I like the fact that the documentary just tells it like it is, no sugar coating, no idealism. Just facts and the truth.

I'm actually quite fascinated by the whole thing, i'm from manchester and I remember "old Hulme" as a child...how on earth these planners could actually think there idea would work still baffles me!! New Hulme is a vast improvement, however I am still drawn to old Hulme for some reason, I find it interesting and quite nostalgic...

Ironically, it would have been cheaper to have redeveloped all the Victorian houses that existed before and far more aesthetically pleasing.

I lived here and maybe it was a combination of alot of different things, my youth, music scene, and plenty of naughtiness but I loved this place. We had the best time and we didn't care. X

It was worse than it looks - druggies, alkies, mental cases - and that was just the students!

Amazing piece of footage and history about Hulme. I used to visit the area as my Grandma used to live on 'Avenham Close.' I recall the crescents and the old 'Spinners' pub. My brother used to go to the 'Russell Club/Factory' club. Unfortunately, I never saw where that venue was located. However, I visit Hulme nearly every night as my girlfriend lives there. Whenever I am driving down there, I cannot help but think of my Gran and the many bands that played there too and of course the crescents.

I lived in 2 different flats in Hulme, the now demolished Lupton Walk and later Epping Walk. There's nothing to be nostalgic about the Hulme of the late 80s/early 90s, too much crime, fear filled the air especially after dark. I felt sorry for my old neighbours, and now that I'm older I understand what an awful place it must have been to be old and alone in.

I lived in Robert Adam Crescent until the age of 5. I'm so glad I don't have huge memories of living there. I do remember getting stuck in the lift because it broke down. A blue van was the local shop. I look back and what an absolute hole it really was. So glad they were pulled down.

My great aunt, Joanna used to live there in the 1970s. She was a little, old lady. Unfortunately, she got mugged more than once. Lads took her handbag right out of her hand and she was defenseless. My father tried his best to help her, by doing some shopping. I think the council made a huge mistake building those cresents.

Hi thanks for this. My friendship group lived there and I will never forget the shock when first visiting as a teen frm a nice suburb. It was so futuristic at night. they had outdoor lifts with a wide recess in them "for coffins". A lot of the accommodation on crescents were three bedroom houses; given to single people on welfare. You got the rooms with no floor coverings; furniture or appliances. Council policy is to strip empty flats.They would struggle in one room in the cold. Flats given to single people, students, people under "Care in the Community". . People needing emergency accommodation. No tenants "well versed in running a household". You cant build a community like that. You need some people who will wash the car and maintain routines. Boring but it creates a sense of security. Same policy seen in "Pruitt Igo" documentary; same result.

Most of the houses knocked down for this weren't slums. A lot of houses left were worse than the houses knocked down. They were mansion houses but they became run down by landlords.

i remember watching this in geography!! i love urban deprivation studies and its such a shame that these houses failed

I lived at 37 Robert Adam in the late 70s. loved it as a kid. One big adventure.

Hi, i grew up in hulme(John Nash crescent)from 1970-1979. The film brought back memories of my childhood. Thanks for posting.

quite easy if the designers don't have to live there themselves.

I live in an Edwardian terrace in Walworth, South London and many flats are owned by Southwark Council... Let me tell you that the appearance of the building has NOTHING to do with the problems that have been associated with Brutalism

Thanks for posting this. I read about the Hulme Crescents in "The Secret Lives of Buildings", it's interesting to actually see them. Apparently things get worse after this documentary, when they ban families from living there ...

i lived on freeman walk 1;16 i remember playing rounders hide and seek waiting for mr bibby at the back was martinscroft primary and in front the gamecock pub. we were the first family to have a payphone and colour tv I'm a script writer now and hulme was a great setting for many dramas ps hated the mice and bedbugs!!!

Thank you for sharing this.

i lived in one of them flats around 86/87 very depressing n i was too scared to go out after dark very grim

I was born an brought up in Hulme robert adam an i had a great time an got good memorys im 41 now but maybe that era was better anyway.

They destroyed a community, pulled it down again, and rebuilt it even worse. Our family lived on Hulton Street, knew every neighbour, everyone helped everyone else. They swept away the community spirit and moved everyone out to what was supposed to be nicer and more modern, but never thought of the consequences to people and community. These were slum areas, but they could have forced the property owners to improve their properties rather than pay them a boat load of money so they could pull them down. It wasnt the people that created the slums, it was the landlords and the council. Our family was moved out to Sale, to a nice new modern estate, most of those houses are now falling down...

I lived here as a student in 1980-81. What a dump. Grim as hell.

I used to to the Kitchen an after hours party every Wednesday,Friday and sometimes Saturdays on the top floor after we had been the Hacienda.The Jam M.Cs DJed there and they were ace.It was sketchy as fuck but I loved it.I didn't have to live their though.

They was nice inside , my Nan lived at Coverdale Crescent for many years until knocked down , went upstairs to bed , and a little veranda to sit at , they used to stand out talking all hours , Community back then . Rip Nan xx

As the great gladys knight sang... Try to remember We look back and we think the winters we're warmer. The grass was greener. The skies were bluer! but we kids from the crescent.. Our smiles were bright. We didn't no any better. 😕

as an american, (even with the architectural dissimilarity) this really reminds me of what i've heard about places here like pruitt-igoe very interesting.

