Disappointed villagers today vowed to continue their bid to get Saltaire put on the same cultural footing as the Pyramids, despite being left off a Government list of proposed "wonders of the world".
Culture Secretary Chris Smith ended ten weeks of consultation by publishing a list of 32 sites recommended for nomination to the United Nations for World Heritage Site status over the next five to ten years. The list does not include historic Saltaire, whose inclusion is backed by Shipley MP Chris Leslie, Saltaire Village Society, tourism bosses, traders and Bradford Council.
Clive Woods, chairman of Saltaire Village Society, said: "We're somewhat disappointed but we won't give up and will be asking Chris Leslie to find out why we've been left off this list.
"If we're not on this list we'll start another campaign to get on the next one, even if it takes five or ten years.
"Saltaire's been here for more than 140 years so in terms of the length of time it's been around this is a setback but not a major setback. We wanted this status because Saltaire is one of the most important industrial archaeological sites in the world."
Mr Leslie could not be contacted but a spokesman for his office said: "I'm sure he'll be very disappointed and will obviously want to look at it further when he gets back."
Malcolm Gray, chairman of Saltaire Traders' Association, said: "It's a great disappointment that we haven't even been nominated, particularly as we understood that Chris Smith supported the application. It's a blow because this status would have given Saltaire the recognition it deserves but it won't deter us from continuing to make every effort to preserve and develop its unique status."
Anne Heald, manager of Saltaire Tourist Information Centre, said she was sure representations would be made in a bid to get the village included - "It is disappointing but I'm sure there'll be another chance."
Built by the Victorian industrialist Sir Titus Salt for his mill workers in the mid-19th century, and rejuvenated over the past decade by the late Jonathan Silver, Saltaire already attracts thousands of visitors a year.
The door could still be ajar for Saltaire after Mr Smith, who visited the village in May and said it was a "strong contender" for international recognition, said a major aim of the consultation period - which runs to October 30 - was to find out whether there had been any "important omissions".
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