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Nine Acre Court




Nine Acre Court is a tower block in Ordsall, sandwiched between an expanding Manchester city centre and a swelling Salford Quays. It's part of the landscape of my life having lived in three flats in the block over the years, firstly on the 17th floor, then on the 15th and finally on the 14th. At one point I knew people in at least twelve other flats and so it truly functioned as a vertical village. I still have friends there now but I haven't personally been in residence since the year 2000. 

I've always loved that the tower has its own place in popular culture. Yes Nine Acre Court is also the opening track of The Charlatans 1995 eponymously titled album, apparently inspired by lead singer Tim Burgess's happy memories of parties there. At one point there was also a vintage clothes shop in Afflecks Palace in Manchester named after the song, which was named after the block.

Anyhow the reason I mention all this is because I've been revisiting today, walking parts of the area I've not seen for over a decade. It is both the same and different. The BBC and ITV have moved in at MediaCity which is a short walk away, much of Ordsall has been reinvented thanks to it's proximity to Manchester and the desire to live in town which wasn't a priority for many when I was there. 

I was quite surprised by the vividness of memories stirred by my short walk and started to ponder the link between place and memory and what it would be like to go back to other former homes especially ones from the first part of my childhood, a project possibly...

I have a penchant for blog titles with music references, so if you'd like to see a couple more follow the links:

Spiders From Mars

Staying Alive

Video Killed the Radio Star

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Location: Ordsall, Salford M5, UK

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