A new exhibition at an Irlams o’ th’ Height library is marking Salford’s centenary year by exploring how everyday life has evolved over the past five decades.
Steve Chapman and Phil Portus, in collaboration with A-level students Ella Fletcher and Reede Wallace, are exhibiting their work at Height Library, showcasing the evolution of Salford in the past 50 years.
The historical photographs of Salford by Portus and Chapman illustrate the streets of the 100-year-old city during a time of upheaval in the late 1970s. The photographs in the exhibition are mainly focused on Langworthy, Weaste, Ordsall and Adelphi.
The work of Pendleton Sixth Form College students showcases their up-to-date images of Salford.
The exhibition, hosted from the 21 April to the 25 July, wraps around the sides of the library and takes you through the daily life of Salfordians in the 1970s, relating to life in Salford in 2026.
Portus and Chapman present images from elderly people enjoying Salford pubs, to young boys playing in the city’s old streets.
A great feature of the exhibition is the personal accounts of ‘Then & Now’, which compare people from the 1970s images, to more recent years in a side-by-side format.
Phil and Steve have exhibited their work in Salford and Manchester in the past. But a lot of these works by the pair were unseen until their separate exhibitions in Cornerstone Langworthy Library in 2024 and 2025.
Following the success of the opening of this exhibition, the Height Library hopes to expand its reach in the community following this exhibition. The library offers weekly events like ‘Knit and natter’, as well as fitness classes and writing groups.
Janet Lyons, Information Assistant at the library, said: “It’s our claim to fame that years, and years, and years ago, he [Tony Walsh] literally did poetry from here.
“And it was absolutely great.”
Janet continued: “We’ve had lots of things in the past, but now, it’s single-staffed, it’s cuts.
“But last night it was just fantastic”.
Click below to listen to more from Janet Lyons.
Many of the images can be recognised by Salford residents, particularly those who lived to see the evolution of the city over the past 50 years. Here is a map pointing out some of the photographs exhibited and where they were taken in the city.
