End of an era as the last of east Manchester's gas holders comes down

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A familiar sight is disappearing from Manchester's ever-changing skyline. For generations east Manchester's gas holders could be seen from the terraced streets and council estates of Ancoats, Beswick, Bradford, Miles Platting and Newton Heath.

But now the last of the industrial structures - just off Alan Turing Way near the Etihad stadium - is being taken apart. The work, which began earlier this month, is progressing at such a pace that while parts of the gas holder remain, it is no longer visible from the streets it used to tower over. READ MORE: Couple 'thought they were going to die' after Manchester night out in sickening gang attack A neighbouring gas holder, between Bradford Road and the Ashton Canal, was taken down late last year.

It comes after landowners National Grid were given permission to demolish the structures in 2022. While some saw the late-Victorian era gas holders as an eyesore, they were a familiar, even cherished sight to some local people and Manchester City fans streaming into the area from across Greater Manchester and beyond to the Etihad stadium.

And crucially, they were reminders of the industrial past in an area which - as home to Premier League champions, plus cycling, athletics and squash facilities, and now, the 20,000 capacity venue Co-op Live - has reinvented itself as a centre of sports and entertainment.