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Collyhurst Road, MANCHESTER, M40 7RQ

Looking up Fitzgeorge Street seen from Collyhurst Road.

Much of the red sandstone used for building in Manchester and the surrounding area, came from Collyhurst Quarry. The stone was transported the short distance into Manchester via the nearby River Irk on barges or rafts. The quarry is now disused and the area around it has been turned into a park called "Sandhills" http://www.irkvalley.info/sites/sandhills/siteinfo.html as part of Manchester City Council's Irk Valley Project http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/services_info.php?serviceID=2172 . This view shows the entrance under the former railway arch at Fitzgeorge Street. The arch is part of the nineteenth century viaduct built originally for the railway, now used by the Metrolink tramway.

Metrolink tram 1021 crosses over Fitzgeorge Street (Sandhills Park) on the Collyhurst Viaduct.

This artwork(?) is situated on the corner of Collyhurst Road and Fitzgeorge Street, opposite the HMG Paints factory. I'm not sure if it's connected with the paint factory or if it represents one of the former industries which used to proliferate around here.

Part of the Collyhurst Road factory of H Marcel Guest paintworks. At the far end is the unusual sculpture Image] which depicts a steel battleship sinking into a lawn.

A view from the corner of Fitzgeorge Street and Collyhurst Road. In the foreground is what looks like a sculpture representing industry which once covered this area. In the background, the "Dreadnowt" sculpture can be seen in the grounds of HMG Paints.

Situated in Collyhurst, Manchester on the banks of the River Irk, H Marcel Guest are manufacturers of speciality coatings.

A National Travel West coach sits on a narrow lane which provided access to the railway sidings. In the dip behind the bus are the buildings of the H Marcel Guest paintworks clustered around a bend on the River Irk. See Image for a view of the river. Beyond are the tower blocks on Dalton Street - these have been refurbished since this photo was taken.

This 25ft high polished steel sculpture of a battleship depicted sinking into a lawn is a familiar sight outside the Collyhurst Road factory of H Marcel Guest paintworks, a mile outside the city centre, having been installed there in 1994. The ship is made of thin mild steel plates. it was originally sculpted by Manchester artist Jonathan Woolfenden and given the title “Nothing to Worry About (Dread Nowt)”. Its design is loosely based on the Dreadnought-class battleship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought ) and its name is an outrageous pun on this. Originally presented in 'raw steel' (Image]), protected from corrosion by HMG's high performance coatings, the sculpture was painted with a giant cross of St George to show support for England in the World Cups of 2006 http://www.hmgpaint.com/press-releases/manchester-firm-flies-the-flag-on-giant-steel-sculpture and 2010 http://www.hmgpaint.com/press-releases/hmg-paints-fly-the-flag had giant cross of St George. This year (2012) it has carried the Olympic Rings.