A derelict former railway station, a neglected river and a dozen or more redundant industrial units; Mayfield is Manchester’s latest big regeneration project.

Fast forward 10 years and a new 6.5-acre public park will be the centrepiece of a £1bn mixed-use community including apartments, offices, shops etc.

Mayfield Manchester commissioned me as their resident storyteller, documenting the progress on site through sketches and interviews. I enjoyed sketching the empty spaces being used to house huge theatrical extravaganzas or small, one-off workshops. I enjoyed delving into the site’s rich history – Mayfield was the site of textile printing innovation – as well as meeting the new entrepreneurs making use of temporary spaces.

I produced two sketchbooks although, because of the pandemic, only the first was printed. You can buy Mayfield Stories Sketchbook 1 from my online shop. And see Sketchbooks 1 and 2 as page-turners, below.

Sadly, those who commissioned me left during lockdown and my commission was not re-instated after Covid. Shame really, it was super interesting work.