Oxford Road Manchester 1904
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Manchester Hippodrome has not long been open; the Central library hasn’t been built yet and as the evening starts to close in, the grand theatre comes alive as the cities bustle carries on unabated.
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The Hippodrome is bathed in the modern technology of the day, Electric light; this remarkable new invention makes the building appear to fluoresce against the murky backdrop of the burgeoning city.
The ground vibrates as crowded trams ceaselessly rumble by, sparks flickering from the damp overhead wires.
The noise of the city is incessant; horse’s hooves echo on the cold damp cobbles, in the distance a steam locomotive can be heard struggling to haul a heavy coal train over the sinuous viaduct.
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All through the night in the busy marshalling yards wagons will clatter and chatter amongst themselves while being chased and worried by busy little tank engines. The steam driven hammer of a back street forge thumps away occasionally showering the street with sparks; smoke impregnates your clothes, while the forever present soot secretly paints everything black.
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Industry would prevail in the city centre for many years, industrial decline combined with massive redevelopment eventually saw the city centre taken over by clean service industries, huge tower blocks started to appear and large shopping areas were pedestrianised, eventually sterilizing the industrial life out of Manchester centre.
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The painting was created from a number of photographs of the Hippodrome and nineteen hundreds Manchester.
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The painting is acrylic on board, mostly brush painted but with airbrush highlights and atmospheric fog.