‘rotten and horrible, like a concrete wasteland’.

Demolition of the Orchard blocks at Pendleton has started. Peach Court is down, demolished bit by bit by a huge cherry grabber. Pear and Apple are to follow, with everything rubble by end of October. Demolition was commenced by Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order who grew up in the area. The description "rotten and horrible like a concrete wasteland" is his, and sums it up. These blocks replaced the slums of Hanky Park (memorialised in "the Classic Slum" and Walter Greenwood's "Love on the Dole").Let's hope the £650m regeneration of Pendleton by Keepmoat, Together and Salford CC is more successful this time around.