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alan
Member
| Joined: | Sun Mar 13th, 2011 |
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| Posts: | 1 |
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Posted: Tue Mar 15th, 2011 05:28 pm |
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| I'm writing an article on the building of Milner Field for Prosider which is a free issue community magazine. Would you (the owner of the photograph) have any objection to me using the 1960 photo of what is left of the arch with attribution to you and Saltaire Website Forum?
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Vilebrequin69
Guest
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Posted: Wed Jan 5th, 2011 05:09 pm |
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Hi Tony
Interested to read your reminiscences. Would you please drop me a PM or email me as I'd appreciate a word.
Many thanks!
Richard
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ghilblispyder
Guest
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Posted: Wed Aug 4th, 2010 12:17 pm |
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Hi Tony, I would be very interested in seeing your photo's of Milner Field and if you are agreeable in having copies to illustrate my research on the house. You say it was pulled down around 1955. When I was in communicative with Salt's in the mid 1970's they thought that what remained of the house was finally pulled down circa 1959/1960. It was still standing when Pevsner published his first edition of the Buildings of England, the West Riding as he refers to it. I do not off hand know the publication year. I do not think the full extent of the importance of Miner Field is even today fully appreciated other than by few learned souls. It was the highest point of Victorian High Gothic Revival domestic architecture in Yorkshire and would stand comparison with the best in the country. The artisans, craftsmen and art firms that were employed in the internal decoration of the house were amongst the best in the country. Fred Weekes the painter of the murals and who was also responsible for the designs and cartoons for the painted glass in the house was an authority on mediaeval costume and a favourite of William Burgess the greatest high Goth of them all. Likewise the stone carver and sculptor Thomas Nicholls was another Burgess favourite. Saunders & Co. who executed the painted glass for Milner Field were one of the best firms in this field and some experts consider their work of this time to be superior to that of Morris & Co. Can you recall if any of the coloured glass was still in situe in the 1950's. The more that one studies the work of E. W. Godwin of the 1860's it becomes quite plausible that Mark Girouard's suggestion that he possibly had a hand in the design is not unlikely.
Look forward to your reply
Regards
Chris
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tony waters
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Posted: Tue Aug 3rd, 2010 10:35 am |
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Hi
Greetings from New Zealand.
The other day I was brousing and thought about my childhood haunts. When I googled Gilstead I remembered "the Mansion" and came across your site.
I'm not sure what to say or to who'm, but I was part of the "team" of demolishers that pulled down the remaining walls of Milner Fields Mansion in about 1955. We, my friends and I, were on holiday from school, and playing in the mansion grounds when one day a hut appeared in the courtyard of the mansion and three workers started to pull the walls down with a 2 handed winch. They worked for a company that retrieved stone from old houses and then built new houses with the re-worked stone.
We helped to put the wire ropes around the tops of walls, fastened the ropes with "U" clamps, climbed down to the ground then watched as the walls fell.
We didn't think about the loss of the ruin. We had played in the ruins for years. This was just another phase of growing up.
I emigrated to South Africa in 1964 and only returned occasionally for holidays.
In 1994 I spent a short holiday in England with my youngest daughter and, as my eldest sister was still living in Gilstead, we had a home base to visit the mansion from.
We spent a morning exploring the mansion site but I think my daughter was as disapointed as I was. All we were able to find was the carved stone fountain half way between the stables and the mansion - obviously dragged from its spot in the stable yard, but then left and abandoned for reasons unknown.
We also scraped soil away from a portion of the conservatory floor and found the mosaic.
One of your contributors mentioned ghosts but didn't mention the most famous one - the Green Ghost, who saw him, under what circumstances etc.
I have lots of memories of the "mansion" and am expecting a container to arrive here soon, with photographs of the ruin before it vanished - if anyone is interested in copies of the photos please let me know.
Regards
Tony waters
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fuchsia
Guest
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Posted: Thu Mar 18th, 2010 06:57 pm |
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Hi Mark, so you have joined the club!! A very generous and interesting array of photographs.
An Ancestor of mine was a gardener at Milner in 1883, before emigrating to Canada and America.
Last September I was escorted around the grounds by a knowledgable gentleman.
but Mark- please please please do not clean up the mosaics, keep them covered and disguised by the natural debris-young bikers crash through this area and the mosics need to be a 'secret'.
It would be wonderful if the money could be found to save and restore them before they are lost...Fuschia
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Highlander
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Posted: Sun Mar 14th, 2010 12:14 pm |
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Hi John - The photo you took of the ruins in the 60's is very interesting. I used to play in the ruins as a child during the late 70's & early 80's and it is fascinating to see how it has deteriorarted.
I am new to the forum. I now live in NE Scotland but grew up and lived in Eldwick and Gilstead for 30 years. My Grandad was born at Milnerfield Farm and my relations still farm it today.
