Architecture

Salford blues

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Stunning blue skies and water. Reflections galore and sunshine. You’d think it’s the Mediterranean, not Manchester. CONTINUES BELOW

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A vibrant spell of glorious Spring weather prompted me to take my first walk along the Manchester Ship Canal’s ‘left bank’. 

The pathway opened up after a new tram line to the Trafford Centre started operating and offers a new perspective on the architecture of Salford Quays.

The startlingly blue sky turned the canal a beautiful colour, which became a mirror for the lines of modern buildings. Add swans serenely gliding around and this made a successful photo walk.

Do you also find the lure of ‘reflection porn’ irresistible?…

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Etihad Stadium

/ mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

Manchester has a huge passion for football stoked by an intense rivalry between Manchester City and Manchester United. I paid my first visit to the Etihad Stadium, home to City. CONTINUES BELOW

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Confession time: I’m not a football fan and never have been. It took me a while to appreciate why a failed plan to create a European Super League made headline news this week.

But the Etihad, built in 2002 to host the Commonwealth Games, is a landmark which arouses a lot of positive and negative passions.

The stadium, bereft of fans during the coronavirus lockdown, was very quiet. With my architectural hat on, I enjoyed its lofty struts and ‘tent pegs’ seemingly holding up the entire structure.

It’s on course to welcome fans back from mid-May and is a place meant to bristle with life and noise.

Finally, I learnt my lesson from a lively Facebook post on the topic. Never ask if the Etihad is better than Manchester United’s Old Trafford base!

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Little bits of Manchester

/ mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

Living in a big city centre like Manchester during lockdown wasn’t always easy. I craved countryside and coast, even growing tired of the usual urban views here.

So on a series of walks with my camera, I stopped looking upwards and searched for details that you might take for granted.

Enjoy the fragments and if you know their locations and recognise them, that’s a little bonus!

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The January album

/ mikeosbornphoto / 11 Comments

January 2021 promised so much, mainly because it wasn’t 2020. But the UK has been plunged into further lockdown restrictions to battle a more infectious strain of coronavirus.

A rapidly rising death toll and widespread closures in the middle of winter are doing nothing to bolster hope and good cheer.

I have remained close to home here in Manchester city centre. Going far isn’t an option, while overseas travel remains off the table.

Photographing snowy weather, park life, some of Manchester’s new architecture and indoor blooms have been the hallmarks of a cold, introspective and at times gloomy January. How has the start of 2021 been for you?

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Manchester towers

/ mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

I live in the shadow of Deansgate Square in Manchester, and it’s hard to ignore this quartet of skyscrapers. READ MORE BELOW

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I’ve watched these buildings slowly rise in the last few years, and now the South Tower is Manchester’s tallest, surpassing 1990s skyscraper Beetham Tower.

Deansgate Square can be seen across the city and beyond, spawning the terms Manctopia and Manchattan – the rapid development of a glitzy, high rise future for Manchester.

I see these buildings every day and have photographed them more and more while staying at home during the pandemic.

They catch different lights, reflect the sky and mirror the seasons. They’re not to everyone’s taste but I find them a source of constant interest and a firm fixture of the neighbourhood.

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