IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Hessel Street, SALFORD, M50 1DB

This is a small part of the large development of apartments built on the site of the former Salford Corporation tram & bus depot. The development, known as City Link, has retained the depot's frontages to Eccles New Road and Hessel Street. Ten years ago, before this development commenced, the area around the back of the former depot looked like this:- Image (That photograph was taken from Hessel Street). Links to other photos of Hessel Street:- Image

A combination of the old and new. On the left, part of the old tram and bus depot of Salford Corporation has been incorporated into a large modern complex of apartments known as City Link. Along the road itself, which seems to have been left virtually untouched for decades, runs a tram line, which used to give access to the back of the depot from Eccles New Road. As Salford's tram system closed in 1947, this track has not been used for 63 years or so, and together with what remains of the depot, is probably one of the last relicts of the Salford system. Image Links to other photos of Hessel Street:- Image

The depot was built in 1929, and has housed both buses and trams. The last of Salford's tram services finished in 1947. The building ceased to be a bus depot in 1986. Two of the building's frontages have been partially retained and enclose a modern apartment complex. But the back, seen here in May 2000, has been demolished, and no doubt the tram tracks shown here have gone too. The track originally reached here from Eccles New Road via Hessel Street. The single track in the latter street still existed when this photo was taken, and on Eccles New Road the tracks of the modern Manchester Metrolink now run. The tracks seen in this view enter the building by both the open door on the left, and the door to its right, which was either shut or bricked up when the photo was taken. The terraced houses in the distance are in Humber Street. Image; Image; Image Links to more photographs in the area of Hessel Street, including a further visit ten years later in May 2010:- Image

In May 2010 it was surprising to find the old Salford Corporation tram line still here, after about 63 years years of disuse. However it used to go a bit further around to the back of the former Tram & Bus Depot, so as to enter the depot via two huge doorways. That section of the track would have been removed to make way for the City Link apartment development built on the depot site, but retaining the depot's frontages to Hessel Street & Eccles New Road. How it looked in May 2000:- Image and Image Links to other photos of Hessel Street:- Image

Here the tram line, disused for over 50 years, goes round to the back of the former Salford Corporation tram & bus depot. There was also clearly a junction here, at one point, probably sidings or perhaps it went into another building, used by the depot, which stood here in the past. Image Links to more photographs in the area of Hessel Street, including a further visit ten years later in May 2010:- Image

This view shows part of the apartments development known as City Link, and how this has been dovetailed into the remains of the former Salford Corporation Tram & Bus Depot. The Hessel Street frontage of the lower building is from the former depot. Image Ten years earlier:- Image Links to other photos of Hessel Street:- Image

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

The street and the old tram line used to turn to the left, where the back of Salford Corporation's former tram and bus depot was. But now the back of that building has been demolished, and replaced by apartments known as City Link. At the present end of Hessel Street is James Corbett Road, but there is no vehicular access to that from Hessel Street. On the left can be seen the electricity sub-station, on which more information is available here:- Image Links to other photos of Hessel Street:- Image

On the right the apartment development known as City Link, which incorporates some of Salford Corporation's former tram and bus depot. On the left, behind the railings is the local branch of Crossling, who are plumbers, pipelines and engineers' merchants. In the road itself, is a long abandoned tram line, which used to go from the back of the depot and connect to Salford Corporation's line in Eccles New Road. Image Links to other photos of Hessel Street:- Image

The building on the left was the old Weaste tram and bus depot of Salford Corporation. The line led round to the back of the depot, where it entered the building. Salford's trams ceased to run in 1947, and this building ceased to be a bus depot in 1986. When photographed in May 2000 the building appeared to be semi-derelict, and the tram track had not been used for over fifty years. Nearby are the modern tracks of Manchester Metrolink in Eccles New Road. Since this photograph was taken, most of the depot has been demolished and replaced with new buildings containing 200 apartments. The facade to Hessel Street and part of that to Eccles New Road have been kept, though as so much of this area has been pulled down, one wonders why they bothered. Image A picture of the front of the depot as it appears now can be seen in this photo by Alan Murray-Rust:- Image Links to more photographs in the area of Hessel Street, including a further visit ten years later in May 2010:- Image