (iv):
Criterion (ii): Saltaire is an outstanding and well preserved example of a mid 19th century industrial town, the layout of which was to exert a major influence on the development of the "garden city" movement.
Criterion (iv): The layout and architecture of Saltaire admirably reflect mid 19th century philanthropic paternalism, as well as the important role played by the textile industry in economic and social development."

UNESCO: "Saltaire, West Yorkshire, is a complete and well-preserved industrial village of the second half of the 19th century. Its textile mills, public buildings and workers' housing are built in a harmonious style of high architectural standards and the urban plan survives intact, giving a vivid impression of Victorian philanthropic paternalism."

WH Sites in the UK
(GB & Northern Ireland)

Cultural site
Natural site
Mixed site

Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (1986)
Durham Castle and Cathedral (1986)
Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (1986)
Ironbridge Gorge (1986)
St Kilda (1986, 2004, 2005)
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (1986)
Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey (1986)
Blenheim Palace (1987)
City of Bath (1987)
Frontiers of the Roman Empire (1987, 2005) * 27
Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church (1987)
Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church (1988)
Henderson Island (1988)
Tower of London (1988)
Gough and Inaccessible Islands (1995, 2004) 28
Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (1995)
Maritime Greenwich (1997)
Heart of Neolithic Orkney (1999)
Blaenavon Industrial Landscape (2000)
Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda (2000)
Derwent Valley Mills (2001)
Dorset and East Devon Coast (2001)
New Lanark (2001)
Saltaire (2001)
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2003)
Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (2004)
Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape (2006)

See the list for the rest of the world >>

If you've never read the document prepared for Saltaire's bid to gain World Heritage status, it's worth downloading. It's a large Acrobat file stored on the UNESCO website (and really worth the download time). It has great information about Saltaire's history and architecture as well as some interesting images. Follow this link and then download the Nomination File.

How many WH sites are there?

Currently, there are 851 World Heritage Sites approved by the World Heritage Committee as having outstanding universal value. These include 660 cultural sites (Saltaire is one of these), 166 natural sites and 25 mixed mixed site properties.

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

UNESCO was founded on 16 November 1945.

"UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 193 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication."

UNESCO and Heritage

"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage.

What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located."

Visit the UNESCO website

Saltaire's exact position

N53 50 21 W1 47 18