Saltaire United Reformed Church: One of Yorkshire's most visited churches hosting mausoleum for one of Victorian Britain’s richest entrepreneurs

For the latter he commissioned and paid for a distinctive church immediately opposite what became known at Salts Mill.

Now a Grade I-listed building, the church was designed in the Italianate Classical style by the Bradford architects of Lockwood and Mawson, who were also responsible for the city’s Wool Exchange and St. George’s Hall.

When completed in 1859 it was known as Saltaire Congregational Church. The name change to United Reformed Church came 1972 following a merger with the Presbyterian Church of England.

The entrance is beneath an imposing portico supported by six unfluted Corinthian columns and topped by a tower and cupola.

The interior’s most notable features are two magnificent chandeliers of ormolu and cut glass, originally gas-lit but later converted to electricity. Extra roof trusses were required to support their weight.

During Storm Dennis in February 2020 the church suffered significant damage, including a partial collapse of the ceiling, and a year later architects awarded contracts for extensive repairs.

The church has become one of the most visited in West Yorkshire. The Salts family mausoleum is on the south side of the building and accessible from the nave by a door to the side of the altar.

A beautifully carved white angel stands over the vault in which Sir Titus Salt was interred in 1876 followed in 1893 by his wife, Lady Caroline Salt.