SALFORD BUILDING BOOM + URBAN REGENERATION | A visual tour 2000-2022
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ก.ค. 2024
- #salfordquays #gnomeisland #ManchesterArchitecture
In this video we go on a tour around Salford Quays looking at some of the stunning views, new construction and architectural landmarks along the way. We witness the continuing building boom in the Quays though with significant loss of heritage.
0:00 Introduction from AidanEyewitness
0:30 Arrival in Salford Quays
1:24 Trafford Road Bridge
3:20 X1 apartments and the Dock office
4:05 Furness House
5:45 Building skeletons to be demolished
6:40 Cranes scrapped
7:46 At the heart of the Quays
8:30 Panorama Lowry opening 2000
9:30 Along Trafford Wharf
10:30 The Gnomes of Gnome Island
11:00 Closing sequence of images
What are the main landmarks? And which elements of Salford Quays heritage have been lost? Certain assets were unfortunately not saved as they should have been. We visit the heart of the Quays the Lowry shopping centre, the Lowry arts centre, the Imperial War Museum north and more.
I give a mention to another attraction at the Quays which I can personally recommend - www.simulator-adventures.com. It's the full-motion simulator where you can fly an Airbus A320 under the supervision of an experienced pilot.
I have a special photo I took on the opening night of the Lowry in 2000. It shows the newly completed building from a vantage point at the top of the multi-storey car park. We can see the site of Media City UK, at that time empty and used for car parking. The view is blocked since the construction of the Digital World Centre.
We look at some images I took in the winter of 2020 when the buildings looked excellent in the blue sky and reflected in the calm water.
We complete our tour along Trafford Wharf. Unfortunately, the Manchester Ship Canal Cruise doesn't complete the full journey from Liverpool to Salford Quays any more. I lament the lack of ships on the ship canal but at least there are small pleasure boats.
We pay a visit to the gnomes who reside on Gnome Island. No one knows how they got there, but they look happy.
In the closing sequence, I display some more of the many photos of Salford Quays I've taken over the years.
The music used in this video was selected by me from the TH-cam Audio Library
Dulce Reggaeton by An Jone
Tropic Fuse by French Fuse
Positive Fuse by French Fuse
Island Dream by Chris Haugen
All great pieces of music in my opinion.
Some photos displayed are at a lesser resolution as they were taken on older digital cameras or scanned from film at lower resolution.
If you'd like prints of any of the photos featured in this video, please get in contact.
![เจ้าผู้เดียว - ดิด คิตตี้ [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/q0NLCYKBOTo/mqdefault.jpg)
Please post your comments and observations. I can usually reply straight away. If I don't I will reply sooner or later! Please subscribe if you haven't done so already. Many thanks for watching!
It looks amazing what a transformation
It certainly is quite a transformation and the changes continue to evolve. Many thanks for your comment :)
Revolutionary turnaround for this formerly derelict unloved dockland providing thousands of jobs and homes As well As tenis of millions to the ONCE squint Salford Council coffer. The transformation of Salford is in fact one of Europe's biggest, most successful urban endeavours. THX
Wow, that is a great vote of confidence for Salford Quays. If it really is one of Europe's biggest and most successful endeavours - and I'm sure you're right - then more people need to shout about it - including Salford Council themselves! I am happy to do my bit! Many thanks for your comment!
Great video Aidan. I used to work in the ‘Dock Office’ for the Manchester Ship Canal Company from 1970 for around 20 years and it was in serious decline then ! But the residential and business regeneration, Metrolink and the Media companies have made it a success because it could have remained a wasteland for years and years couldn’t it …? Thank you, Aidan 👍🏻
Thanks for the positive feedback. This video hasn’t performed as well as I’d have liked so glad to receive praise. I love it when people say they worked in this or that building I’ve featured. Salford Council had a development plan in place in the 80s so that’s why it has developed so significantly. Compare to the docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey, now Wirral Waters, they are only being properly redeveloped now, subject of an upcoming video. Many thanks for your comment.
thankyou aidan for another excellent video.
future historical documents x
Thanks for your comment, very much appreciated. Yes that's partly whi I do it, I want to capture and record for the future.
I visited Salford quays not long after having been in London. It gave me a similar feeling to canary wharf although obviously on a much smaller scale. It is turning into an impressive modern area in my opinion, however much like canary wharf it feels alien to some of the surroundings. I wish more of the old dock buildings were preserved and renovated like what is happening in Liverpool rather than a complete change from the past ,however, with barely any standing anymore I do feel that the only way forward is to impress with its moderness. I just hope it doesn't get too messy
Yes it's striking how there are almost no buildings at all left from the dock period, but maybe they were just all functional buildings, unlike the more ornate buildings that can be seen in the dock areas of Liverpool and Cork. There was a huge grain silo where the Anchorage building is now. It wouldn't have been a very usable structure to retain. The new building is similar in size and mass. I will continue to watch the developments in Salford Quays with interest and will do another video when the time is right. Many thanks!
