BEST OF EWM 1996-2002 PHOTO GALLERY - All photos © Aidan O'Rourke

SALFORD AND MANCHESTER as seen from the railway bridge at Collyhurst, during a misty sunset in September 2001. The high rise flats in the distance are the ones in Pendleton, Salford. The church lower left is at the bottom of Cheetham Hill Road Manchester. The chimney is situated off Collyhurst Road, just north of Victoria Station

EWM says: People have described this scene as Lowryesque. For me it sums up the beauty of the inner city landscape.

JUTLAND STREET is a sloping cobbled street which leads from Ducie St to Store Street. It has a strong atmosphere of the old Manchester. The year is 1998, It is raining, and two people holding umbrellas are going up the pavement, which still has the original flagstones. A new apartment block built around 2000 will replace the original wall on the right.

EWM: The grim beauty and atmosphere of the 19th century city are fittingly captured here on black and white film.

THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL is captured at dusk in 2001, viewed from Barton Bridge. The M60 Barton Bridge, formerly the M61, is around half a mile ahead. The orange-blue sky is reflected in the still waters of the canal, now used more by swans than ships.

EWM says: A canal, a motorway bridge and a beautiful dusk sky. You don't need to travel very far from Manchester to find superb photo opportunities. The vignetting effect is caused by shooting at the widest zoom setting with the screw-on 2x teleconverter still attached to the Nikon Coolpix 990 camera.

CAPESTHORNE HALL estate is south of Alderley Edge, Borough of Macclesfield, and is a major visitor attraction during the summer months. Here, unusual light caused by misty and changeable conditions has given this scene a special quality.

EWM says: I was driving down the A34 noticed this scene and did a u-turn. The photo was captured on chromogenic film - monochrome film developed in colour chemicals. For me this scene captures the mystique of Cheshire, my home county.

CASTLEFIELD BASIN in 1998 is now one of Manchester's most photogenic spots, with restored warehouses, barges and the contemporary style Quay Bar centre right. 20 years earlier this was a derelict no-go area.

EWM says: Property developer Jim Ramsbottom was instrumental in redeveloping Castlefield. Thanks to his vision a forgotten backwater was transformed into a prime area of Manchester.

CASTLEFIELD is a former industrial district situated at the end of Deansgate. This was once a busy inland port, but by the middle of the 20th century, the area had declined. Redevelopment commenced in the 1980's. In this 180 degree panoramic image from 1998 we see the parallel railway bridges on the left and the newly constructed footbridge on the right.

EWM says: This is a remarkable scene which might not have survived. The canal might have been filled in and the railway viaducts taken down. Luckily the remnants of the industrial era were allowed to survive, and have become a potent symbol of Manchester in the 21st century.

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