Salford (Pron-en) lies at the heart of the
City of Salford, a
metropolitan borough of
Greater Manchester, in
North West England. Salford is sited in a
meander of the
River Irwell, which forms its boundary with the city of
Manchester to the east. Together with its neighbouring towns to the west, Salford forms the local government district of the City of Salford, which is administered from
Swinton. The former
Borough of Salford, which included Broughton, Pendleton, and Kersal, was granted honorific
city status in 1926; it has a resident population of 72,750 and occupies an area of. The wider City of Salford district has a population of 219,200.
Historically a part of
Lancashire, Salford's early history is marked by its status as a Royal
caput and the judicial seat of the ancient
hundred of Salfordshire, to which it lent its name. It was granted a
charter by
Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, in about 1230, making Salford a free borough. During the early stages of its growth, Salford was of greater cultural and commercial importance than its neighbour Manchester, although most contemporary sources agree that since the
Industrial Revolution of the late-18th and early-19th century that position has been reversed.
Salford became a major
factory town and
inland port during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Cotton and
silk spinning and
weaving in local
mills attracted an influx of families and provided Salford with a strong economy.
Salford Docks was a principal
dockyard of the
Manchester Ship Canal. By the end of the 19th century Salford had an enlarged
working class community and suffered from chronic
overpopulation. Industrial activities declined during the 20th century however, causing a local economic depression. Salford subsequently became one of contrasts, with regenerated inner-city areas like
Salford Quays next to some of the most socially deprived and violent areas in England.
Salford has become a centre of
higher education, home to the
University of Salford, and has seen several firsts, including the world's first unconditionally free
public library, and the first street in the world to be lit by gas, Chapel Street in 1806. Salford is set to become the headquarters of
CBBC and
BBC Sport in 2011.
View original article : Salford, Greater Manchester
Comments