Electricity sub-station, Hessel Street, Weaste

Image: © P L Chadwick Taken: 1 May 2010

What is particularly interesting about this sub-station is that it used to be physically part of Salford's former tram & bus depot, and was on the back corner of that building. No doubt it was needed to supply electricity for the trams that used to work out of this depot, prior to Salford Corporation's tram system closing in 1947. Today the back part of the depot has gone, and been replaced by apartments known as City Link. Although the Eccles New Road and part of the Hessel Street frontages have been incorporated into this development, the sub-station has in effect been carved out of the old depot and made into a free-standing building. Instead of powering Salford Corporation's trams, it now supplies the new apartments, and quite likely also feeds into the power supply for the new generation trams of Manchester Metrolink, which run along Eccles New Road. Looking at the sub-station today, there is clearly a mixture of old and new bricks. Here is a view taken ten years earlier, in May 2000, when it was still part of the depot. It is on the left of the photo:- Image Links to other photos of Hessel Street:- Image

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