I think Mr Mac may have been indulging in a little poetic license - not that I begrudge him that, I have been known to stretch the facts a little on occasion!

I am not sure where the reading room at Peel Park would have been in his day but the building is surrounded by 1. The Old Salford Art College (now part of the Universty) - A beutiful gothic style red brick building. 2. A magnificent row of Georgian Houses and 3. Peel Park - One of the most open and green places in the City. The fourth side now holds Maxwell Hall - part of the Uni built since his day but, as far as I remember, there were never any terraced streets on that site and if there were they only covered a tiny area.

I think he was quite correct in his observations however and I distinctly remember the awful old slum dwellings as they were peeled away like layers of decay in the 1960's to make room for Salfords very own brave new world. Which in turn became the high rise nightmare that a mere 30 years later needed demolishing itself! Why did the planners not learn? Or did they - but were just as greedy as the mill owners themselves?

Come back Jimmy, all is forgiven. Write us a song about the clean new town, with all it's drug problems, crime and social imperfections...

Cheers

Dave the Gmome
(Feeling rather moribund himself at the mo;-) )