Phill Rawlins Online - Manchester aviation and transport photography

Aerial photographs around Manchester

Two flights in a light aircraft, a year apart, over Manchester, Salford and Trafford Park.

Aerial view over Manchester city centre photographed in April 2003

The photographs below were taken from a light aircraft over Manchester and Salford. Click any image for a larger view.

The city centre

Two views of Manchester city centre, taken in August 2002 and April 2003.

Aerial view over Manchester city centre, April 2003
Manchester city centre, April 2003. The view that survives from this pair of flights. Compare it with the streets shown in Changing Manchester.

The August 2002 frame that sat alongside this one was not captured by the Internet Archive. The 2003 view is shown on its own rather than replaced.

Salford Quays

Two views of Salford Quays showing the Lowry Centre, photographed from the air.

Aerial view of Salford Quays and the Lowry Centre
Salford Quays, first view. The Lowry Centre on Pier 8, with the Erie Basin and the ship canal beyond.
A second aerial view of Salford Quays
Salford Quays, second view. The old dock basins, by then lined with apartments. See the Salford Quays page for the history.

The swing bridges at Barton

Aerial view of the swing bridges at Barton, where the Bridgewater Canal crosses the Manchester Ship Canal
The swing bridges at Barton from the air. The Bridgewater Canal crosses the Ship Canal on the Barton Swing Aqueduct, with the road swing bridge alongside it. It is the only swing aqueduct in the world.

Sport and shopping

Aerial view of Old Trafford, home of Manchester United
Old Trafford. Manchester United’s ground, seen from the air with the Bridgewater Canal and the Ship Canal close by.
Aerial view of the Trafford Centre shopping complex
The Trafford Centre. Opened in 1998 on the edge of Trafford Park, and by 2003 one of the largest shopping centres in the country.
Aerial view of the Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers
The Reebok Stadium. Bolton Wanderers’ ground, which opened in 1997 and is now known as the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Aerial view of Sale Water Park
Sale Water Park. A flooded gravel pit on the Mersey, converted to a country park with a lake.
Aerial view over the terraced streets of Stretford and Whalley Range
Stretford and Whalley Range. Mile after mile of terraced streets, laid out in the nineteenth century and essentially unchanged.
Aerial view of Peel Green near Eccles
Peel Green. Between Eccles and Barton, close to the Ship Canal. See the Eccles and Barton page.

Trafford Park and the canal

Aerial view of Trafford Park industrial estate
Trafford Park, first view. The first purpose-built industrial estate in the world, laid out beside the Ship Canal in the 1890s.
A second aerial view of Trafford Park
Trafford Park, second view. Ford, Rolls-Royce, Kellogg’s, Colgate-Palmolive and Hovis all operated here, and several still did in 2003.
Aerial view of the Venus office block under construction at Trafford Quays
Venus, Trafford Quays. An office block under construction beside the Ship Canal, seen from the air on 17 April 2003.
Aerial view of Mode Wheel Locks on the Manchester Ship Canal
Mode Wheel Locks. The last set of locks before the terminal docks at Salford, and the point at which the canal reaches Manchester. See the Ship Canal history.

About these photographs

Both flights were made in a light aircraft from Barton Aerodrome, which is the practical way to photograph a city from above: a high-wing aircraft with a window that opens, a pilot willing to circle a landmark, and a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the vibration coming through the airframe.

Shooting through aircraft glazing is the main obstacle. The glass is rarely clean, it reflects the cabin interior, and it is cold enough to fog. The frames that work are usually those taken with the lens close to the glass, the camera not touching the airframe, and the aircraft held in a steady turn.

What is missing from this page

The original page carried additional aerial views of Winter Hill, an Eccles town centre shot, and a photograph of the former Barton Power Station site. Those image files were not captured by the Internet Archive and no copies are known to exist, so they are absent here rather than represented by something else.