My grandad used to say the Home Guard used the Milnerfield ruins during WWII for Grenade Practice!
One of my Grandad's best pals used to deliver milk to the big house, and I remember my grandad recalling a tale about his friend having a ghostly experience on the carriage drive - but I guess ghost stories are two a penny about "the big house"!
Cheers
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johnirwin
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Posted: Mon Feb 22nd, 2010 09:38 am |
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Hi Chris - that's fine, no problem re using the photograph.
John
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ghilblispyder
Guest
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Posted: Sun Feb 21st, 2010 04:36 pm |
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Hi John, I was very interested to see your photo of Milner Field circa 1960. This to some extent collaborates what Mr King, Salts Manager in the 1970's told me about the demise of the house. Can I ask would you be willing to allow me the use of your photograph to illustrate my research of Gothic Revival houses in West Yorkshire, something I have spent over 30 years researching.
Regards Chris
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johnirwin
Guest
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Posted: Sun Feb 21st, 2010 03:18 pm |
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I took the attached photo in 1960 of the old house - there wasn't much left of it then and it was obviously in a dangerous condition. If you compare the photo with the drawing at http://www.ribapix.org/image.php?i=18894&r=2&t=4&x=1 then you can see that the broken arch in the foreground is the entrance arch to the area in front of the house.
Attachment: Salts House - Milnerfields 1960 c.jpg (Downloaded 87 times)
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podibot
Guest
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Posted: Mon Feb 2nd, 2009 12:31 pm |
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Hi there,  as far as I know the great organ was sold & shipped to the USA, I have a for sale document for The Milner Fields estate in 1929 but it was unsold, as I have said in my articles on this web site that North Lodge, Milner fields farm, 95 acres and water rights are owned by `The Hartley Property Trust` & they also own so other houses in Saltaire its self as well as the rose garden. My Sally & the Wardrobe children story is set in no 4a Victoria terrace but there is n`t a house of that no, the Hartlye trust own the terrace & have let me use their row of houses in my story 
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BaldyBiker
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Posted: Fri Jan 30th, 2009 06:11 pm |
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Going out on a limb here. Please correct me if I'm wrong -
Sir J Roberts had 4 sons and 2 daughters. One son drowned very young whilst on holiday. 2 more sons died young. 4th son enlisted and went to war and came back from france wounded.
(I would be interested to find the names of Sir James 6 children)
This part I know to be true but cannot at present reveal my source as I am presently writing a piece.
One daughter i know nothing about but the other - After schooling in Switzerland was due to marry a Polish Count. She decided instead to elope to S Africa with and marry an army Doctor in the medical corps.
After the birth of her first child - a daughter she returned to England, living down in the south.
On his return from WW1 and shell shocked, her husband, in the knowledge that she was having an affair shot dead his wifes lover - a major. He wasn't hanged as was suggested but spent 20 years in a lunatic asylum for the criminally insane.
A later owner of M Field was involved in a golfing accident in which a wound inflicted with a club turned gangrenous causing his death.
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BaldyBiker
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Posted: Fri Jan 30th, 2009 05:52 pm |
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Can i make a correction to a previous entry: T Salt Jnr wasn't discovered face down in the pond but died of a heart condition, albeit at only 44 years old.
Can I suggest that M Field wasn't neglected and left to ruin solely because of the unfortunate series of events that befell it but for mostly financial reasons. If we look around there are hundreds of large houses and mansions which were demolished in the 1950's.
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lu
Guest
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Posted: Sat Jan 24th, 2009 09:28 pm |
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| Hi.I am afraid that I am not from the USA, but live in Ireland, Yes, James Roberts and his family lived in the Knoll in the 1901 census. Thank you so much for replying!
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BaldyBiker
Guest
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Posted: Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 10:23 pm |
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BaldyBiker wrote: I have just deleted a previous picture and link from a few days ago. I inadvertently quoted the pic as Milner field taken just prior to demolition. I have just discovered today that it is in fact East Riddlesden Hall.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/baldybikerboy/2862943798/in/set-72157607322360546/
I am a little embarrassed to not have recognised the site at which i have personally taken pictures.
Last edited on Fri Jan 23rd, 2009 10:30 pm by
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podibot
Guest
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Posted: Thu Jan 22nd, 2009 12:54 pm |
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Hi there Susan, this is Peter who wrote the articles on the `Saltaire History site`about the north Lodge & the renovation it has gone through in the past year or so, I have been in touch with the Hartley property trust & Paul Cryan about the lodge & I am going to do a final article. If you want to meet me and have a talk about how it is living with so much history & intrest in your new place of residence, I will come & see you & put your views in the article.
you can answer on this site to arrange a meeting if you would like to
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DaveShaw
Moderator
| Joined: | Fri Oct 13th, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 153 |
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Posted: Wed Jan 21st, 2009 09:17 pm |
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I'm impressed by the detailed knowledge being revealed in these exchanges - congratulations on the excellent research.
