esK from L.H. (2023)

Little Hulton is a shithole, but I can say that because I’m from there. esK (@salford.esk) echoes the same sentiment. Wildly passionate about his hometown and working-class background, esK uses painting as an ode to the mundane:

“Mundanity is underrated, I love the ‘everyday’. Even just being a good person… just a decent member of the community. There’s something profound about it... it’s the backbone of a community. Sometimes I don’t even want to paint, it’s almost too much. I’d rather just do my job, make money, be a nice person… But I always end up picking up the paintbrush, there’s just something there. ”

A former mining village, Little Hulton is now recognised (if at all) for being one of the most deprived wards in Salford and for its high crime rates. It is, however, also the childhood home of Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder - so you win some, you lose some.

Although raised in Little Hulton, esK went to school in Bolton, uni in Lancaster and then flew the nest to see the world. It was only in coming back home he realised he wasn't as familiar with his community as he’d like to be. This bred the question, what is Little Hulton?

“What is the community, what does it look like? Some things are overt indicators of where you are. Like street signs for example. You can say “Okay so Little Hulton is part of Salford”. Even then, some people say it's Bolton, it is closer to Bolton... There was a time when Kenyon Way was served by both Salford and Tyldesley Council, so no one collected the bins for ages! It’s a weird place. It’s a nowhere place.”

As one does with ‘no man's land’, it seems the residents had bred conflict out of boredom. swearing blind that their estate was better than the next, regardless of barely having their own distinguishing features. We both reference the local lore of the high schools formerly known as Harrop Fold and St. George’s RC:

“There were turf wars on the Bankings between Harrop Fold and St George’s - people obsessed with separating themselves, only to get on the same bus home! Like, we’re all getting the 36 the same way, right?”

Everyone’s just trying to get by. We keep circling back to this notion that everyone who lives here is just ticking over, seemingly looking for the next opportunity to leave. Most residents look for work in the city, then spend their money in the city. No one wants to invest in an area they have been convinced is destined to fail.

“All I ever see are people walking to and from work, kids being nob ‘eds and mums on their front step, watching the world go by… Little Hulton has become a halfway house. It’s just a bit lost, innit?”

Speaking of work, esK reminisces about working at McDonald's and JD Sports at Walkden Town Centre, the retail park in the neighbouring town. Fawning about the glory days of gallivanting around Blockbusters, JJB and our beloved Greggs (R.I.P) - we quickly diverted our attention to the gargantuan Tesco’s Extra that has become the black hole of the shopping centre, slowly eating up the smaller businesses that reside on the other side of the mall.

“This development infantilises the town. They bring in the big businesses and they dwarf the independent shops, they demean the work and value of them by saying ‘Who cares? Here's a Nandos!’ That rocked the neighbourhood for a little bit. At least we won’t have to go to the [Bolton] Vaults anymore!”

We both admitted The Vaults’ Nandos is the better Nandos.

There's this constant desire for progress, but who does it impact? As residents of LH, we both recognised that the optimism we’d had for the retail park fell flat with age. The nostalgia we had for the classic old building with its ornate glass ceiling, spiral staircases and green framework can't be replicated by the big white box it has become. Quick builds are being thrown up all over the city, devoid of any quality or character. Lacking any indicator of who we are or where we belong. Everything is the same.

To which esK States “We need increased localisation, people repping their community and investing back into themselves.” This is easier said than done, though. Once ticking by with small businesses dotted along the main road and within the estates, several of our childhood haunts no longer existed.

“Pied Piper shop was the only shop that sold Wonka Bars” - before it was demolished. “Stan's shop was sick!” - before it got levelled. “Gary's shop had the best scran!” - before it shut down. The only things that stay the same are pubs and takeaways. Not even the brothel on top of Bargain Booze could survive! The only independent businesses that thrive in Little Hulton are the spots of self-indulgence, even more so the ones that deliver directly to your door.

There are places like Little Hulton all over the UK. Forgotten, nowhere towns that have been left to the dogs. Residents are slated for not looking after the home they've been told is hopeless and beyond repair. The only places we've been attached to get closed, the novelty of having the biggest Tesco in Europe wore off quickly. The social clubs are being shut down, gone are the days of J2Os at the Conny club. We need to choose to band together, for no reason other than it being a good thing to do. We need community centres, festivals - we need street parties! We need each other, it's all we have left.