Emily Parkin's book brings Titus Salt to life for youngsters

The filth, the dirt, the fleas.

These slums are overcrowded. It absolutely reeks.

Cos all of you share just one loo that’s not been cleaned for weeks!’

As Bradford’s new mayor, textile manufacturer Sir Titus Salt was appalled by the grime and poor sanitation that typified mid-19th century Bradford. Recognising the poor living standards that people suffered, he devised a plan to create a beautiful village alongside a huge textile mill, away from the smog of the town.

The tale of how that community developed is told in ‘Titus Salt’, a children’s book written and illustrated by artist and designer Emily Parkin, who lives in Saltaire, the village that bears his name.

The delightful tale, told in rhyme, traces the development of Saltaire, with it’s characterful terraced streets named after Salt's family members, the architects who masterminded the design, as well as popular plants and flowers.

‘Sit Titus started planning,

Warm houses with small yards,

An outside loo, a chair or two, a table to play cards.’

Emily has previously penned short stories and articles, but this is the first book that she has written and illustrated.

“The writing came before the artwork, but while writing, I had strong images in my mind of how each section of the story would look,” she says.

Emily has always been creative, a product of her upbringing in Suffolk, and later Emley near Huddersfield.

“I was always surrounded by books and art. My dad is a writer and, at that time, was also a lecturer in creative writing. My mum was a teacher and my older brother an artist,” she says.

“I always loved getting involved with anything creative - drawing, painting, writing, sculpting, music etc, and dreamed of becoming an artist. After university I taught art and design in secondary school for nine years before making the decision to work as a freelance artist.”

Since moving to Saltaire 12 years ago Emily has been fascinated by the unusual history, and the beautiful architecture of the World Heritage Site.

“I create collages, marquetry pieces, prints and wooden houses based on these beautiful buildings, but wanted to express more than just the images of them, I wanted to delve into their stories,” she says.

“The illustrations were created by first printing pages of textured, coloured papers which would convey the feel and depth of a particular material - wood, cobbles, trees, hair, skin and so on. I then cut up the papers, usually freehand, and positioned them into large collages. The finished collages were then propped up in a light tent so I could photograph them without light or shadow effecting the image. The images were then transferred digitally to edit the page and add the text.”

Emily has been overwhelmed by the positive responses and reviews people have given.

“The page which has triggered the most lively and interested response has been, by far, the poo page,” she laughs.

‘The sanitation’s dreadful here. Look, poo floats in the gutter!

We can’t keep clean, the muck’s obscene,

Our children wheeze and splutter.’

She says: “In 1840's Bradford the combination of overcrowding and lack of toilets led to toilet waste being strewn into the streets ttracting rats and even pigs.”Titus addressed issues of sanitation by providing more toilets, and a wash house. The leisure time of the workers was also catered for as he designed and built a music hall, a church and a park.

The village was named after Titus and the River Aire, along which it sits.

“To ensure accuracy in all the historical information, I worked closely with the Saltaire World Heritage Education Association,” says Emily.

A number of schools in the district are using the book as a teaching aid when learning about history in Yorkshire, the Victorians, and the building of Saltaire.

“The book also includes developments in Bradford at the time and how immigration played an important part in increasing its workforce to expand and improve production, which can open up conversations to explain the multicultural make-up of the city today

Plans are underway to turn the story and illustrations into a short narrated animation and audio book.

“The shifts in the book from domestic settings, industrial workplaces, natural surroundings, people, and history, really lend themselves to a rich and nostalgic soundtrack,” says Emily.

“We’re all getting very excited about reproducing sounds of alpacas munching, buckets sloshing, and machines clanging and whirring. We would eventually love to show the finished animation in Salts Mill where the story is based.”

Emily is also working on a series of fun history picture books designed for the younger audience.

“They are linked by focussing on interesting historical figures or stories associated with a specific town or village. The books bring to life the struggles and stories of real people and aim to re-tell the history of the area by highlighting people or places that aren’t always in the limelight.

"I am now in the process of researching the history of Anne Lister, also known as Gentleman Jack, of Shibden, and the unusual stories of giant pie making in Denby Dale.

I have such a passion for history and nostalgia of my surroundings. I hope my books will inspire young readers to take an interest in their local histories too.”

*Titus Salt by Emily Parkin is published by Biddles Books

*Instagram @emilyjparkin