When the skyline had yet to be taken over

It is easy to forget that there was a time and a tome relatively recently when the city’s sky line had yet to be taken over by tall developments which reached for the sky.

And as Ian Robertson’s three pictures show that was just a decade and a bit ago.

In 2007 the debate was still raging about the Beetham Tower which had eclipsed the CIS Building as Manchester tallest structure.

So in 2007 and again in 2009 Ian wandered down to that end of Deansgate to record this new “thing”.

Since then, of course he has been back and back again recording the onward march of these tall buildings, which very quickly also came to dominate across the water in Salford and are now out there in Stockport.

All of which makes these images a little bit of history.

Location; on Deansgate, Manchester

Pictures; the Beetham Tower, 2007-09, from the collection of Ian Robertson