First Street is the focus of the former Gaythorne gasworks site which was redeveloped by ASK Developers in partnership with Manchester City Council. It has been lined with trees and a series of five striking and brightly coloured sculptures of acrobats have been installed in the street, the first of which is in the foreground of this photograph. The installation is by sculptor Colin Spofforth and is entitled “Up There” Link . Each individual sculpture is 2˝ metres tall and is set on a 5-metre stainless steel column.
SJ8397 : Mills across the water Building on the right is a modern pastiche. I looked at this early in 2008 and realised it for what it was quite quickly. There is an excellent complex of converted mills in this corner. Just as important as Ancoats.