This informal performance event will feature a combination of music and storytelling… Eddie Lawler, “the bard of Saltaire”, will perform a selection of his own original songs, focusing particularly on watery ones such as “Bradford Beck” and “Bradford Canal”, and showcasing a brand new song, “Little Beck”. In case you’re wondering, Little Beck is a very short tributary river that flows into the River Aire up at Hirst Wood, after flowing down through the overgrown grounds of Milner Field — the ruined mansion near Gilstead built by Titus Salt Jr. (who had the beck dammed to create boating lake for his guests). Meanwhile, I (Steve Bottoms) will be interspersing Eddie’s songs with a selection of stories and ‘spoken word’ material, all relating to places along the way between Saltaire mill village and Milner Field (via the Aire, the canal, Little Beck and Loadpit Beck). Salt’s Waters is a one-off, ‘work in progress’ presentation of material currently being developed for a downloadable audio guide of the same title, which will take listeners on a looped tour from Saltaire to Milner Field and back.
We hope you can join us!
I wish I’d been here for the Saltaire Festival – and I’d love to see your films about Bradford Beck (The Mucky Beck, my mother always called it). I was born in Bradford, my father in Shipley, and I’m staying in Saltaire for the Christmas season. Just stumbled across your web site when trying to find where the Beck enters the River Aire, or if it still does.
Marlene — Santa Cruz, California