Looking east along Stretford Road in Hulme

“The properties under construction on the left replaced the infamous Hulme Crescents”

A very different part of the city features in this week’s Flashback Friday - and without question one of the city’s most important regeneration projects.

This view looks east along Stretford Road in Hulme, towards Princess Parkway and Higher Cambridge Street / the The University of Manchester campus.

The top photo, kindly provided by Steve Welsh, is from February 1997. It captures, on the right, the demolition of the last remaining deck-access flats on the east side of Old Birley Street, along with the remnants of what was known as Hodder Square.

The properties under construction on the left replaced the infamous Hulme Crescents, demolished between 1991 and 1994, and formed part of the second phase of Hulme’s regeneration.

Before regeneration, Hulme was marked by severe social and physical deprivation, with the Hulme Crescents - constructed between 1968 and 1972 - rapidly declining into disrepair, crime, and isolation.

The Hulme City Challenge was launched in April 1992, backed by £37.5 million of government funding and delivered locally by Hulme Regeneration Limited. It set out plans for 3,000 new homes alongside shops and community facilities.

This vision was further shaped by the 1994 publication A Guide to Development – Hulme Manchester, which emphasised a commitment not to repeat “the mistakes… made a generation ago.”

The bottom photo, taken in spring 2026, captures some of the important changes that have formed part of the Hulme regeneration programme over the past 30 years or so.

The Stretford Road connection was completed and, in the background, stands the Hulme Arch - opened in May 1997 by Sir Alex Ferguson (if Euan’s memory serves correctly) and designed by Chris Wilkinson of WilkinsonEyre.

On the right-hand side is The Manchester Metropolitan University’s Birley Fields campus—specifically the Birley Vine accommodation. The Masterplan for the campus was prepared by Sheppard Robson.

In the background is Archway Halls (officially known as Archway), the final phase of the Birley Fields Campus and designed by jmarchitects.