This page is dedicated to anyone who wants to know more information about Salford.
Salford is a city in Greater Manchester, England.
1 mile from Manchester
11 miles from Manchester Airport
33 miles from Liverpool
Nearest access via: M602, M62, M61 or A580,
According to the 2001 Census, Salford has a population of 218,000 and an area of 8.1 square miles and the city of Salford covers 37 square miles with five districts: Salford, Eccles, Worsley, Irlam & Cadishead, and Swinton & Pendlebury.
The ethnicity consists of:
96.1% White
1.4% Asian
0.6% Black
0.6% Chinese
1.3% Mixed Race
It lies in a meander of the River Irwell, which forms its boundary with the city of Manchester to the east. Together with neighbouring towns to the west, Salford forms the metropolitan district of the City of Salford, which is administered from nearby Swinton. The city council offices are located in Swinton, in what was formerly the Swinton and Pendlebury town hall.
History:
Historically a part of Lancashire, Salford's early history is marked by its status as the judicial seat of the ancient hundred of Salfordshire, to which it lends its name.
In 1806, Chapel Street in Salford became the first street in the world to be lit by gas, which was supplied by Phillips and Lee's cotton mill.
Salford began to emerge as a small town in the thirteenth century having its own weekly market ans annual fair. Wool and Flax were the fibres used in the early textile trade, cotton becoming more important only after the mid-1600s. Goods were sold at fairs and markets, and some of the leading merchants traded through London. By 1736 the rivers Mersey and Irwell had been dredged and widened so that boats could sail from the Mersey estuary to the warehouses of Salford Quays, then located between Chapel Street and the river. In 1759 the Duke of Bridgewater began his pioneering canal enterprise to transport coal from his Worsley mines to Salford. By 1773 the Duke's canal had been extended to Runcorn offering a more reliable waterway to the sea.
The districts first railway came in 1830 when the Liverpool and Manchester line passed through Salford. It was first intended for goods rather than passengers. Such was the confidence in this new form of transport that in 1831 the proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury canal added the words: 'and railway' to the company title and gained powers to build a railway on the line of the canal, aiming to close the canal entirely. However, coal-owners did not want to lose access to cheap water transport and instead, the rail line followed alongside the canal through Salford.
Today many of the old industries have vanished but former cotton mills are now home to a variety of different trades. In 1900 the population had grown to around 220,000 but reconstruction and re-development has now changed the face of Salford and many Salfordians have moved to other areas.
Since the 1950's, the days of high density housing mixed with assorted industrial buildings, vast redevelopment has taken place, demolishing much of the cities Victorian style housing in favour of motorways and roads designed to get people through the city as fast as possible.
Sport:
Home to the world famous teams such as Manchester United Football Club, Swinton Lions (Rugby), Salford Reds (Rugby) and Lancashire Cricket Club.
In July 2002 Manchester hosted the biggest sporting event in British history - the 17th Commonwealth Games - and Salford hosted the triathlon and 20km and 50km walks. Part of the marathon course ran through Salford too. (Salford is now the recognised home of world-class triathlon in the UK having hosted three ITU World Cup events since the 2002 Games).
Famous Salfordians
There are many famous Salfordians, here are just a few:
Phil Bardsley Bez Hazel Blears Elkie Brooks Wes Butters
Christopher Eccleston Sir Harold Evans Albert Finney Robert Powell Shaun Ryder
Paul Scholes Russell Watson Tony Wilson
Famous Salford residents:
Nicolas Anelka The Dooleys (1970s pop group) Christopher Eccleston
Ryan Giggs Ben Kingsley L S Lowry
Karl Marx Emmeline Pankhurst
Television:
Salford and Manchester currently have their own TV station, Channel M. Channel M is a television station which is based in Manchester. Originally named Manchester Student Television, the channel's output is specifically designed for Greater Manchester. It began broadcasting on the 14th February 2000.
Radio:
Salford City Radio 94.4FM Independent, Local radio station.
105.4 century FM. Broadcasting from Laser House, Waterfront Quay, Salford Quays
According to the website http://www.salford.gov.uk/ , salford has: