Visit Salford

Salford is a city of fascinating contrasts. Sitting immediately alongside Manchester, it has a proud industrial past but has undergone remarkable transformation in recent decades. Today, historic buildings and waterways sit alongside striking modern architecture, creative industries and one of the North West’s most recognisable waterfronts.

Perhaps nowhere demonstrates Salford’s transformation better than Salford Quays. Once a major industrial dock, the area has been transformed into a vibrant waterfront destination, with MediaCityUK, The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum North among its major attractions. MediaCity opened in 2011 and has developed into an important centre for television, digital and creative industries, with the BBC and ITV among the organisations based there.

The city also retains plenty of reminders of its much older history. Ordsall Hall, a magnificent Grade I listed Tudor manor house, provides a glimpse into Salford’s past, while the Bridgewater Canal and the village of Worsley offer an opportunity to explore the area’s important role in Britain’s Industrial Revolution.

Art and culture are another important part of Salford’s identity. The Lowry houses galleries and theatres and celebrates the work of the famous Salford-born artist L. S. Lowry. The city also has numerous parks, waterways and open spaces, providing a surprising amount of greenery alongside its urban landscape.

Salford is therefore a city that has continually evolved without losing sight of its past. From canals and industrial heritage to television studios, galleries and modern waterfront architecture, Salford offers a fascinating mixture of old and new — and is a city that has reinvented itself for the modern age.