Salford Quays is an urban regeneration area in Manchester, on the site of Salford Docks on the Manchester Ship Canal. The docks were once the third busiest in the UK, but with the development of large container ships which could not navigate the canal, their importance declined, and they finally closed in 1982. Development of the site as a mixed use office, residential and leisure site began in 1985. Significant buildings include The Lowry arts centre and the Imperial War Museum, completed in 2000 and 2002 respectively, and the numerous buildings of Media City – an area of the quays dedicated to media which houses BBC and ITV offices and studios. The dock area is surrounded by pedestrian only promenades and the main ship canal is crossed by two footbridges – the Media City swing footbridge and the Millenium Bridge, which features a vertical lift design for passing ships.
At night, most of the buildings and bridges are illuminated, and this is the most interesting time for photography, catching reflections of the lights in the ship canal.
Location and Parking
Postcode: M50 3UB
Salford Quays can be reached from the end of the M602 if travelling from the west, or the A57 if travelling from the east. The two roads join at a large roundabout which also intersects the A5063. Take the A5063 south, then turn right onto Broadway, then left at the next roundabout onto the Quays. Follow the Quays road over a bridge, past the Lowry Centre to reach a multi-story car park for the Lowry Outlet Mall on the right.