I remember the docks when I was a kid in the early 60s, what a playground they were. Used to come home with all kinds of exotic stuff but had to dodge the dock police which was a challenge. Shame they couldn't survive the change in shipping methods and really fell into such decline. So, whatever replaced the dereliction was bound to be better. As part of my Geography degree in 1988 we visited Salford Quays and I remember asking an executive at one of the first office buildings if Salford Quays would ever join up with Manchester city centre and the answer was an emphatic NO but fast forward 30 odd years and it's happening. Great video, great commentary and nice to see a record of development. Keep up the good work Aidan.
It's always fascinating to hear people's memories of places from childhood. My main memory is the visit to Grampus, I remember it so well, queuing up on Trafford Wharf, climbing into the hatch and down the stairs, the smell of fuel oil, the bunks with girlie pictures next to them - the first I'd every seen! The periscope, torpedo bays, it was quite an experience! I love the scenes of the Docks in the film 'A Taste of Honey'. Many thanks for your encouragement. I hope to build my channel to a higher level, your comments really help.
I stayed there recently and liked it . Yes would have been nice to see some ships moored up as a nod to the docks history .
Many thanks! I think Salford Quays is great, but yes, it needs more boats and ships!
Enjoyed this video. I do think that overall the transformation has been positive and there is much hope for the future. I am particularly excited for MediaCityUK phase 2.
I think I would agree, overall Salford Quays has developed very well indeed. It could be better in some ways but nowhere is perfect! I'll be watching the development of MediaCityUK phase 2 with great interest!
Love the video Aidan, thanks for sharing. In my opinion it's a shame that the history of the docks and the ship canal are not celebrated.
Well there were some historical projects and I’ve seen displays by the water about the history of the docks but they don’t seem very noticeable today and the loss of Furness House and the cranes sends out a negative message. There would be no Salford Quays if the city fathers and merchants had not decided in the late 19th century to build the canal and docks. Many thanks!
Great video as always Aidan, not a fan of a lot of the architecture of the quays. It feels very bland and boxy with little regard to the heritage before. But there are some gems such as the alchemist, imperial war museum and the apartment blocks I can only describe as 3 sails.
The apartment building you are referring to is Sovereign Point, it is at the right hand end of the Lowry shopping centre when looking from the Trafford Wharf side. Yes, I agree with you about those special buildings, they are great, but there are others that are less memorable. It's interesting to look my photo of the Creek in Dubai, with various innovative buildings on the other side. I think Salford quays should have more of those. Many thanks for your comment.
Hi and thanks, Aidan Eyewitness for sharing. You raise an essential question. How can we save the rich heritage in architecture and also modernize the city simultaneously??? I was amazed by your collection of photographs from old-time which evidently let us visualize between now and then. I like black & white photographs in which they cannot fabricate the image by colors. I like historical buildings, but the reality in use conflicts with building safety codes, utility efficiency, and public opinions from my perspective. JP has very strict building regulations, so many old buildings were demolished instead of repurposed, but new contemporary construction. If you have a chance to revisit JP again, you may check old and traditional carpentry which some traditional houses are built relatively, without nails. Those skills are rare in a craftsman's work. 'Origami" roof is a unique way to describe it. 🤣
Maybe gnomes on Gnome Island are telling us something?---10;44.
Well done and keep coming. Sincerely newbie🙋♀🙋♀🛶🛶
Many thanks for your insightful comments. I live traditional Japanese architecture and Japanese gardens like the ones I saw in Kyoto. By the way there is a Japanese garden in Trafford, near Salford Quays. I think the gnomes are saying ‘Be happy!” Salford Quays and Manchester in general needs to become more Japanese!
@@AidanEyewitness I would love to visit there someday.
BTW, no worry about the late response to my comments. Everybody is busy nowadays and usually, my comment is tooooo long.🤣🤣🙋♀🙋♀🛶🛶
Another cracking video Aidan, somehow I didn’t know the cranes had gone, or Sam Platts for that matter, thankfully I got a few photos of Platts a few years ago, it was closed then which was a shame because it was a decent place to go after the match, not been to one of those for a long while either, priced out by, in the words of Roy Keane, the “ Prawn Sandwich Brigade “. Who never fill the seats as they’re for showing off to their clients from time to time.
