To some, east Manchester's gas towers are just relics of a world which no longer exists. They’ve outstayed their welcome, and it’s time for them to go.
But for others — including the residents around Bradford Road - yet to be touched by the billions in investment that’s poured into neighbouring Ancoats — they’re a symbol of home. Or, as Dr Jenna Ashton puts it, the 'last reminder' of a 'working class heritage which is being eradicated'.
Dr Ashton is now spear-heading a push to ensure that this corner of the city gets to keep some of the towers after the National Grid demolishes them — in a literal sense. The lecturer in Heritage Studies at the University of Manchester is keen to keep chunks of the metal structure for posterity.
