THE ARTISTIC HUES OF SALFORD

SALFORD MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

Salford Museum and Art Gallery was on my list for a very long time. Situated right beside one of the College campuses, it should have been the first place that I ever visited. But it was not so. I have seen that what is closer to us is probably the last place to be visited. Though this was not the last place to be visited per say, it was however after scheduling and rescheduling this visit for over two months that I finally got a chance to see it. Being an Art Gallery one must keep in mind that photography is restricted. Even though here, museums and galleries do not impose strict restrictions on taking photographs, my principles forbade me to take photographs inside the gallery. I have however attached photographs from the museum.

The museum is a beautifully conceptualised piece of art in itself. It is a street complete with lampposts, birds, shops and houses. The museum depicts an evening scene of a street in an era gone by. At the door everyone is welcomed with clothes of the bygone era which they can put on and click photographs of themselves. On entering the street you would be welcomed by a shoe makers shop on your left and a candy shop on your right. Going further in, the street houses a blacksmith shop, a bakery, some antiquely designed drawing rooms of the elite and middle class households, a jewllery shop, a print machine, a toy shop and carriages. This entire part has no restrictions on photography and I have managed to get quite a few captures from this area.

CANDY SHOP

TOY SHOP

AN INTERIOR OF A HOUSE

A BAKERY-ISH DECOR

A DINING ROOM

A SHOE-SHOP

Next is the Victorian Gallery which houses some beautiful oil paintings from the Victorian era. In fact, one particular painting caught my attention. It was of Peel Park just beside my University Campus. The painting was from a time when only the park existed and there was no sign of any houses nearby. The painting depicted the visit of the Queen and the Prince to Peel Park. The Victorian Gallery also housed many sculptures.

The North Gallery on the other hand had an exhibition going on.

To commemorate the centenary of the Great War, there was also an exhibition about the War. The life and times of people on the warfront and in households, hospitals etc. The postcards and messages the soldiers sent back home were also displayed. The places they lived in, the food they ate – all have vivid mentions in the exhibition. Lastly, there was a Wall of Remembrance where people wrote little messages in memory of their near and dear ones who served in the War.

The Salford Museum and Art Gallery also hosts a gift shop and a café in the ground floor where you can sit over a cup of coffee and admire the interiors, think about purchasing some art souvenirs or postcards, or simply have a conversation about art with like minded people.

This Museum and Art Gallery was indeed very beautiful. In fact they have started a project of digitising over 8000 photographs from yesteryears. These memories would have been lost if they were only in print; thus, the need to digitally document and restore them wherever necessary in order to remember the rich heritage and culture of the place was necessary. I was truly impressed by the Gallery on the whole but specially by the Museum. Maybe someday I would go back again and try to take some more photographs of the museum!

Signing off until next time !

A DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM