This is the second track in the series, and whilst not really a historical discovery, it certainly fits and given the recent 100th anniversary of Ewan MacColl’s birthday in Broughton, Salford. Just down the hill from Kersal Moor where the Chartists had gathered almost 100 years earlier, Ewan’s birthplace was just around the corner from where some of the band studied, and John Gill (E2’s original bass player) taught at Salford College, just by the Irwell river featured in those early pictures.

Indeed, this part of Salford has a long history of producing creatives and when we lived there I remember John Cooper Clark and Mark E Smith being regulars in the local pubs, such as The Star, now a community owned pub on the edge of Kersal Dale.

This song in fact takes us just a little way from where the chartists gathered, to the gasworks which was just the other side of the A6, to what is now the M602. The Canal referred to is the Manchester to Bury and Bolton Canal which runs up through Salford. In fact, the rumour has it that Salford Council, embarrassed by the perceived negativity of Dirty Old Town, forced Ewan MacColl to change the line from `Smelled the spring on the Salford wind’ to `Smelled the spring on the smoky wind’. (See www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=2587) for more info.

Anyway, we hope that you enjoy our take on this absolute classic song from Salford, Manchester.

(abridged from the Morning Advertiser)

Monday night, half-past six o’clock.

The morning was a lowering one but, notwithstanding this, crowds of persons began to assemble in the streets shortly after daybreak and many processions from the country had arrived by nine o’clock. The various trades of Manchester assembled in Smithfield, and previous to their marching to Kersal Moor, presented a formidable appearance in respect to numbers. The Moor is nearly four miles distant from Manchester, and the ground fixed for the meeting is that upon which the Manchester Races take place. The hustings were erected near the Stand-House and in such a position that they were surrounded by an amphitheatre of at least fifteen acres, every person on any portion of the ground being enabled to see all that passed. All along the roads to Manchester the footpaths were thronged to excess, and in the area before the old Collegiate Church, which overlooked the procession, there were many thousands of females assembled. By twelve o’clock one half of the ground was occupied, and the immense multitude even at that time presented a truly awful appearance. Before one o’clock however the ground was completely occupied and the meeting then was certainly the largest that has ever taken place in the British Empire. – not less than 300,000 people could have been present. As the various speakers arrived upon the hustings they were loudly cheered… – Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser (Dublin, Ireland)^[31]

This is what Kersal Moor looks like today, but not for long as works are starting to allow the green area in the foreground to become a managed flood plain and the whole level is to be dropped by several metres!  These photos were taken from the top of Kersal Flats which now stand between the position that William Wyld would have been in and the view of the Moor.  In fact this area is not marked on modern maps as Kersal Moor at all, and is what we used to call ‘The Cliff’ when we lived near by.  Kersal Moor as is today lies perhaps a quarter of a mile behind the vantage point from which these photos were taken. However in the 1800’s this area and the Moor were one large expanse of green moorland, and the green expanse seen on these photos is where the Chartists gathered in 1838 to demand their rights to vote and other basic human rights.

Just 30 years after the previous painting, you can see the transformation of the skyline!

Painted in 1852

• Date painted: 1820
• Oil on canvas, 99 x 152.5 cm
• Collection: Salford Museum & Art Gallery