Salford Quays is an area of
SalfordThe City of Salford , is a local government district of Greater Manchester, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Swinton, Walkden, Eccles, and Irlam which apart from...
in
Greater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.56 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and...
, England, near the end of the
Manchester Ship CanalThe Manchester Ship Canal is a long river navigation in North West England. Designed to give the city of Manchester direct access to the sea, it was built between 1887 and 1894 at a cost of about £15 million , and in its day was the largest navigation canal in the world.The canal generally...
. Previously the site of Salford Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in 1982.
In 2007 it was confirmed that the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
would be moving several of its departments to a new
Media Citymediacity:UK is a 0.82km² property development based on the media industry, located in Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. mediacity:uk is being developed by a partnership of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, Peel Holdings and Salford City Council...
, currently under construction on Pier 9.
Built by the Manchester Ship Canal Company,
Salford Docks were the larger of two sections which made up Manchester Docks; the other being
Pomona Docks to the east.
Salford Quays is an area of
SalfordThe City of Salford , is a local government district of Greater Manchester, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Swinton, Walkden, Eccles, and Irlam which apart from...
in
Greater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.56 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and...
, England, near the end of the
Manchester Ship CanalThe Manchester Ship Canal is a long river navigation in North West England. Designed to give the city of Manchester direct access to the sea, it was built between 1887 and 1894 at a cost of about £15 million , and in its day was the largest navigation canal in the world.The canal generally...
. Previously the site of Salford Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in 1982.
In 2007 it was confirmed that the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
would be moving several of its departments to a new
Media Citymediacity:UK is a 0.82km² property development based on the media industry, located in Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. mediacity:uk is being developed by a partnership of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, Peel Holdings and Salford City Council...
, currently under construction on Pier 9.
History
Built by the Manchester Ship Canal Company,
Salford Docks were the larger of two sections which made up Manchester Docks; the other being
Pomona Docks to the east. They were opened in 1894 by Queen Victoria and spanned of water and of land. At their height the Manchester Docks were the third busiest port in Britain, but due to containerisation and the limit placed on vessel size by the
ship canalThe Manchester Ship Canal is a long river navigation in North West England. Designed to give the city of Manchester direct access to the sea, it was built between 1887 and 1894 at a cost of about £15 million , and in its day was the largest navigation canal in the world.The canal generally...
, the docks declined swiftly during the 1970s.. The docks finally closed in 1982 resulting in the loss of 3,000 jobs.
In 1984
Salford City CouncilThe City of Salford , is a local government district of Greater Manchester, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Swinton, Walkden, Eccles, and Irlam which apart from...
acquired
Salford Docks from the Ship Canal Company with the use of a derelict land grant. The area was rebranded as Salford Quays and redevelopment began in 1985 under the
Salford Quays Development Plan.
The Lowry
Early in the redevelopment plan for Salford Quays, the potential was recognised for the area to host a landmark arts venue. Initially referred to as
Salford Quays Centre for the Performing Arts in 1988, it became known as The Lowry Project in 1994 and had secured £64 million in funding by 22 February 1996.
The LowryThe Lowry is a combined theatre and gallery complex situated in Salford Quays, in Salford, England. It is named after the early 20th-Century painter, L.S. Lowry, known for this paintings of industrial scenes in North-West England....
today stands at the end of Pier 8, largely surrounded by the waters of the Manchester Ship Canal. Designed by
James StirlingSir James Frazer Stirling FRIBA was a Pritzker Prize-winning British Architect and among the most important and influential architects of the second half of the 20th century...
and
Michael WilfordMichael Wilford CBE is an English architect from Hartfield, East Sussex. Wilford studied at the Northern Polytechnic School of Architecture, London, from 1955 to 1962, and at the Regent Street Polytechnic Planning School, London, in 1967...
, it opened on 28 April 2000 and houses the 1730 seat
Lyric theatre, the 466 seat
Quays theatre, a range of studio spaces and of gallery space. In addition there are cafes, bars and a restaurant on the south-western end of the building, with views over the water to Libeskind's
Imperial War Museum NorthImperial War Museum North is a museum in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. One of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum, the museum explores the impact of modern conflicts on people and society. It is the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be located in the north of England...
