Flat Iron conservation area

Designation date 1978
Area 1.36 hectares (3.36 acres)
Listed building entries 5

Background information

The Flat Iron conservation area is centred around the grade II * listed Sacred Trinity Church on the A6, close to the boundary with the city of Manchester. It is bounded by Blackfriars Road and Blackfriars Street on the east, the River Irwell to the south, Booth Street and Bury Street to the west and the railway line to the north. A map showing the boundary of the Flat Iron conservation area is available to download at the bottom of the page.

The Flat Iron conservation area derives its name from the triangular shaped plot of land which contained both Trinity Church and the market itself, resembling the shape of flat, hot coal heated iron once used for ironing clothes.

The original town of Salford was contained within the triangle of land bounded by the River Irwell, Chapel Street, Gravel Lane and Greengate. Although Salford received a Borough Charter in 1228 and a Market Charter in 1230, it had no church of its own until 1635 when Sacred Trinity was erected. At this time it was on the edge of the town and remained so for almost the next 150 years, until the industrial revolution resulted in the rapid expansion of the town.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the areas adjacent to the old town centre developed with housing, industry and public buildings. Originally the surrounding areas were fashionable residential areas, but as the 19th century progressed they became increasingly used for commerce and industry. The houses were replaced by shops and offices and only a limited amount of residential accommodation, often over shops or in the form of caretaker's flats, survived. This process was accelerated in the 1880s by the building of Exchange Station, which resulted in the obliteration of a large part of Sacred Trinity's parish.

Listed building entries within the conservation area Grade
Blackfriars Bridge (that part in Salford), Blackfriars Street II
The Punch Bowl Public House, 81 Chapel Street II
10 and 12 Blackfriars Street II
14 and 16 Blackfriars Street II
The Crown Tavern, 24 Blackfriars Street II
Church of the Sacred Trinity, Trinity Market II *

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This page was last updated on 7 April 2016

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