The cache is at the site of the new Factory Girls sculpture.Made in 2010 with young people from Salford College, Salford Foundation, Eccles Youth Club and Ordsall Community Arts.
This sculpture celebrates the women workers of Metropolitan Vickers, once the largest factory in Western Europe. The forms are inspired by products made at the electrical engineering firm in Trafford Park. Each enamelled figure is named after a former employee.
During the Second World War thousands of women trained in skilled jobs traditionally reserved for men. While their brothers, husbands and fathers served in the armed forces they helped to maintain the production of vital defence equipment. This included instruments for use in radio and radar, as well component parts for over 1,000 Lancaster Bombers.
David Appleyard is a public artist from Sheffield. For this project he worked with local young people to explore the lives of teenagers over five decades. Some of the concepts they identified – including the rise and fall of heavy industry and equality in the workplace – helped to shape this artwork.