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SALFORD
OLD TOWN HALL stands on Bexley Square. Its neo-classical facade is a product
of the 18th century. When the present City of Salford came into being in
1974, it was decided to use Swinton Town Hall, renamed Salford Civic Centre,
as the main administrative centre of the new local authority. The old town
hall is now used as a court. EWM says: This photograph was taken on Sunday - On weekdays, this entrance is used by people attending court and legal professionals. |
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ANOTHER
FORMER BANK in the style of the 1930's now home of the Chapel Street Regeneration
Project. Just on the left can be seen the Old Town Hall, now court buildings. EWM says: The regeneration of the entire Chapel Street area is being co-ordinated from here - quite a task, but one which seems to be bearing fruit - slowly! |
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CHAPEL
STREET is a mixture of old and new - The Salford Cinema dates from around
1915, making it one of the oldest picture houses in the area. It is now
used by the New Harvest Christian Fellowship. Further along, on the other
side of the Trinity Way junction, a new apartment building is under construction.
An ad for picture mobile phones covers most of the frontage. EWM says: I have heard people make disparaging comments about this old cinema building, but I think it's remarkable that this fanciful, some would say kitschy piece of architecture from the post-Titanic era has survived. |
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THIS
VICTORIAN BUILDING off Chapel Street is in the style of Nichols School Ardwick
and provided dwellings for the poor. The building next door has been converted
into apartments. EWM says: Not so long ago, this was a forgotten back street. Now the area is slowly but surely being cleaned up and is becoming more and more integrated with Manchester city centre, just a quarter of a mile away across the River Irwell. |
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THRELFALL'S
BREWERY has been converted into offices. Here we see the former brewery
tower and its high chimney. Inside you'll now find high-tech offices and
advanced new industries. EWM says: Even after conversion, the exterior looks much the same as it has done for over 100 years. This tower remains a major landmark on the Manchester and Salford skyline, welcoming rail passengers to Manchester Victoria. |
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CHAPEL
STREET AND HOPE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH is on Chapel Street, near the junction
of New Bailey Street. EWM says: Though change is in progress all around, this unusual place of worship - it looks more like a private home - remains the same. |
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THE
LOWRY HOTEL, just off Chapel Street is the glitziest addition to the area.Built
on former vacant land and overlooking the once polluted River Irwell, the
hotel is now used by the rich and in a few cases famous. EWM says: 10 years ago no-one could have imagined a five star hotel on this site. The interior is cool, minimal and tasteful, but the view from the penthouse suite still isn't quite the Seine or the Thames! |
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SACRED
TRINITY CHURCH is a precious piece of 18th century Salford which has survived
into the 21st century. Lowry painted Trinity Church, as well as the building
with the cone-shaped roof on the right. Exchange Station, closed 1969, was
behind the church. Under Manchester Corporation's 1945 redevelopment plan,
Trinity Chuch was to have been demolished and a gigantic railway station
built on this site. EWM says: Lowry visiting today would be relieved to find this familiar old church still here, while many of the other churches he painted have disappeared. |
| IT MIGHT COME AS A SURPRISE TO MANY PEOPLE BUT AS WE CAN SEE, THE CHAPEL STREET AREA is rich in cultural, industrial, religious and architectural artefacts and deserves to become a prime location. It looks to be well on the way to that goal, but there is still a lot of work to do. This article is to be extended and added to, as Chapel Street changes and develops. Keep visiting Eyewitness in Manchester. All photos and articles ©Aidan O'Rourke |
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