Our story
This is MediaCity: The UK’s leading hub for media, creativity and innovation.
Creativity, culture and innovation collide in our unique neighbourhood
situated on the banks of the historic Manchester Ship Canal
It’s a place where creators craft content, innovators instigate change and the cultured congregate with an energy that inspires the next generation of talent to hone their skills here.
It’s an experiential destination which draws visitors to encounter all that it has to offer while enjoying the calm of its wide open spaces and waterfront.
As the UK home of future media and immersive experience its heart is firmly rooted in Salford but its ambition is global.
Our history
It’s a story that begins with the building of a canal that connected Manchester and Salford to the sea, turning both into global giants. Today, those same docks are our home.
What connects us to our past? Our pioneering spirit. We may have swapped dockers for developers, but we’re as focused on innovation and global connection as ever. In the next decade, we’ll double in size, further developing the infrastructure that will enable businesses like yours to flex and grow. Becoming fully sustainable, and truly connected. A place whose waterside location, culture and street life put wellbeing front and centre, and where you’ll have access to an incredible density of talent.
1887
Construction of the Manchester Ship Canal began in 1887 and it was officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1894.
1905
No 9 Dock opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, on the former site of the Manchester racecourse and measured as the largest dock in Salford. The Dock offices then opened on Trafford Road in 1927 and the Ship Canal Company was acquired by The Peel Group in 1987.
2000 + 2002
2000: Lowry officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II
2002: Imperial War Museum North opens
2007
The first spade in the ground at MediaCity as construction begins.
BBC proposes move of five of its London-based departments to MediaCity.
