meet the locals

TREASURE HUNT - National Science + Engineering Week

2012-03-04T21:03:00.000Z

TREASURE HUNT

Adult Event

11/03/12

1pm – 3pm

Meeting point:

Entrance Hall, MOSI (Museum of Science + Industry)

Liverpool Rd, Castlefield, Manchester M3 4FP

Dalton Collecting Marsh Gas Fire by Ford Madox Brown

Source: Wikipedia

Join us for a fantastic Treasure Hunt at MOSI (Museum of Science + Industry) + find out more about Manchester's invaluable contributions to the world of science + engineering. As Manchester was home to John Dalton, father of modern meteorology, our capricious weather will be one of the themes explored.

Manchester Cafe Scientifique
w: www.cafescientifique.manchester.ac.uk
e: P.Lewis@manchester.ac.uk + deborah.talmi@manchester.ac.uk

The Cafe Historique
w: meethelocals.blogspot.com
e: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

FREE event presented joinly by Manchester Cafe Scientifique + the Cafe Historique

YEMENI ROOTS, SALFORD LIVES

2012-02-13T09:25:00.000Z

CELEBRATING THE YEMENI COMMUNITY OF GREATER MANCHESTER
27/02/12
6.00PM - 7.30PM
Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre and Education Trust
Sackville Street Building, Sackville Street, University Of Manchester, M1 3BB
http://yemenirootssalfordlives.eventbrite.com/

FREE preview of the Yemeni Roots, Salford Lives Exhibition with a presentation by a local community member. Light refreshments will be available.

Based on the oral history project currently taking place with the Yemeni community in Eccles, the exhibition includes photographs, selected extracts from oral testimonies and other archival material. The exhibition describes aspects of the history of the Yemeni community in Eccles from the 1950s to the present. Central themes include working lives, leisure-time and milestones in building the community.

This event - and the subsequent exhibition - form part of the Manchester Histories Festival.

Free Film Screening: Flower Drum Song, 14/02/11, 6pm at Wai Yin (Manchester)

2012-02-13T08:10:00.000Z

Free Film Screening inc. Food + Refreshments: Flower Drum Song (1961), 14/02, 6pm onwards, Wai Yin Chinese Women's Society, 66 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JU

View Larger Map

Starring in Flower Drum Song is Hong Kong born actress Nancy Kwan who in the 1950s attended Kingsmoor School, Glossop + studied ballet in Manchester. Her acting career started with The World of Suzie Wong (1960), a film adaptation of a novel by Manchester born author Richard Mason.

2012-02-02T00:10:00.002Z

Open publication - Free publishing - More communities

CH-News - newsletter published by The Cafe Historique

2012-01-23T14:22:00.000Z

Welcome to the second issue of CH-NEWS!

#The Cafe Historique wishes you all a very HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

#A big THANK YOU to Anna Bunney, Julie Devonald, Jackie Ould, Emma Britain, SuAndi, Gurdeep Thiara, Ros Edwards, Natalie Zacek, Brian Ward, Bill Williams, John Pickstone, Michael Herbert, Washington Alcott, the Manchester Museum, the People's History Museum, Brodsky Cafe, Cafe Couture + for contributing to the success of the Cafe Historique's first Black History Month.

#A warm welcome to our new friends + members! MANCHESTER CAFE SCIENTIFIQUE + the Cafe Historique are joining forces... Joint events will be presented in 2012 - it would be a shame to miss the wealth of opportunities to be generated by forthcoming celebrations such as National Engineering + Science Week, International Women's Week/Month, Adult Learners Week, etc.

Here comes a tiny survey... What kind of events exploring the history of science in Manchester would you be interested in?

(a) museum visits

(b) talks

(c) quizzes

(d) walks

(e) film screenings

Please send your reply to cafehistorique@googlemail.com or post your answer on the Cafe Historique's wall.

#NOT TO BE MISSED: January + February Cafe Historique events

(1) Arab Communities in Manchester: 1837 - 2012 by Mohammad Seddon, Saturday 28/01, 3.00pm at The Manchester Museum - Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL.

(2) The Chinese Arts Centre invites us to join Jen Wu's Open Studio on 09/02, Market Buildings, Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1EU.

"Jen Wu's practice is concerned with social and material narratives of transformation. It manifests itself through a multidisciplinary field combining sculpture, events, film and curation. Previous projects have included transforming London's ICA into an all-night exhibition as nightclub. During her residency Jen will be taking in Manchester and its various histories from 18th century local politics to the city's infamous 90's music scene. For more information and to get involved, contact us via our mailing form. Expect events, collaborations and Manchester stories to evolve both in and out of the residency space."