. As the name suggests, the centre is associated with
L. S. LowryLaurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road, opposite St...
, and houses a unique collection of his work. Some of the pieces are on permanent display, whilst others are on loan and may appear in changing exhibitions where appropriate.
Media City UK
In 2007, it was confirmed that the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
would be moving five of its departments to a new development on Pier 9, to be called
mediacity:ukmediacity:UK is a 0.82km² property development based on the media industry, located in Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. mediacity:uk is being developed by a partnership of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, Peel Holdings and Salford City Council...
. The Mediacity:UK project is being developed by Peel Holdings Group. The departments to be moved are BBC Children's, BBC Children's Learning, BBC Sport, BBC Radio Five Live, and parts of BBC Future Media and Technology (including a small number from BBC R&D), involving about staff. The move, expected to be completed by 2011, marks a major
decentralisationDécentralisation is a french word for both a policy concept in French politics from 1968-1990, and a term employed to describe the results of observations of the evolution of spatial economic and institutional organization of France....
of the corporation's operations, and will represent the BBC's largest presence outside of London. The arrival of the BBC is expected to attract other
mediaMass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such...
,
broadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
, and
filmmakingFilmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing and distribution to an audience. Typically, it involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years to complete...
companies to the area.
It is claimed that mediacity:uk will create up to jobs and add £1bn to the regional economy over 5 years.
Businesses
The Lowry Outlet Mall contains numerous
outlet storeAn outlet store or factory outlet or "Best Saving Outlet" is a retail store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public through their own branded stores. The stores can be brick and mortar or online. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse....
s of well-known high street businesses, including Cadbury's,
Marks & SpencerMarks & Spencer is a major British retailer, with over 885 stores in more than 40 territories around the world, over 600 domestic and 285 international. It is the largest clothing retailer in the United Kingdom, as well as being an upmarket food retailer, and as of 2008, the 43rd largest retailer...
and
Costa CoffeeCosta Coffee is a coffee house company based in the United Kingdom founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops....
. The mall also contains popular coffee shops and convenience food chains, and a multi-screen cinema operated by
VueVue is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC International Cinemas bought Warner Village Cinemas. There are now 62 Vue cinemas, with 607 screens totaling 134,413 seats, which includes the rebranded flagship Warner Village Cinema in...
. Outside the mall, a bar and several restaurants overlook the Lowry plaza.
The head office of
GMG RadioGMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers is the Chief Executive Officer, although his deputy will replace him in April 2009...
is also based on Salford Quays, with the company's flagship stations 105.4 Real Radio, 100.4 Smooth Radio and
106.1 Rock Radio106.1 Rock Radio is a radio station based in Salford, broadcasting peak-time news and talk output and a variety of rock music in other times. It is Manchester's first classic rock station and it launched on 5 May 2008....
based within their Laser House studio complex. Standing at the head of Erie Basin (Dock 9),
Anchorage is a complex of several buildings, home to
BUPABupa is a large British healthcare organisation, with bases on three continents and more than ten million customers in over 200 countries.Bupa was established in 1947 when 17 British provident associations joined together to provide healthcare for the general public...
and
BarclaycardBarclaycard is a global credit provider owned by Barclays plc in the UK. The Barclaycard was the first credit card introduced in the UK, coming into service in 1966. It enjoyed a monopoly until the introduction of the Access card in 1972.Barclaycard later became part of the VISA network. Nowadays,...
. To the north side of Erie Basin stand the Victoria and Alexandra buildings.
Residential
Some of the first developments in Salford Quays were residential, initial builds consisting of traditional low-rise flats and town houses in
Grain Wharf and
Merchants Quay. As the area has prospered, more high-rise buildings have been constructed to increase housing density on the naturally limited pier space. Because of this premium on space, apartments have also been constructed on the opposite side of Trafford Road to the Quays.
Low Rise
- Merchants Quay was one of the earliest residential areas, constructed during the mid-to-late 1980s. It is on East Wharf South (Pier 6), originally referred to as the 'posh side' of the Quays due to its popularity with soap
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour long primetime comedy...
stars from Coronation StreetCoronation Street is an award-winning prime time soap opera set and produced in Manchester created by Tony Warren...
and city centre high-fliers. Merchants Quay consists largely of terraced town houses and mews properties, with only one block dedicated to flats. The development is bordered on its southern side by South Bay (Dock 6) and by the St. Francis, St. Louis, and St. Peter basins to the north, which provide habitats for fish and waterfowl and are popular with local anglersCoarse fishing is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland for angling for coarse fish, which are those types of freshwater fish other than game fish . The sport and the techniques used are particularly popular in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.-History:The term "coarse fishing"...
