L. S. Lowry’s Old Houses, City Road, Manchester (1955) captures a moment of quiet observation in a city undergoing enormous transformation. Drawn in pencil, the work depicts a cluster of terraced houses with their tall chimneys dominating the skyline, a lamp post marking the street, and a few small figures moving across the foreground. The simplicity of line and muted shading speaks to Lowry’s distinctive graphic style, where the bare essentials of architecture and human presence are distilled into something both direct and resonant.

By the mid-1950s, Lowry had already established himself as a central figure in British art. His depictions of industrial towns and their inhabitants stood apart from both traditional landscape painting and the growing influence of abstraction. Instead, Lowry’s vision was uncompromisingly rooted in the urban North. At a time when Britain was recovering from the war and modernising rapidly, his work offered a visual record of communities and streets that were soon to be lost. The houses on City Road, like many others in Manchester, were later demolished as part of post-war redevelopment, making this drawing not just an artwork but also a document of vanished city life.

The inclusion of figures is crucial. Lowry’s stylised people—sometimes described as “matchstick men”—animate the otherwise rigid geometry of the buildings. Here, the small group of figures and a dog ground the image, transforming the scene from a simple architectural study into a narrative of daily life. The naïve quality of the figures lends the work an immediacy and accessibility that continues to engage viewers. It is this combination of stark observation and human presence that influenced later artists, from the painters of post-war urban life to contemporary practitioners interested in memory and place.

Through modest means, Lowry’s drawing preserves the character of a street that no longer exists, affirming his role as both witness and poet of the industrial city.