Source: Chinese Arts Centre

(3) Free Film Screening inc. Food + Refreshments: Flower Drum Song (1961), 14/02, 6pm onwards, Wai Yin Chinese Women's Society, 66 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JU

Starring in Flower Drum Song is Hong Kong born actress Nancy Kwan who in the 1950s attended Kingsmoor School, Glossop + studied ballet in Manchester. Her acting career started with The World of Suzie Wong (1960), a film adaptation of a novel by Manchester born author Richard Mason.

## SHOW YOUR LOVE TO MANCHESTER - not another marketing campaign but an invitation to support with donations to the following organisations:

National Black Arts Alliance http://www.blackartists.org.uk/ The Cafe Historique highly recommends its online Black History Trails http://www.actsofachievement.org.uk/blackhistorytrail/

The Friends of Victoria Baths http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/help.htm, The Cafe Historique highly recommends their shop http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/sale.htm + Open Days http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/open_days.htm

The Friends of 84 Plymouth Grove http://www.elizabethgaskellhouse.org/ The Cafe Historique highly recommends their fantastic home made cakes... + bookshop.

#Manchester's Cafe Historique will soon introduce its first Haagen Dasz Day. Inspired by the success of the I LOVE MANCHESTER campaign..., CH-Haagen Dasz Days aim to encourage you to become a smarter shopper by inviting you to your local supermarket(s), shops, etc to creatively promote the history of Manchester brands. It might pay off at the end... How does it work? Simple...! All you need to do is share with as many people as possible Haagen Dasz's hidden history + convince your local supermarket or shop(s) to place a photograph of Rose Mattus next to Haagen Dasz products. Before you head to the shops, click on the following link...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/01/obituaries/01mattus.html?ex=1322629200&en=8412b912549fbbc3&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Anyway, back to Haagen Dasz here is a picture of one of its creators, Manchester born Rose Mattus

(Feel free to suggest Manchester products which you think deserve our attention...)

## CH-NETWORKING LUNCH went very well - the next one should take place at NBAA end of February... Aidan Jolly + Michael Herbert have kindly offered to give a "musical" presentation looking at little known aspects of Manchester's music heritage.


Chinese Laundry, Manchester

Arab Communities in Manchester 1839 -2012: A Brief History

2012-01-12T10:19:00.002Z

In partnership with The Manchester Museum, The Cafe Historique presents:

Arab Communities in Manchester 1839 -2012: A Brief History

Speaker: Dr. Mohammad Seddon, author of Muslim + Jewish Communities in 19th Century Manchester

Saturday 28/01/12
3.00pm- 4.30pm
The Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL

Event Registration Online for Arab Communities in Manchester 1839 -2012: A Brief History powered by Eventbrite

View Larger Map

FREE event

Further information:
www.meethelocals.blogspot.com

cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Image source: http://images.manchester.gov.uk/

Cafe Historique's Networking Lunch - 21/11/11

2011-11-16T10:45:00.000Z

Cafe Historique's Networking Lunch

Theme: Manchester's Music Collections

Monday 21/11/11
12noon - 2.00pm

The Brodsky Cafe
Royal Northern College of Music, Oxford Rd, Manchester

cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Join us Monday 21/11/11 for the Manchester Cafe Historique's first networking meeting + find out what happened when Henry Watson, founder of the Henry Watson Music Library (Image 1) met ex-slave Henry Box Brown (Image 2: man in the box). This event will include a conversazione with Ros Edwards, Music Coordinator at the Henry Watson Music Library.

The 1945 Pan African Congress : Manchester Contribution

2011-10-27T12:36:00.001+01:00


Delegates of the 1945 Pan African Congress - Source: Working Class Movement Library

Part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme
28/10/11
6.00 pm - 8.00pm
New Black Arts Alliance (NBAA), opposite Band on the Wall, 18 Swan Street, Manchester
FREE

Speaker: Dr Washington Alcott

Local Mancunians were intimately involved in the historic 5th Pan African Congress which took place in Manchester in October 1945. This congress, attended by over 200 delegates, was instrumental in changing British Colonial Empire after the Second World War. It was at the Congress that the important consensus were reached on how to develop a new and different type of struggle for African self determination in managing the national and international affairs of their respective states.

What part did the local people play? How were they involved in the planning of the congress and ideological decisions that reshaped the future governance in Africa and the Caribbean?