There’s definitely too much of the heritage of the docks gone and changing the name to the Quays will make out of town visitors believe it’s Manchester and not Salford even more, and I’m a Manc.
That’s a good point - it disassociates the area from Salford. I always find out lots of new things when I research these videos. I vaguely knew about Sam Platt’s and assumed Furness house was going to be restored. One can’t help wondering if these unnamed ‘issues’ with the concrete skeletons of Furness House and the Custom House were that it was too much trouble to restore and would reduce the profit margin of the developer. I don’t know if that’s true. Many thanks!
When we were kids we used to watch the ships coming down the ship canal and waited for the Trafford road swing bridge to open to let ships into the Pomona Dock and of course we would jump on when it was closing, I've seen so many changes in Manchester/Salford/Trafford, back in the 80s they tried to blow up two massive silos but failed and they had to be demolished by ball and chain
Those memories of the ships on the canal are definitely golden memories! There is a scene in A Taste of Honey where the guy walks onto the bridge as it's moving, but I think it was Barton swing bridge. I wasn't aware that they had trouble blowing up the silos. They were built to last - like the canal! I didn't live near the canal but I remember going with my mum to visit the Royal Navy submarine Grampus that visited the Docks in 1966. That was an experience!
@@AidanEyewitness Brilliant, how many people can say I live 35 miles from the sea but a submarine came down the canal and we saw it, it was an amazing please, and media City still is, I think it's what makes Manchester/Salford unique
@@mikeriordan6940 Yes I agree totally!
Another interesting and well done video. It's great to see that they've incorporated the Walter Kershaw mural into the electronic ad screen. Hopefully they kept the original behind the screen. I'm actually a fan of these electronic displays because they add visual interest to an area (something I harp on about constantly). The chain artwork is cool. The swing bridge reminds me of the one in Newcastle. Probably from the same era. I like your atmospheric photo of it. I love the gnome island. It's always good to see things that ad humour and levity to an environment.
Many thanks and again 100% in agreement. I’m not sure if the mural is still there behind the electronic display. It had already become faded and weathered. I think it is quite different to the one on the display and I’m not sure if they are by the same artist. I wouldn’t mind seeing one of my photos on the display. I had a short video snippet displayed on a screen on Oxford Road but was removed to make way for a new MMU building a long time ago. Thanks as ever for the three comments and more wordy than just ‘cool vid’!
Enjoyed your video again. I remember when nobody would touch the docks because it was run down. Some of the buildings are just like blobs of uninteresting concrete. Our Planning department don’t care anymore. Such a shame
Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks as ever for the comment. Yes, the docks after closure were a wasteland for quite a few years. I'll never forget a remark by a reader of my old Eyewitness site talking about Castlefield before it was renovated. He said it was "a place full of rats and other vermin and not just four-legged ones." Things are different today!
You make a very good argument for calling the area "The Salford Quays" rather than the "Quays". When the photo of the Dock Office appeared my first reaction was "wow" so when you said it had "wow factor" I couldn't have been more in agreement. So good to see it was preserved. Furness House is a rare example of a 60's building that isn't an eyesore. Shame it was torn down. Same with the cranes. While it would be difficult to say they're beautiful, they do add visual interest (wish I could find another word for this) and context to the location. It's something I've pondered a lot. What are the elements that make buildings and developments as a whole, desirable in the long term?
I agree with all the points you’ve made. Interesting how ‘the’ is used or not used. The normal usage is Salford Quays with no ‘the’ but the Quays with ‘the’. Hudson Yards has no ‘the’ and ‘the Yards’ doesn’t sound right at all! I spend a lot of my time teaching English language learners when to use ‘the’ and when not to! Many thanks as ever for your thoughtful comments.
The developers plan for Furness House was to build apartments inside and three stories on top of the original still standing shell but further examination into the core of the structure reveiled some rusting steel rebar which would have meant a lot of work and money to strengthen the structure, this along with rising costs generally make the scheme unviable so it will be demolished and a new similar building put in it's place.
Salford Quays is a very nice area of Salford, probably the best area. I like where it is going; a media, technology, entertainment and shopping hub. I wish businesses and these large companies would still correctly refer to themselves being located in Salford; we are our own city and by choosing to identify your location as Manchester, you are adding to the problem that is Salford's lack of recognition on a national scale.
It isn't quite perfect. The Lowry Outlet, or Quayside as it is now known, lacks decent shops, at least in my opinion - the variety does not come close to say The Trafford Centre just around the corner.
I also think The Lowry Arts theatre is starting to show its age; it's appearance slipping behind the surroundings, despite staying original and true. The same can be said for the Imperial War Museum just across the canal; the metallic appearance definitely looks dated especially when compared to the nearby buildings at MediaCity.
