mini adventure after work
After venturing on to Red Bank Sidings a couple of weeks back I thought I'd do some more exploring of abandoned spaces. So over the bank holiday weekend I wandered round the Cheetham Hill/Strangeways area looking for likely candidates. It didn't take long to identify a line of trees not in a park, not in the grounds of a business, and apparently inaccessible.
After walking round a couple of times it appeared there was likely a derelict site cut off behind the industrial units fronting Elizabeth Street by Manchester Fort and Broughton Street to north and south respectively, and Bent Street and Sherbourne Street to east and west. There was even a probable access point between two units as long as there was a gap in the fence.
I wasn't keen on being seen getting on to the site, so didn't find a good time to test my theory. However, at home satellite map views showed it was overgrown, though no route in. I realised weekends were likely to be busy, so made plans to try today (Friday) after work.
It was a good choice. While Cheetham Hill Road was busy in both directions, Elizabeth Street was quiet. Even better, my projected entrance did lead to a gap in the fence. And so I spent half an hour wandering around filming and taking a handful of stills. The site was exactly what I thought - a space where there had formerly been industrial units, now levelled and overgrown. There's no official access, no path or road, and it's completely surrounded by industrial units. It's not untouched; there were a handful of bottles and cans, and a significant number of syringes with long needles that looked very recent. But aside from that it was a peaceful, quiet and attractive spot.
I'll post a video and stills separately over the weekend. But for now (once I get to the shops, do my grocery shop, and get home) I'm thinking of my next adventure.
After walking round a couple of times it appeared there was likely a derelict site cut off behind the industrial units fronting Elizabeth Street by Manchester Fort and Broughton Street to north and south respectively, and Bent Street and Sherbourne Street to east and west. There was even a probable access point between two units as long as there was a gap in the fence.
I wasn't keen on being seen getting on to the site, so didn't find a good time to test my theory. However, at home satellite map views showed it was overgrown, though no route in. I realised weekends were likely to be busy, so made plans to try today (Friday) after work.
It was a good choice. While Cheetham Hill Road was busy in both directions, Elizabeth Street was quiet. Even better, my projected entrance did lead to a gap in the fence. And so I spent half an hour wandering around filming and taking a handful of stills. The site was exactly what I thought - a space where there had formerly been industrial units, now levelled and overgrown. There's no official access, no path or road, and it's completely surrounded by industrial units. It's not untouched; there were a handful of bottles and cans, and a significant number of syringes with long needles that looked very recent. But aside from that it was a peaceful, quiet and attractive spot.
I'll post a video and stills separately over the weekend. But for now (once I get to the shops, do my grocery shop, and get home) I'm thinking of my next adventure.
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