Students traversing the Peel Park campus on a scorching day with laid-back coolness.
Summertime, the video offers a glimpse into a forward-thinking and modern campus as the institution embarks on a new chapter as a university. The journey commences at Salford’s Museum and Gallery, darkened from past smog and soot, and showcases Henry Lord’s impressive redbrick Victorian Renaissance-style Peel Building (1896). The clean symmetry of the Chemistry Tower is juxtaposed with scenes of relaxation in Peel Park, followed by a venture across the River Irwell to the new Civil Engineering block on the former Meadow Road campus.
The University’s architectural masterplans from 1961-1963 are at the heart of this exploration. Courtaulds Technical Services played a central role in the 1963 designs, influenced by new institutional aims and objectives, not to mention a refreshing breeze of Modernism blowing across the country, impacting government legislation and seen in acts such as the Robbins Report (1963). The scenes here capture a period when Courtaulds served as official architects to the governors, collaborating closely with the first Vice Chancellor, Dr Clifford Whitworth (1906-1983).
Salford’s governors agreed on their new masterplans, transforming the campus through the demolition of the Peel Building and Museum and Art Gallery (ultimately this never happened). Courtaulds meticulously assessed the entire campus, incorporating contemporary design and innovative construction principles. The architectural development unfolded in stages, the plans illustrating growth up to the 1970s and fuelled by an almost boundless commitment to progress.
The realisation of this visionary plan is evident today with buildings including the Cockcroft, Chapman, University House, and the Clifford Whitworth Library. The Maxwell Building opened in 1961, designed from 1950 by the Lancashire County Council Architect’s Department. Additionally, west toward the Frederick Road campus is the Allerton Building. This was constructed to house the Peel Park Technical College (Salford Technical College) after the segregation of the Royal Technical College in 1958, so the College (then university) could focus specifically on more complex science and technical disciplines. Halliday and Meecham, a private Manchester-based practice, are responsible for the architectural designs.
The Allerton Building now occupies a plot of land formerly known as Leaf Square, once home to the now-demolished Belle Vue House and Salford Grammar School. This school holds historical significance, attended by well known figures such as the young actor Albert Finney, film director Mike Leigh, singer Graham Nash, and Joy Division members Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner. The school relocated to Buile Hill Park in the 1950s when the University purchased and redeveloped the site.
Among the buildings no longer standing but fondly remembered are the Chemistry Tower and the Civil Engineering Buildings (Brindley, Telford, and Smeaton), completed from 1968-1970. These buildings contribute to the rich history of the campus, despite their absence in the present landscape.
Summertime (1968) – can be accessed via our Library and Special Collections and the North West Film Archive. More film stills.
The Civil Engineering block at the former Meadow Road campus included the Brindley, Telford and Smeaton Buildings. Still taken from Summertime (1968), Library and Special Collections/North West Film Archive.
