Mike Laycock visited a mill with a difference - and took an unusual tram ride - during a trip to Saltaire

It's a vast building which was once part of West Yorkshire's mighty textiles industry and also played a key role in British social history. Its owner Sir Titus Salt was one of a distinguished gallery of philanthropic industrialists (which also included York's Rowntree family), who showed that they cared for their workers' welfare as well as their bank balances: Titus built his workforce a model village to live in near Shipley, calling it Saltaire.

Today Salts Mill now fulfils a different but equally important cultural role as a showcase for one of Britain's biggest living artists, David Hockney.

The artist's friend, Jonathan Silver, bought the dilapidated mill in the 1980s, restored it and turned into a giant art gallery for Hockney's paintings, drawings, photocollages and a myriad of other works.

I went with my family to the 1853 Gallery at the mill last Saturday in dismal weather, but the vast windows still flooded light into the cavernous long halls where the looms once thundered away.

As well as famous Hockney works, such as those ubiquitous swimming pool scenes, we saw a display of some of his latest creations, based around the themes of opera and the theatre. We also enjoyed drinks and cake in the cafe, surrounded by flowers and huge photographic prints of the Yorkshire countryside, and then had a look through the big range of books and prints on sale.

The children were less impressed than us by all this culture, and so it was time for a complete change of tack. We drove a mile or so to Shipley Glen, a wooded hillside where a bit of family fairground fun awaited.

We could have walked up the hill, but instead let the tram take the strain. No ordinary one but a cable-hauled tram that went hundreds of yards straight through the trees and up the hill. At the half-way point, another tram came past us in the other direction.

The tram ride has been there for more than a century, and the children thought it was great fun.

At the top, there was a mini-fairground, but sadly we had left it rather late and most of the limited range of attractions, including a helter skelter and a sort of circular chair-lift ride, had closed for the day. But we bought candy floss and had a go on the amusements before returning on the last tram of the day at 5pm, with a promise to the youngsters that we would return one day for a go on the rides.

FACT FILE

Salts Mill, Saltaire, Shipley

Open: Daily from 10am to 6pm.

Admission free. With disabled access.

Further information: Call 01274 531163.

Shipley Glen cable tramway Open Saturdays noon-5pm, Sundays from 11am-6pm.

Family return ticket: £2.

More information: 01274 589010.