. Properties on the western edge of the pier overlook the Imperial War Museum NorthImperial War Museum North is a museum in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. One of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum, the museum explores the impact of modern conflicts on people and society. It is the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be located in the north of England...
and Lowry Bridge over the Quays turning circle; the largest expanse of water at Salford Quays. The development is linked to Pier 7; the business-orientated Waterfront Quay, located on the north side of the basins on East Wharf North.
- Grain Wharf is located at the centre of the Quays, and consists of three matching developments: Winnipeg Quay and Vancouver Quay to the west of Mariners Canal, and St. Lawrence Quay to the east. Its name derives from the land's previous use, when imported grain was delivered by ship and transferred to the railway network that ran the length of Pier 8 (Central Wharf). Built between 1985 and 1995, Grain Wharf consists of a combination of two and three bedroom town houses and apartments, none exceeding four stories in height. Many of the properties have been positioned to take advantage of the views over Huron and Erie Basin (Dock 9) and Mariners Canal, with a number of town houses in Winnipeg and Vancouver Quay facing onto a landscaped garden square. The development is noted for its distinctly symmetrical layout across Mariners Canal, which was added to link the cleaned water of Ontario Basin to the south and Erie Basin to the north for water sport
The following is a list of surface water sports; these are sports which are performed atop a body of water.-Discing:Discing consists of standing on a circular wooden disc and being towed behind the boat. The disc supports the rider by means of spreading the weight out evenly across the water...
; the watersports centre is directly opposite Vancouver Quay. Vancouver and St. Lawrence Quays are linked by a footbridge over the canal, and by The Quays road.
- Labrador Quay consists of five three-storey apartment blocks close to the far end of Erie Basin, completed in 2003. Accessed via the St. Lawrence Quay cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a french word for dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
, the buildings are quite inconspicuous due to the waterside tree planting and their location behind both The Lighthouse offices and Anchorage buildings. Two of the buildings face directly onto the water of Erie Basin, while the others are angled around communal gardens.
High Rise
- Imperial Point was the first of the high-rise residential buildings on the Quays: a 16-storey tower built alongside the Lowry Outlet Mall on Pier 8 (Central Wharf) in 2001. Finished in sand-coloured cladding with grey and steel finishes to the roof, service cores and balconies, the lower levels are integrated into the mall itself.
- Sovereign Point is the sister building to Imperial Point, located towards the rear of the Lowry Outlet Mall. It is the tallest tower in Salford Quays, and the third tallest in Salford, at . Completed in 2005, its 20 stories are entirely residential, save for some commercial units at ground level, including Sovereign Food and Wine, the Quays first grocery store. The tower has had its share of controversy regarding its design, which is regarded by some to provide a poor aesthetic on all but the water-facing elevation. It is also in stark relief to the neighbouring low-rise Winnipeg Quay.
- The NV Buildings were designed by Broadway Maylan and completed between 2004 and 2005. The development consists of three 18-storey residential towers, each in height. Costing £36m, they stand in a line overlooking Huron Basin from the waterside of Pier 9 (North Wharf), their curved frontages designed to represent sails. At night, each of the buildings is illuminated by four green lights atop curved poles, plus a single green flood light to either side. The 'Type 3' apartment in the NV Buildings won gold for 'Best Apartment' in 2004 'What House?' awards.
- City Lofts construction began in 2005 and was completed in late 2007. The development consists of two linked towers: one 9 stories, the other 19 stories. These towers sit on land adjacent to the bund
Bunding, also called a bund wall, is the area within a structure designed to prevent inundation or breaches of various types.-Liquid containment:...
carrying The Quays road, which separates the Manchester Ship CanalThe Manchester Ship Canal is a long river navigation in North West England. Designed to give the city of Manchester direct access to the sea, it was built between 1887 and 1894 at a cost of about £15 million , and in its day was the largest navigation canal in the world.The canal generally...
from the cleaned water of the Salford Quays basins. The apartments feature interior design by Conran & PartnersSir Terence Orby Conran, FCSD, is an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.-Early life and education:Terence Conran was born in Kingston upon Thames, the son of Christina Mabel and South African-born Gerard Rupert Conran, a businessman who owned a rubber importation company in East...
