Residents in Saltaire can now home in on information which reveals who has previously lived in their property - as far back as 1861.

Using information from the National Censuses carried out during the latter part of the 19th century, Saltaire Tourist Information Centre can provide detailed information about any Victorian household in the model mill village.

The fascinating insight into life in the village built by Sir Titus Salt is attracting interest from residents past and present as well as from visitors and people whose ancestors once lived there.

Although the scheme is still in its infancy it has already generated interest from as far away as New Zealand and Canada.

And it has also captured the imagination of Shipley MP Chris Leslie, who lives in a former mill worker's cottage in Saltaire.

TIC manager Anne Heald said the idea for making the information available stemmed from questions asked about the area's Victorian inhabitants by visitors enjoying guided walks run by Saltaire Village Society and the personal curiosity of regular guide and tourism expert Maria Glot.

She unearthed the identity of the 1881 occupants of her Daisy Place home through society chairman and local historian Clive Woods' census research.

She discovered that 120 years ago her house, then a grocer's shop, was home to 36-year-old Cleckheaton-born grocer and tinner Sam Swift, his wife and their four children as well as his father and a domestic servant.

The information - presented on parchment-style manuscripts and priced at £3.50 per sheet - lists those who lived in the houses at the time of a particular census, as well as their ages, occupations, places of birth and relationships with the household heads.

Mrs Heald said: "We're already sending information out all over the UK and as far as Canada, South Africa, Austria, New Zealand and Australia.

"People want to know who lived in their house but we've also had lots of requests from people who either used to live or work in the village themselves before moving away or who have ancestors who did.

"People can choose from the 1871, 1881 or 1891 censuses - some of the older houses are also on the 1861 census and from next year information from the 1901 one will be available.''

Ms Glot said: "I think a lot of people feel very proud to have links with something that was relatively unique at the time and this really does provide a fascinating window into the past.

"People must often wonder who lived in their house all those years ago and many will think the only information surviving from that time will be about the rich or those who made a mark but this is about ordinary people who lived and worked in Saltaire.

"One of the really fascinating things is to see where people came from to live here - they came from all over the country with Sam Swift's mother, for example, coming from Norwich.

"What we'd really like now is for anyone with photos of these people to come forward so we can perhaps put some faces to the names.''

Chris Leslie, who lives in a cottage on Whitlam Street when not in London, said: "It sounds like a very innovative idea and gives people a connection to their place in history.

"It's certainly aroused my curiosity - I'd love to know who used to live in my house.''

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.