Arguably the most significant event in Manchester’s recent regeneration history happened at 11:17 am on 15th June 1996.

My first reaction might appear strange for a photographer, but when the bomb went off I wasn’t compelled to dash into the city and gawp. In fact, it was several weeks before I went anywhere near the ‘epicentre’.

The IRA bomb that destroyed much of the city’s core became the catalyst to a remarkable rebuilding programme co-ordinated by the City Council’s Manchester Millennium task force. Old buildings were rejuvenated, new stores and cultural landmarks built and much-needed open spaces created.

Commissioned both by Millennium Manchester and Richardson Developments (the developers of The Printworks entertainment complex) my images were exhibited on a 100-metre hoarding in the city centre for over two years.