Black History Month - the end...?

2011-10-14T16:43:00.000+01:00

As Black History Month is quietly entering its 3rd week, Manchester's Cafe Historique is happy to present...

Henry Watson, a Manchester Musician, Collector + Benefactor
Speaker: Ros Edwards
17/10/11
6.00pm – 8.00pm
The Brodsky, Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9RD

Charles White, Surgeon + Man-midwife: On the Politics of Health + Race in Early Industrial Manchester
Speaker: Professor John Pickstone
20/10/11
6.00pm – 8.00pm
The Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL

The 1945 Pan African Congress: Manchester Contribution
Speaker: Washington Alcott
28/10/11
6.00pm – 8.00pm
New Black Arts Alliance, 18 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JW

All talks are FREE - The Cafe Historique would like to thank for their kind support: Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre, Cafe Couture, The Ducie Arms, The Friends of 84 Plymouth Grove (aka Gaskells House), The Manchester Museum, New Black Arts Alliance, The People's History Museum, Victoria Baths Trust , Victoria Baths History Group, Whitworth Art Gallery + all the speakers: Washington Alcott, BLU, Ros Edwards, Michael Herbert, Prof. John Pickstone, Prof. Mohammad Seddon, Prof. Brian Ward, Tony Watt, Bill Williams + Dr. Natalie Zacek.

The 1945 Pan African Congress : Manchester Contribution

2011-09-24T21:06:00.001+01:00

Part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme
28/10/11
6.00 pm - 8.00pm
New Black Arts Alliance (NBAA), opposite Band on the Wall, Swan Street, Manchester
FREE

Speaker: Dr Washington Alcott

Local Mancunians were intimately involved in the historic 5th Pan African Congress which took place in Manchester in October 1945. This congress, attended by over 200 delegates, was instrumental in changing British Colonial Empire after the Second World War. It was at the Congress that the important consensus were reached on how to develop a new and different type of struggle for African self determination in managing the national and international affairs of their respective states.

What part did the local people play? How were they involved in the planning of the congress and ideological decisions that reshaped the future governance in Africa and the Caribbean?

Charles White, surgeon and man-midwife: on the politics of health and race

2011-09-24T21:03:00.000+01:00

Part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme

The Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester

20/10/11

6.00 pm - 8.00 pm

FREE

Speaker: Professor John Pickstone

As a young surgeon, Charles White was the effective founder of the Manchester (Royal) Infirmary, which stood in what is now Piccadilly Gardens from 1755 to 1908. He became a national expert on midwifery as male surgeons pushed to take over a traditionally female role. In the Manchester Infirmary ‘Revolution’ of 1790, White was ousted – so he founded the midwifery charity which became St Mary’s Hospital. In 1799 he published his book on The Gradations of Man – an argument for the separate origins of the human races which was attacked as giving support to slavery.

The talk and discussion offers a chance to explore the intertwined politics of health, religion and race when Manchester was attracting attention as a new kind of city.

Len Johnson : Never Counted Out!

2011-09-24T20:59:00.000+01:00

Part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme
12/10/11
2.00pm - 4.00pm
Working Class Movement Library, Salford
FREE

Speaker: Michael Herbert

Len Johnson was born in Clayton, Manchester in 1902. His father was William Benker Johnson, an African seaman, and his mother was Margaret Maher. Len was one of the finest middle-weight boxers of his day beating many British and European title holders, but was never allowed to fight for an official British title because of his colour. In the 1940s he joined the Communist Party, fighting against racism and discrimination with the same skill and determination that he once shown against his opponents in the ring. He died in 1974.

Michael Herbert has been researching and writing about Manchester’s radical history for many years. He is a Trustee of the Working Class Movement Library and former editor of the North West Labour History Journal. His biography of Len Johnson entitled Never Counted Out! was published in 1992.

The Indefinable Florence Mills (Or Why Does Nobody Remember the Most Popular African American Performer of the 1920s?)

2011-09-24T20:55:00.000+01:00

Part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme
6.00pm - 8.00pm
New Black Arts Alliance (NBAA)

Swan Street (opposite Band on the Wall), Manchester

FREE

Speaker: Professor Brian Ward

At the time of her premature death in 1927, Florence Mills, an African American singer, dancer, commedienne and social activist, was probably the most successful and well-known African American entertainer in the world. Outlining her career and focusing on her extraordinary celebrity in Britain, this talk considers why Mills inspired such unusual levels of devotion in Europe as well as in the US, from white as well as black audiences, from the social elites and the masses, from royalty and commoners, from men, women and people of all sexual orientation. And it seeks to answer the question of why, given this unprecedented transatlantic celebrity during the Jazz Age, Mills is now virtually forgotten.