I also read that lu is a descendant of Sir James Roberts. That's exciting news.
Some of us have contact with one of his descendants, currently living in Florence.
Could I invite lu to email me via historyclub@saltairevillage.info. We are anxious to develop our knowledge of Sir James and his family. The stabilising of the situation at the Mill in the 1890s, and then its later development under Sir James, deserves to be thoroughly documented.
Best regards
Dave
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ghilblispyder
Guest
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Posted: Wed Jan 21st, 2009 08:51 pm |
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| Hi, I began researching Milner Field in 1976 and have a huge file, copy deeds, plans architects elevations, cartoons for the stained glass and dozens of photographs. Salts were a working mill still is those days and Milner Feild was a very private place with no official public access. They kindly gave me a written pass with unlimited access for a period of one year. I have compiled the histories of all the major Gothic Revival houses in the old West Riding. I believe you have mentioned the Knoll, this was built for Charles Stead a partner in Salts Mill. I believe James Roberts lived there before he acquired Milner Field. I have a record of a Mary Maude Roberts as living there in 1902 or 1903, I do not have the exact file to hand, I believe she was his daughter. I have been in contact with a descendant of James Robert in the U. S. A. Are you the same person?
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lu
Guest
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Posted: Wed Jan 21st, 2009 08:31 pm |
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Thank you so much for the info on Milner House...I am a descendant of James Roberts, and have been trying to find out some of its history..many thanks again
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ghilblispyder
Guest
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Posted: Tue Jan 20th, 2009 08:56 am |
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The estate comprises 162acres 3roods 30perches, or it did in 1868, that included the Milner Field farm. The house had its own fresh water supply and filtration beds. Was built with cavity walls, the shell of the house took two years to build, had Burt and Potts wrought iron window frames throughout, the contractors were Shaftoe and Barry of York. The owners of the estate had upon payment of certain tithes, the use of two pews in Bingley Parish Church.
It was not a country house as it is some times described. It was a big house with a big garden. It had no supporting estate to maintain its upkeep, which had by the 1870s in country house terms risen to a factor of the purchase price, X 35 years of an estates income before the capitol outlay could be expected to have been repaid. This was largely due to new money clamoring to buy landed estates.
Harris designed only two other known country houses, Bedstone Court in Shropshire was built in the 1880s for Ripley the Bradford dyer a friend and neighbor of Salt the elder at Lightcliffe, little doubt Milner Field swayed him in his choice of architect. The other was Stokesay Court Shropshire circa 1889 for a partner in Dents Glove makers, in this instance Bedstone Court was possibly basis for Harris been chosen as architect.
Current time is 09:53 am
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ghilblispyder
Guest
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Posted: Mon Jan 19th, 2009 09:43 pm |
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Here is a brief history of the ownership of Milner Field. Titus Salt senior purchased the estate which is made up of the Milner Field Estate and the Stubbing House Estate and other parcels of land on the 27th March 1868 from the Honorable Arthur Duncombe for £21,000. On the 8th July 1869 Salt senior conveyed the estates to Titus Salt younger. On the 1st of March 1872 about the date the house was completed, Titus the younger mortgaged Milner Field to various members of his wife's family, the Crossleys of Halifax. This was probably a mortgage on convenience to protect the house from creditors should the family firm fail. It is unlikely that Salts were a limited liability company then. The Salts took up residence at Milner Field in 1870 although the house was yet totally finished. Catherine Salt lived at Milner Field until 1903 when she moved to Denton Park. She sold Milner Field to James Roberts that year.on the 8th of April. James Roberts lived there until he relinquished in interests in Salts and Saltaire in 1918. The house was conveyed to the firm and its next occupant was Mr Ernest Gates MD of Salts, resided there until his death on the 21st of April 1921. Next occupier, Mr R. A. Hollins MD of Salts. He lived there until his death in 1929. There had been attempts to sell the estate as early as 1922. A later sale catalogue shows the estate divided up into individual building plots but that came to nothing as well. The house was not lived in again. By the time of WWII it was in a state of disrepair. During the war it was robbed of slate and timer to repair the Mills and village as building materials were in short supply. The staircase was removed and is in the mill offices. By 1959/60 it was a ruin and was dismantled.
It is still owned by Illingworth Morris , successors to Salts.
Other interesting notes. The architect Thomas Harris was the first person ever to apply the word "Victorian" to architecture. This he did in a pamphlet he wrote in 1860. Becoming known as "Victorian" Harris. The kitchen, an octagon is based on the medieval Abbott's kitchen at Glastonbury Abbey.
Last edited on Mon Jan 19th, 2009 09:45 pm by
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