A new champagne commemorating historic Salts Mill has made a sparkling start.

The Telegraph & Argus reported last week how the Salts Mill champagne had been launched to mark the dawn of the new Millennium.

And staff at the mill, whose founder banned pubs from the village he built up around it, say the new bubbly has been selling well.

Made by top French producer Remy Massin, the £29 a bottle champagne features Bradford-born artist David Hockney's famous picture of the mill on the label and is available at Salts Diner in the mill.

Salts Diner manager Nigel Kay said: "It's selling very well so far.

"We've only been selling it for a few days but between Boxing Day and New Year we sold about 50 which was a lot better than we expected.

"We've had a lot of customers coming in who love the mill and have said what a good idea they think it is.''

Many people believe Sir Titus Salt's model mill village was a 'dry' community and he was a fanatical advocate of abstinence but in fact Salt enjoyed a drink himself and actually served wine to the 3,750 people at the dinner staged to mark the mill's opening in 1853.

It is thought he banned pubs as they were the centre of 19th century political debate and he wanted to control any debate by having it in one of his own buildings.

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