URBAN REGENERATION AND
COMMERCIAL BUILDING PHOTOGRAPHY FOR
COCKHEDGE SHOPPING CENTRE IN WARRINGTON
PART ONE
- DOCUMENT THE BUILDING WORKS
- RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY TO UNCOVER AND HELP PRESERVE THE HISTORY
CLIENT: Altered/Space
BRANDING + DESIGN: StudioDBD
I started shooting some commercial building photography and documentary photography of the redevelopment work at Cockhedge Shopping Centre in Warrington back in December 2023. Working with the client, urban regeneration specialists Altered/Space and alongside Dave/StudioDBD who was running the design and branding work.
The first shots I took were of the demolition work that had just started on site and I'm so glad I was there to document this. Not only because I think the photographs are visually interesting but also because it aligns the photography with the values and principles of the wider project. Heritage and respect for the history of a location are key elements in Altered/Space's urban placemaking process. And Dave leaned into this with the branding – beautifully articulated in the decision to keep the name, Cockhedge.
Since joining the project we've met with local historians and studied archival documents and maps – learning as much about the rich history of Warrington and specifically the site of Cockhedge. We also reached out to the community and connected with locals who shared family stories about the original mills that were on the Cockhedge site. Some took us back almost a century and this discovery stage of the work allowed me to capture some Warrington lifestyle photography as well as portraits of our stprytellers.
"We never want to neglect the past in the areas we work within and aim to keep the narrative alive to enhance a strong sense of place" - Altered/Space.
So capturing the partial demolition of the now-tired shopping centre was crucial. Part of my role is to document what will be part of Cockhedge's future history and create a visual record of how the site looked when we started this new era, and follow it right through to completion.
I wanted to convey an element of sympathy in the photographs. Demolition by definition represents destruction and the end of an era, and having learned stories of how Cockhegde played a role in the local community I wanted to respect its significance. So I looked for the beauty in this brutal but necessary process. I shot at low light to add to the aesthetic, mixed colour and black and white and cropped in on details to create some often abstract photographs. Some show the old materials used in the previous build and I've deliberately included these in this first collection of images.
In our research, we discovered the original ornate ironmongery (still in place in the current Cockhedge) in old photos of the mill workers. These details are referenced in the new branding that Dave has been developing. But for me it highlighted the importance of materials in an urban regeneration project like this. They hold significance and are part of the rich heritage of the site and I wanted to acknowledge that and respect it.
This is just the first stage of the photography documenting this project and I've included a few from the meetings we had with locals who kindly shared the stories of their connection to Cockhedge.
Follow the progress HERE