Blackburn, Salford Bridge 1899

Photo ref: 43476

More about this scene

Salford was an area of Blackburn; the name derives from 'salix (willow tree) ford'. This is where the old pack horse trail to Accrington and the east crossed the River Blakewater in a shallow ford. It was always a bottleneck, and fifty years before our photograph one form of entertainment would be to sit on the low parapet of Salford Bridge, clay pipe in hand, and watch the farm carts fight their way over the bridge and on to the market. In 1882, under the Salford Improvement Act the 22ft-wide bridge was made 77ft-wide to eliminate this bottleneck, and the river was culverted for over 250ft. By the time our photograph was taken, the river was covered over for over 1,000ft, and Salford Bridge was technically 420ft-wide. We can see the Bay Horse Hotel on the right of our picture, with just the single word Salford on the road sign above the window. The Royal Commercial Hotel can be seen behind it. The river is still there today, running under Penny Street and Salford.

An extract from Heart of Lancashire Photographic Memories.