Anthony Mulligan is a 36-year-old Salford born and bred filmmaker, and creator of the Daft Monkey Youtube channel.
His videos take you on a journey through the changing landscape of Salford, Manchester and more – he incorporates tales from the past and sound bites from his own VHS tapes as child to tell the stories of what once was.
These videos have racked up thousands of views across Youtube and Facebook.
His fascination with Salford and its history began with the tales he was told by his parents and grandparents as a child. Anthony added: “They’ve always stuck with me.”
In his Salford series, Anthony and his dad explore the ghost town, that is Pendleton’s old High Street estate. Over 700 homes in the area have been demolished by the council as part of an ambitious regeneration plan.
Anthony said: “I wanted to give the people a good send off. It’s the memories of the people that really matter. It seemed like a really tight knit community.
“It’s really strange walking round people’s old back gardens. You can just feel it. It’s in the atmosphere.
“I want people to be able to look back at it with fond memories, before all the riots in Salford.”
Anthony was referring to the 2011 England riots, which were a series of riots between August 6-11 in 2011. The protests started in Tottenham Hale, London, following the death of Mark Duggan, a local black man who was shot dead by police on August 4.
The riots then spread spread across London and eventually to other cities in England including; Birmingham, Bristol, Coventry, Derby, Liverpool, Leicester, Manchester and Salford.
Pendleton and the Salford Precinct were hotspots for these riots.
Today, the area of this estate is mostly a wasteland of splitting concrete, weeds and the occasional pile of wood ash and litter.
“Walking round the estate, knowing that it was gone, and that it was at one moment in time a real bustling place. The whole place just stood out to me,” Anthony added.
Anthony continued: “The first time I went round, one of the houses still had coins on the window ledge.
“You can feel the energy on the street even though the homes are gone. It’s something you can’t completely get across in a video, you have to be there.”
During Surviving Salford – The Afterlife!, Anthony’s dad finds what he describes as a “Salford plant pot”, which consists of a tire being turned out and used to grow plants.
“People who grew up in the estate said they had great memories back in the 80’s and 90’s. I was really happy with how the video was received.”
A single row of houses is all that’s left standing on the estate. Demonique Wilson, who is currently in dispute with the council over the value of the house, lives with his family of seven as the last remaining people on the street.
Their pink painted three bedroom house stands alongside a group of tinned up derelict properties.
Mr Wilson, 55, is a mental health nurse. He’s claiming that the money the council are offering him is not enough to be able to afford a three-bedroom flat in the area.
Anthony added: “I absolutely admire him. He’s really stood up for himself. That’s his house and he loves it.”
Anthony is dedicated to show more of the “decaying” areas of Salford. He aims to revive some of the historical importance across Salford, in hopes that they will be integrated into modern Salford, rather than destroyed.
“The Crescent pub is being renovated at the minute, but that pub has been shut for 5-6 years – its such a shame that a historic pub like The Crescent has been left to wreck and ruin. It’s rumoured that Frederick Engles once sat and had a pint in there.
“That one really did swing me because I used to drink in there myself and it was a really good pub, and to see it how it is at the minute just makes you sad. I just hope that they can re-use some of these places in Salford.”
Feature Image: Anthony Mulligan
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