At Work

Though often seen as the smaller twin of Manchester, its neighbour across the River Irwell, Salford can boast a rich industrial heritage. Cotton and silk spinning and weaving in local mills attracted an influx of families and provided Salford with a strong economy but it was the completion of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 that triggered the town's development as a major inland port and Salford expanded rapidly from a small market town into a major industrial metropolis. The population rose from 12,000 in 1812 to 70,244 within 30 years. By the end of the 19th century it had increased to 220,000, mostly housed in low quality and overcrowded Victorian terraces, leading to chronic social deprivation. Friedrich Engels spent time here studying the plight of the British working class, describing Salford as "very unhealthy, dirty and dilapidated", while its infamous Victorian slums inspired local painter L.S. Lowry.

Salford At Work explores the life of Salford and its people, from pre-industrial beginnings through to the present day. In a fascinating series of contemporary photographs and illustrations it takes us through the dramatic rise and fall of the textile industry and the town's role as a major inland port, the trauma of high unemployment between the wars, postwar industrial decline and into the 21st century, showing how this 'Dirty Old Town' has successfully transformed itself from one of the country's most deprived areas into a thriving post-industrial city with the regenerated Salford Quays now home to MediaCityUK, The Lowry and Imperial War Museum North.