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Irwell Riverside - A Quick History Lesson

The City of Salford is part of Greater Manchester. It was pieced together from five metropolitan boroughs and includes the town of Salford and its surrounding suburbs. It lies to the north west of the City of Manchester, and has borders with the districts of Manchester, Bury, Bolton, Wigan, Trafford and Warrington.

The River Irwell makes up most of the border between Manchester and Salford. Starting from the south west corner of Salford’s boundary with Manchester at Cornbrook, the border line follows the River Irwell just to the north of Manchester city centre, it curves around with the river at Victoria station before the line leaves the river to encompass Broughton. Near Crumsall Manchester meets Bury. The Salford – Bury border cuts west and joins the Irwell by Kersal. It follows the river around till it meets the Bolton border. After the Clifton Marina it heads south west along the M61 to the north of Walkden and Little Hulton until it reaches Wigan. The Salford – Wigan border then heads south, looping around Irlam and Cadishead, briefly becoming the Cheshire border before meeting the district of Trafford at the Manchester Ship Canal. The Salford-Trafford border runs north east along the ship canal and through the docks until it reaches Cornbrook.

The City of Salford is made up the old districts of Salford, Eccles, Irlam & Cadishead, Worsley and Swinton & Pendlebury.

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History

A small village on the north bank of the River Irwell was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles of 923. It became an important place in the region and gave its name to the Salford Hundred1. Kink Henry III granted Salford the right to hold a market and a fair in 1228. A few years later the Earl of Chester made the town a free borough.

The manor of Salford passed in and out of the crown’s hands over the centuries. It was owned by Edward the Confessor in 1066. William the Conqueror granted the land to Roger de Poitou. It was Roger de Poitou who created the subordinate manor of Manchester, thereby sowing the seeds of the city that would come to engulf Salford. It is part of the Duchy of Lancaster and so has been a crown possession since 1399.

The town of Salford grew slowly until the Industrial Revolution. With coal in the hills and canal links to the sea and other major cities the town and its cloth trade thrived. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894 bringing a massive increase to trade going through the city. By the end of the 19th century the population of Salford had grown to 200,000 people, mostly living in cramped housing.

The town of Salford was merged with Broughton in 1844. Pendleton and Pendlebury merged into Salford in 1853. Salford became a city in 1926. The current city made up of the five old districts was formed in 1974.


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The Coat of Arms of Salford

The Coat of Arms of Salford has contributions from each of the five districts that make up the city.
The borough of Salford provided the major colours of gold and blue. It also provided the gold shuttle and bees and the two black millrinds2 which signify the industrial communities of the textile industry and the engineering of the city.

Eccles provides the ship motive signifying the waterways and the griffin holding a flag.
Irlam provides the circle of steel around the griffin showing the industry of Salford.

Swinton and Pendlebury provide the supporting lions brandishing minors picks, each collared by steel chains. One lion wears a medallion of a boar’s head from the crest of Swindon and Pendlebury. It was from this borough that the motto, Salus populi suprema (The welfare of the people is the highest law) was taken.
Worsley provides the motif of one of the medallions worn by the lions.


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The Lowry

The Lowry Centre is the centrepiece of Salford’s regeneration. Its main purpose is as a gallery of the work of one of Salford’s greatest son’s LS Lowry. The centre, designed by Michael Wilford is also home to two theatres and a studio workspace. It opened in the year 2000. It is one of the most recognisable buildings in Greater Manchester with its pointed roof and circular tower.

A liftable footbridge spans the ship canal and connects the Lowry with the Imperial War Museum North on Trafford Wharf.


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The Cathedral

St John’s Cathedral on Chapel Street is the Roman Catholic Cathedral and seat of the Salford Diocese. The Diocese reaches as far south as Didsbury, and almost far north as Cumbria.


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Transport Links

There are four motorways in Salford. The M602 runs from the Eccles Interchange to the end of Regent Road, it is only a short spur road, but is a major artery into Manchester. The road runs in a concrete lined cutting through Salford. There are many bridges over it which allows the local Salford youth to throw stones at cars.

The M62 runs from Liverpool to the M60 at Eccles. If you carry on towards Manchester, the road becomes the M602. The M62 itself reappears at the on the other side of Manchester. The M60 orbital road runs around the city and a short stretch of the M61 can also be found in Salford.

The main A roads are the A6, the A56 Bury New Road, the A57 Eccles New Road / Liverpool Road and the A580 East Lancs Road. The A6 and the East Lancs Road join together near Irlam O’th’ Heights and go diving up and down through a concrete cutting.
Salford is well served by buses. Pendelton has a major bus station, and Salford’s Exchange bus station is just north of Manchester City Centre.

The Eccles branch of the Metrolink meanders through Salford Quays and along Eccles New Road to Eccles. Harbour City is the best stop for the Lowry. Be warned that on match days a lot of Manchester United supporters walk to and from St James and Pomona stations which are nearer to Old Trafford than Old Trafford Metrolink on the Altrincham branch.
Salford’s two main train stations are Salford Central and Salford Crescent. Central is in effect Manchester North, being just across the river from Manchester City Centre on The A6 Chapel Street. It is served by all the westbound lines out of Manchester Victoria except for the Manchester to Liverpool line via Eccles. The Eccles trains go though a disused part of the station. Manchester Exchange station used to be in Salford, spanning the river Irwell just outside of Manchester Victoria.

Salford Crescent is also on the A6. It is served by both trains from Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria. It is on the line to Wigan and Bolton. Salford’s suburbs are also served by stations on the lines to Wigan, Bolton, and both routes to Liverpool.


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Greengate’s local history:

In 1228 Henry III granted Salford the right to hold a weekly market and annual fair, believed to be at the end of Chapel Street near Greengate.

In the mid 1800’s, the Greengate area was the historic core of Salford and home to two thirds of the city’s population. By the 1930’s the area was in a state of neglect and declared a slum clearance area.


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