Skyhook - Trafford Park, UK - Realistic Object Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Trafford Park
Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located opposite Salford Quays, on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, it is 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west-southwest of Manchester city centre, and 1.3 miles (2.1 km) north of Stretford. Until the late 19th century it was the ancestral home of the Trafford family, who sold it to financier Ernest Terah Hooley in 1896. Occupying an area of 4.7 square miles (12 km2), it was the first planned industrial estate in the world,[1] and remains the largest in Europe.[2]

At its peak in 1945, an estimated 75,000 workers were employed in the park. That number began to decline during the 1960s as companies closed in favour of newer, more efficient plants elsewhere. By 1967 employment had fallen to 50,000, and the decline continued throughout the 1970s. The new generation of container ships was too large for the Manchester Ship Canal, which led to a further decline in Trafford Park's fortunes. The workforce had fallen to 15,000 by 1976, and by the 1980s industry had virtually disappeared from the park. The Trafford Park Urban Development Corporation, formed in 1987, reversed the estate's decline. In the 11 years of its existence the park attracted 1,000 companies, generating 28,299 new jobs and £1.759 billion of private-sector investment. As of 2008, there were 1,400 companies within Trafford Park, employing an estimated 35,000 people. link

The Skyhook
The 17 metre high sculpture stands outside the former telephone exchange and shows a chain suspended from the sky with a large hook attached to a large weight on the ground. It is actually inspired by a joke whereby new factory apprentices were sent to fetch a sky hook, not realising that no such thing exists.
,br> This hook is one of a pair that were installed at the same time.

Title: Skyhook Artist: Brian Fell Placement Date: 1995 Website: [Web Link] Type of Object: Hook and Chain Location: Outside Former Telephone Exchange in Trafford Park Material: Metal

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Date Logged Log   11/28/2021 fm1906 visited it