New sketch book brings to life redevelopment of city centre quarter
- Series of sketches published as book by well-known Manchester photographer and blogger
- Len Grant says redevelopment area is 'full of stories'
- Sketches tell story of Mayfield's £1.4bn transformation
A Manchester sketcher and writer has created a sketchbook named Mayfield Stories which brings the redevelopment of a historic part of the city to life.
Photographer and blogger Len Grant was commissioned to document the £1.4bn transformation of the derelict site in the city centre known as Mayfield.
Len, who is based in Withington, said: “I have documented regeneration projects for 25 years and Mayfield has to be the most exciting so far.
“For a development where nothing has been built yet, there is so much going on, so many stories to tell.”
The Mayfield Project aims to deliver more than 1,000 homes, 75,000sq m of office space, a 350-bedroom hotel, retail and leisure facilities and a new city park over the next decade.
Len has documented many of the city’s major regeneration projects, including architectural icons such as The Bridgewater Hall, The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum North.
He praised the company behind the project: “They are very keen on developing a community rather than just building office blocks and apartments. I was particular impressed with the attitude to how they are going about this.”
Len began his career in 1990 as a photographer and only started sketching six years ago after joining the Manchester Urban Sketchers.
Last year he launched a similar book called Rusholme Sketcher based on the famous ‘curry mile’ in Manchester.