And about those cranes, it annoys me that they could not be revitalised and renovated since they were quite iconic - and it annoys me more that there is nothing in their place to honour the legacy of the quays (docks).
Excellent video, it's great to hear about more development coming to this incredible gem of Greater Manchester.
Many thanks for your comments, much appreciated. Yes, I was in the, what is it called now? - Quayside outlet recently and I noticed a lot of empty shop units. Not sure what’s gone wrong there. Yes, I know what you mean about the appearance of the Lowry and Imperial War Museum, I’m not sure what can be done about that. As for the Salford/Manchester issue, that’s another story!
The phenomenon of relatively new buildings being replaced is an interesting one. Thomas Heatherwick, one of my favourite architects, addresses it in this TED talk - th-cam.com/video/bhb0P5GGpys/w-d-xo.html. He says that we're living in an epidemic of architectural boringness and that when we don't love buildings we're more likely to demolish them. Of course there's more going on here. The buildings that are replacing the one's from the 80's are taller, which in many ways is a good thing. I'd rather see taller buildings being built than pristine countryside being developed. Also, higher urban density usually increases the vibrancy of an area. I think the buildings in the "Quays" are a mixed bag. Some are bland boxes while others have merit. With the technology and capabilities we have today, we have the least excuse of any generation, to build things that aren't desirable and aren't valued in the long term.
I agree 100%. Very good choice of words. Salford Quays was decidedly low-rise in its early days but it is slowly and ‘undecisively’ becoming more high-rise.
Can you do a video on the developments so far and future for Birmingham? There is a lot.
That’s a great idea. I am planning to go on a visit or two to Birmingham. I have a small number of old photos I’ve taken. It’s on the list! A few years ago I took the ‘now’ photos for the book ‘Birmingham Then and Now’ that was really interesting.
@@AidanEyewitness I was I was in a position to do that too. Haven't been back to Birmingham or Manchester in years. You did the Birmingham Then and Now book? I have that book! It upsets me greatly. I feel a real visceral loss for anything needlessly bulldozed in the first few post war decades.
the stockport link canal ..no loch's marvel of engineering, all still their, bridges , factory rears where docks were (under tarmac ofc) just needs digging up!!! from nelstrops to manchester....so much low cost housing, and if actually done right......
That's an excellent idea - It starts in Gorton at the junction with the A57 and extends south through Reddish, behind Houldsworth Mill. It would be fantastic to restore it but no doubt in today's world, it would cost a fortune and take about 30 years to get finished. The new station in Cheadle which has finally been approved (actually there was a station there but it closed in 1917) took about ten years to go through the process. It will be just a single platform, a bus shelter and a small car park but it took that long! I wonder if there is a group interested in re-opening the Stockport Link Canal?
@@AidanEyewitness it goes through gorton and all the way to the link , in openshaw and joins the manchester / ashton.. so it could be functional and usfull as well as fully connected to the network..the bridge and opening is still their. and about 50 feet surviving canal., theirs still the "secret pond" remaining, 90% supposedly survives just filled inn. i dont know, if theirs a group, seems a crying shame. (while they use funding for blackout monstrosity's.) the trees are all still their lol, put some elecric charge points along the toe path and be manchesters first step to rechargable electric boats, dont forget, no locks, some compulsory purchase, but quite low cost id have thought., and the one success we've seen over the years are the waterways / canals, seems a no brainer.
Maybe Salford quays to the quays is a slow burner to Manchester quays -It will always be Salford to me 👍🏼
The name Salford isn't as well known as Manchester. I was disappointed that video didn't get as many views as I was expecting. I really like Salford Quays. Many thanks for your comment.
There is one thing I do disagree with; that the Quays is for young people. Although I’ll concede that the demographic is on the younger side, there is also a surprising number of more mature people who have also made the Quays their home. For example I’m 60 and live in the Quays, and in my apartment complex there are a good number of people in the 50 plus age group that also live there.
Yes, that's a fair point, I know a few people of older vintage who live in the Quays. But as you walk around, you get the impression in the summer at least, young people dominate, at least out on the roads and public areas and as I saw, on and next to the water. There are very few 'oldies' (like me - I'm 64, though beneath the surface, I'm a youngie!) sitting next to the water sunbathing or taking part in watersports! My videos are often 'impressions' videos, I like to walk around and get a feel for a place, but it's also possible to get the wrong impression. Many thanks for pointing this out!
I used to work there in the 80s.
It was earthy but genuine. Now it's a poncy, post modernist shit hole. (in my opinion).
I despise 'daring' modernity.
No, I don’t think Salford Quays is very earthy nowadays!