The council only had to look over the pennines at Quarry Hill, Leeds to see what a disaster the crescents were.

i watched your vid and realised the bit thats missing is where they interview my mum in our old flat about the cockroach infestation it would be funny to see the whole version if you have it cheders

I read about these in Barry Woodward book ,”once an addict”. The bull rings.. seeing it is exactly how he described If not, worse.. wow.

omg at the orange buses lol cockroach crescents,wouldn't mind but when they ripped these down they threw new buildings up without treating the land so I bet they've still got cockroaches,you had to turn the light on wait for the cockroaches to bugger off before you could go into that room,just going to the loo at night was great fun

Hulme lives on !

I worked there several times as a telephone engineer in the 70's. I saw the original designer sketches for it too which looked great in their pastel colours. As stated in the commentary they were designed to recreate the terraced houses but the decks created isolation. Went to a few 'blues' parties there which were always colourful! I saw them being demolished in the early 80's. I'll never forget the sight of black smoke billowing out of the glassless windows as the buildings collapsed and

I remember watching this on World In Action

Who helped to destroy the estates ? "Helped", not entirely to blame, but "Helped": many of the residents themselves.

HELL HOLE IT WAS OPEN BEFORE 1969 MY DAD ENDING HIS DAYS IN 1969 IN HULME BOG…………….

In only slightly different circumstances I could have found myself living in Hulme, thank god that didn't happen..

1:38 The architect's reason was their brief by their client !

4:25-4:39 pretty much sums up why it failed!

Thanks for uploading.

That's a fair comment, but it's not always just about where you are, it's sometimes also about the trajectory you're on. I also had a mate who lived there... he was also a student at Madchester Uni and in a fairly successful band. I hope you're doing well now. Hulme does have a lot of character though, for sure.

This was a no go area if ya didn't live there

My sister actually lived in one of those when she was a student, took me ages to find where she lived

ive watched this video a few times, now i feel like i should leave my own comment, i think the video details are a little bit far fetched i livd here , i lived in william kent 530, cant believe i still remember my door number, i do remember alot more most of it good, but hey i was only 7yrs old, but you never forget

There is a book about the Yorkshire Ripper that quotes from this documentary. One of his victims lived [very briefly, in late 1977] at Lingbeck Crescent, although I don't know if that Crescent is on this. His other Manchester victim was also from Hulme [Greenham Avenue]

"Viddy well little brother"

And now it's got nice council homes you'll struggle to find a British family living in one. Same for Moss Side.

6:45 "There is no sense of ownership. No sense of property or belonging"

Shocking place but I did like going to the eagle psv and kitchens

Not too bad when you were actually in the flats, though. Shame about everything else when you stepped out...

I lived on 534 Charles Barry Cresent my dad sonny was caretaker their .recently passed away in march

charles barry ruled,hi tania!!

Truly truly shocking ...

Somehow fascinating however impossible to live area

Is this what was classed as the bull ring or was that mosside?

I remember it like yesterday it was ok till night fall

Why is the Govenment so loving?

Ha I've spent alot of time in Bath can't see the resemblance 😅

13,000 people , wow !! Are these flats still standing ?

Lifts? They never worked. Them decks were nice & smooth for skateboarding though!

Where was this documentary aired? What channel and what year please? Would like to reference it in my essay about high-density social housing, thanks!

HELL HOLE FOR OLD .MY DAD LASTED I YEAR .IN 1969……………………...

As an ordinary peasant raised in public housings in Hong Kong I don't understand a single thing in this video...

It sure did, along with Hulme Library, The Zion Centre and the ascencion Church, i live at 114 Charles barry from 78 (a baby) to 87.

safe as houses...!. I was there, top night

I used to live in them cresdents b4 i moved to ardwick rudcroft close

All this Hulme crescents shit,they were called the bull rings.Get it right.

Icie tagged Hulme to death.1983/90.🖍️

I wonder if it was the first major building contract the councilor's could get a bung/back hander of the contractors​ for a while, nothing to do with mobilising working classes at all, Bath crescents my arse.Could tell at a glance it was a brutalist fake famous french architect (forget his name ha)corveir or something,nightmare made on the cheap but charged the earth for quick gain housing scam catastrophe.Thanks G.M.C.

Oh yeah... kit of parts - machine logic applied to cities. No sense of what cities are about.

still a bunch of apt buildings that , from a picture, looks like Russia.

Decay is also about the innate qualities of many people living in these places, which cannot be discussed in woke circles. Good distraction: 4:28

Awful, awful place .... Used to live there from 8 year old 1959 ... Shit hole on a good day. The outlook for the area is black ... 🤔 Mmmmm

Etties party on John Nash crsnt was a top night £1 in £1 dumplings.and |Tania Marie!!!. (come with me ) Tune!!! back in the eighties. was an awful place...5 floors of boxes, but we worked with what we had.

Every time I get a bus (86) from Chorlton ( where I live from 1965 to 2010) to Manchester town , the black youths come in from Hulmes , everyone frozen cos they started rioted, abusive, threatened at us for no reason, so it’s stopped when the whole crappy council flats demolitions order by Tory’s Micheal Heseltine. so nutters disappeared. Happy memories!

funny shit this...

Even the cockroaches didnt want to live in the bull ring./remember as a kid watching a guy throw a dog over the balcony from the 4th floor,

Hi I'm wondering if there's a contact I can get in touch with for using this footage in a short youtube documentary