Unlocking Salford Quays - this Sunday!

25th March 2011

Categories: Modern History News

Heritage Comes to Life at Salford Quays this Sunday!

After 18 months of research, community engagement, special events, exhibitions and more, the Unlocking Salford Quays heritage sculpture trail will be officially opened on Sunday 27 March from 11am.

The trail will be opened with a full programme of free events for families, including arts and crafts activities, performances, costume characters, storytelling and street games. A series of Blue Badge guided tours around the five pieces will bring the rich history of Salford Quays to life. Find out more

Comprising five pieces of public art situated around Salford Quays, this heritage trail has been created in close consultation with five community groups (10-year-olds, ex-workers, families, current Quays workers and residents and youth groups) who have shared stories, photos and ideas to create these five striking pieces.

Where the Wild Things Were by Unusual
Made with children from Primrose Hill Primary School, Langworthy Road Primary School and Seedley Primary School.

The Manchester Ship Canal was opened by Queen Victoria in 1894, connecting Salford with the rest of the world. All kinds of cargo flowed in and out of Salford Docks – transported by ships around the globe. Imports included citrus fruits from South Africa, Egyptian cotton and China tea.

This sculpture suggests the grasslands of Africa and Asia. The base of each blade is engraved with drawings by local children who imagined the landscape and wildlife of far-off lands. Their sense of wonder mirrors that of local people who experienced a variety of goods arriving here from distant shores for the first time.

Casuals by Broadbent
Made with former Salford Dock workers and their families.

Each steel structure represents a Dock worker’s union card. Dockers seeking jobs needed to have this card. They gathered at the Dock gates morning and afternoon in the hope of being chosen for casual labour. Competition was fierce and often ended in disappointment. Without a regular wage dockers struggled to provide for their families. Former Dock workers gave interviews for this project and some of their portraits feature on this sculpture.

Factory Girls by David Appleyard
Made with young people from Salford College, Salford Foundation, Eccles Youth Club and Ordsall Community Arts.

This sculpture celebrates the women workers of Metropolitan Vickers, an electrical engineering company once based at nearby Trafford Park. Each figure is named after a former worker and made of enamelled cast iron.

During the Second World War thousands of women worked at Metro Vicks and learned a range of skilled jobs traditionally reserved for men. They helped to maintain the production of vital defence equipment including instruments for use in radio and radar, and made over 1,000 Lancaster Bombers.

Erie’s Rest by Ingrid Hu
Made with local families from Weaste and Ordsall and Salford based ceramicist Beverley Gee.

The shape of this sculpture echoes the ebb and flow of the Ship Canal. Cargoes of bananas and rum from Jamaica, grain from Canada and Texas and timber from the Baltic states all came down this busy waterway.

The ceramics illustrate the heavy and demanding work of dockers. Their job was to unload a ship’s cargo and load it onto rail wagons lined up along the Docks. Goods were then transported to the mills, factories and warehouses of Manchester and beyond.

Nine Dock by Mor
Made in 2010 with current workers and residents of Salford Quays.

No. 9 Dock was the busiest and largest in Salford. This Dock opened in 1905 and was big enough to hold 10 ocean liners. At over half a mile in length it helped the Port of Manchester to achieve international status.

Today the land surrounding No. 9 Dock is home to residents and businesses including The Lowry and MediaCityUK. The quotes etched into the steel surface of this sculpture were chosen by people living and working on Salford Quays.

Salford Quays, once known as Manchester Docks is at the heart of the City of Salford’s history and, because of its economic and industrial role over the past century, at the heart of Britain’s industrial heritage. This history is hidden, however, with little visible evidence of the historical significance of the area. Unlocking Salford Quays has brought this heritage back into focus in a creative and enjoyable way by working with five different groups.

As the UK’s leading advocate for the value of heritage to modern life, Heritage Lottery Fundsustains and transforms our heritage through innovative investment in projects with a lasting impact on people and places.  By celebrating and bringing this rich heritage into focus at a time when the site is developing rapidly and taking on a new international significance, The Lowry aims to expose more people to this heritage and ensure that it lives on.  This work will also be further enhanced by a digital archive and interactive website as well as a series of events featuring new works in the performing arts created by participants in response to Salford Quays heritage.