Ten moments in Salford's history as city turns 100

Exactly 100 years ago, on 21 April 1926, Salford was granted city status by Royal Charter.

It was given the title due to its importance in industry, its booming population and as a significant section of the Manchester Ship Canal in the borough.

A century later, a lot has changed and the Salford of today is, in many areas, unrecognisable.

From being a pioneer in road safety for children to being steeped in musical history, the city's rich heritage is undeniable. To celebrate, we look at ten key events in the city over the decades.

Salford becomes the first city in England to bring in 'play streets' in 1929.

Chief Constable of Salford, Major Godfrey, introduced it after a successful model in New York city.

Hundreds of streets in the city went on to be closed to vehicles and bicycles at a time when there was a limited amount of playing fields and playgrounds, making it safer for children to play in the street.

More than 10,000 people protested over the introduction of an enforced means test for dole at Salford Town Hall in 1931.

The test had been introduced by Ramsay MacDonald's coalition government in order to stabilise the British economy, following the 1929 Wall Street crash.

Known as the Battle of Bexley Square, the demo turned violent when protesters found their way blocked by police and after a stand-off a unit of mounted officers charged into the protesters, causing many serious injuries.

Walter Greenwood, who was there, depicted events in his novel, Love On The Dole.

Ewan MacColl wrote one of the most famous songs in folk music Dirty Old Town about his home city of Salford.

The late folk legend created the song for Landscape With Chimneys, his 1949 play about Salford.

Since then song has been covered by everyone from rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Frank Black to country stars Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt as well as The Dubliners and The Pogues.

It was given a new lease of life by American singer Peggy Seeger, who married MacColl in 1977, with a long-lost verse she unveiled at Salford's We Invented the Weekend festival in 2024.

Seeger, an accomplished performer and songwriter in her own right, said she was delighted to be revisiting a song "Ewan and I sang together for decades" at the festival.

Salford playwright Shelagh Delaney's most famous play A Taste of Honey was published in 1958.

Delaney wrote it when she was just 18.

It won acclaim for its taboo-breaking depiction of working-class life in post-war Salford and was later turned into a film starring Dora Bryan and Rita Tushingham.

Delaney, who died in 2011, wrote for film, TV and radio with her image appearing on the cover of The Smiths' 1987 album Louder Than Bombs.

The Barton High-Level Bridge opened in 1960 to relieve traffic between Salford and Trafford.

It is a critical crossing over the Manchester Ship Canal as part of the M60 between Eccles (Salford) and Trafford Park (Trafford).

The municipal boroughs of Eccles, Swinton and Pendlebury and the districts of Irlam and Worsley join with Salford to create the newly formed Salford City Council as part of a reorganisation of local government in England and Wales.

With its central location, Swinton town hall was the natural choice for its administrative headquarters and on 1 April 1974, it officially became the Salford Civic Centre.

The Smiths immortalised Salford Lads Club in music history with its "iconic" photo shoot there in 1985.

The shots featured in the inside sleeve of the Manchester band's third album The Queen Is Dead.

Morrissey, the band's frontman, later donated £20,000 to help the club which opened in 2003 with roof repairs and a further £50,000 in 2024 to help save the club from closure.

The Metrolink line opens into Salford (Eccles Line Phase 1) in 1999 with the first trams running through Salford Quays the following year.

The £106m art and theatre centre named after Salford's most famous son LS Lowry, opened in 2000 which heralded a new life for the Quays.

The Lowry was built in what used to be the heart of Salford's dockland, an area of massive industrial decline.

It was the "cultural heart of one of Europe's most successful regeneration projects" at the Quays, which later included the BBC's move to MediaCityUK in 2011, chief executive Julia Fawcett said.

The historic Ordsall Hall in Salford was given a new lease of life with a £6.5m refurbishment which completed in 2011.

The Hall which dates back to the 14th Century had been falling to disrepair with the roof in a bad state and historically significant rooms being completely inaccessible.

The Grade 1 listed building is not only back to its glory with the redevelopment but is believed to be fit for purpose for the next 800 years.

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