Thomas Blower

Taken in Ancoats, Hattersley, Moss Side and central Manchester, Thomas Blower’s photographs record the city during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Blower developed his photographic practice alongside paid employment. Using a Canon AE-1, he photographed places he knew over several years, working without a commission or defined brief. Taken together, the photographs form a substantial record of housing, public space, transport and childhood during a period of extensive urban change.

The physical condition of Manchester is present throughout the work, particularly in Ancoats, where clearance and demolition had opened gaps across the industrial landscape. Blower’s attention remains with the people using these spaces. His subjects are recorded as individuals rather than as evidence for a predetermined account of the city.

British Culture Archive first published a selection from Blower’s Manchester archive in 2019 and represents selected photographs from the body of work.