. Interest in the development was limited, due to the slump in the housing market, and in July 2008, City Lofts was forced to place all its unsold apartments, including many at Salford Quays, into receivership.
Sports
In 2003, Salford Quays was the venue for the first
International Triathlon UnionThe International Triathlon Union, headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was formed in 1989, and organizes official world championship series races for the sport of triathlon...
World Cup event to be held in the UK. It has since become an annual event held at the end of July each year, although the 2008 event was cancelled because of a clash with the
Beijing OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 302 events in 28 sports, one...
.
A watersports centre was opened in 2001, providing
Royal Yachting AssociationThe Royal Yachting Association is the national governing body for watersports in the United Kingdom. Its involvement includes;* Sailing* Windsurfing* Motor cruising* Sportsboats* Personal watercraft* Powerboat racing-History:...
recognised training in sailing, canoeing, rowing, and windsurfing.
Tourism
Salford Quays is part of a joint tourism initiative between
Salford City CouncilThe City of Salford , is a local government district of Greater Manchester, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Swinton, Walkden, Eccles, and Irlam which apart from...
and
TraffordThe Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston....
Borough Council, supported by private sector partners including The Lowry,
Imperial War Museum NorthImperial War Museum North is a museum in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. One of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum, the museum explores the impact of modern conflicts on people and society. It is the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be located in the north of England...
,
Manchester United F.C.Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
,
Lancashire County Cricket ClubLancashire County Cricket Club, one of the eighteen clubs which make up the English County Championship, represents the historic county of Lancashire. Its limited-overs team is called Lancashire Lightning. Their kit colours are dark blue with red trim and the shirt sponsor is the Thwaites beer...
, Lowry Outlet Mall and the Golden Tulip and Copthorne Hotels; working in partnership with Marketing Manchester. Salford Quays forms one part of the area known as The Quays, which also includes Trafford Wharf and Old Trafford, on the Manchester side of the ship canal.
Transport
Part of the success of Salford Quays is its
MetrolinkManchester Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of three lines which converge in Manchester city centre and serve the surrounding towns of Bury, Altrincham and Eccles...
route to
Manchester city centreManchester city centre – known formally as City Centre – is the central business district of both Manchester and Greater Manchester, in North West England. The city centre, as defined by Manchester City Council, lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, straddling the River...
which was opened in 1999, and its link to
EcclesEccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
which opened in 2000. The section of the Eccles Line from
PomonaPomona Metrolink Station is a Manchester Metrolink station serving the Pomona Docks area which is to yet to be redeveloped. Pomona is Metrolink's only purpose built elevated tram stop, built with exposed concrete supports similar to much of the DLR....
to
BroadwayBroadway Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink stop serving the Salford Quays area of England. The station is located within Zone H.-External links:* and for from Manchester Metrolink...
serves the Salford Quays area. Trams operate every 12 minutes throughout the day and every 12–15 minutes on Sundays. Commuter services into Salford Quays are often extremely busy, and the Eccles Metrolink line faces many delays, frequently due to vandalism around the
Langworthy RoadLangworthy Metrolink Station is an on-street Manchester Metrolink station on the Eccles Line, between the town of Eccles and Salford Quays in Greater Manchester, England....
area. Current bus services are patchy and infrequent to and from The Quays. A new Metrolink station is due to open at
Mediacity:ukMediacity:uk Metrolink Station is a future station for the Manchester Metrolink light rail system in Manchester, North-West England. It is to be the terminus of a -long branch line from the Eccles Line which is being constructed as part of Phase 3a of the Metrolink extension project. The extension...
in 2010.
Salford Quays and the Trafford Wharf area are eaily accessible from the M602 Motorway and major arterial routes from The Trafford Centre, Manchester city centre, Salford and
Old TraffordOld Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
. Many main routes around the quays are high-quality dual-carriageway routes, built after the demise of Salford Docks.
External links