No more meeting your love by the gasworks wall...
‘DIRTY OLD TOWN’ LANDMARK SET FOR DEMOLITION AFTER 100 YEARS
THEY are metal giants that have been part of Salford’s skyline for a century.
Ewan MacColl immortalised them in his ode to the city, Dirty Old Town. One version of it opens with the lyric: “I met my love by the gasworks wall/Dreamed a dream by the old canal.”
Now work has started to dismantle the rusting gasworks bounded by West Egerton Street, Liverpool Street, and Regent Road.
Artists Caroline Johnson, and Stephen Campbell have both produced paintings of the works which loom over Ordsall, and are on the main route from the motorway network into Salford.
The demolition is the latest in a string of heritage landmarks in the city that have disappeared, including the blue dock cranes which once stood at the entrance to Salford Quays.
In the original version of Dirty Old Town the lyric was ‘I found my love by the gasworks croft.’ The croft was a piece of land next to the gasworks. This was later changed as the song was performed by many artists, including The Pogues in 1985, Rod Stewart, and The Dubliners. The National Grid was given permission to bulldoze the huge gas holders last year by Salford council.
Even though the landmarks were listed locally, the National Grid was advised by the council ‘designation does not afford protection to the structures.’
Chris Taylor, Regeneration manager at National Grid, said after permission was granted to pull them down: “Improvements in technology mean gas holders are no longer needed and we have been dismantling structures across the country to pave the way for future regeneration. The structures at Liverpool Street haven’t stored gas for several years.” The Grid has pledged to keep detailed records of the structures ‘for the history books.’
The council says the wall surround- ing the gasworks will be saved as a nod to the city’s cultural past. But Peggy Seeger, the wife of Ewan MacColl who sang the song many times, has said the original version of the song never mentioned the ‘gasworks wall’ which appeared in later versions.
So far, there are no plans for a future use of the land at the moment.
Matthew Pearce, operations programme manager at National Grid, said: “We appreciate the history associated with the now redundant gasholders and that they hold a special place in many Salfordians’ hearts. That’s why we’ve been working closely with a local community arts group to identify the best way to celebrate this and create a lasting legacy. The way gas is stored has changed, so we are undertaking work to dismantle the disused gasholders at Liverpool Street in Salford. Ultimately ,this will provide opportunities for the site to be brought back into future use.”