Dirty Old Town

“I found my love by the gasworks croft, Dreamed a dream by the old canal, Kissed my girl by the factory wall, Dirty old town, dirty old town” (Ewan MacColl, 1949).


These are the remaining gas-holders, now derelict, at those very gasworks. Ewan McColl was born in Salford, and this is one of his two most famous songs (the other being "The first time ever I saw your face" of course). I've always loved the version by The Pogues. 


The adjacent croft has its own history - it was the assembly point for the rally on 1st October 1931 organised by the National Unemployed Workers' Movement, which then marched to Bexley Square where the conflict between police and demonstrators subsequently became known as ‘the Battle of Bexley Square’. 


It is very apparent  where Ewan McColl's politics were rooted. The slums have long gone, with most of the old factories and mills, but Salford's radical traditions remain.


Extra - a better view of a gas-holder (and a bit of factory wall)