Master Juba's back in town!

2011-09-24T20:53:00.000+01:00

Part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme
05/10/11
6.00pm - 8.00pm
People's History Museum (Cafe)
FREE

Speaker: Blu

A fascinating talk by BLU on Master Juba, considered as the Father of Jazz + Tap Dance. His first Manchester performances (17/10/1848) with Pell's Ethiopian Serenaders were described in the local press as "well worth a visit". Born William Henry Lane in Providence, Rhode Island, Master Juba's extraordinary dancing style combined African steps + Irish jig.

Frederick Douglass: Claiming Egypt

2011-09-24T20:49:00.000+01:00

Part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme
04/10/11
6.00 pm - 8 pm
Ducie Arms, Devas Street, Manchester

FREE

Speaker: Dr. Natalie Zacek

This talk will look at two aspects of Frederick Douglass's life: his sojourn in the Northwest in the late 1840s, and his ongoing intellectual interest in Egypt (which he visited in the 1880s) and its role in the cultural heritage of people of African descent. It will emphasise the importance of Douglass's time in Manchester, as the city was in the mid-19th century a centre both of the anti-slavery movement and of popular and scholarly interest in the emerging field of Egyptology.

The Black Communities of Ordsall and Greengate, 1896-1930

2011-09-24T20:45:00.000+01:00

Presented as part of the Cafe Historique's Black History Month programme
02/10/11
2pm - 4pm
Victoria Baths, Hathersage Road, Manchester
FREE

Speaker: Professor Bill Williams

The first Africans known to have lived in Manchester were the domestic slaves purchased in Liverpool from slave traders or from the captains of slave ships. The earliest reference to their presence is from 1757. Between then and 1894 people of African or West Indian origin made an occasional appearance in Manchester as fugitive and freed slaves or in other capacities, but no 'black community' evolved.

An important landmark was the opening of the Manchester ship canal in 1894, converting Manchester into an international port. From then on black seamen began to arrive in Salford docks. Between 1894 and the First World War, a few took lodgings in the part of Ordsall closest to the canal, a district which became known to locals as 'Little Africa'.

During the First World War, when a number of British seamen and dock labourers were conscripted into the armed forces, West Africans from Ethiopia and Sierra Leone arrived to fill the vacancies. This led to the evolution of what became known to the local police as 'Salford's black quarter': the Greengate district of Salford, which remained the home of a close-knit black community (mostly West Africans, but a few West Indians and black Americans) until the eve of the Second World War.

The talk describes the evolution of these two 'colonies', what little is known of their way of life, and their relationship with the wider societies around them. It suggests also the first contacts between Greengate and what became the major black community of Moss Side.

Manchester's Cafe Historique Update

2011-06-09T23:37:00.000+01:00

#1: DARK AGES WARRIORS AT THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM
15/06/11
5.30pm - 6.30pm
Cafe Couture@The Manchester Museum

The recent discovery of human remains showing evidence of wounding from a site excavated in the 1930s has excited the interest of archaeologists in the North West. Comparison with recently excavated skeletons from the same site suggests they date from the battle of Chester (c.AD 616). This Cafe Historique presentation by the Curator of Archaeology at the Manchester Museum, Bryan Sitch, reveals the detective story involved in tracking down the remains and explores the context for the violent deaths of these people.

#2: MASTER JUBA'S IN TOWN
22/06/11
5.30pm - 6.30pm
Cafe Couture@The Manchester Museum

A fascinating talk by BLU on Master Juba whose first Manchester performances (17/10/1848) with Pell's Ethiopian Serenaders were described in the local press as "well worth a visit". Born William Henry Lane in Providence, Rhode Island, Master Juba's extraordinary dancing style combined African steps + Irish jig. Join us on 22/06/11 to find out more about the man considered as the Father of Jazz + Tap Dance.

#3: The Cafe Historique's first online film festival ended on 16/03 with Flower Drum Song - one of its stars, Nancy Kwan studied at Kingsmoor School, Glossop...

The opening credits of Flower Drum song are worth a watch. Absolutely beautiful!

part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x-pODJwS9M
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8hiitLD8mc
part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQDuVX_R4Ak

part 4, 5, 6, ... 14 are available on youtube.

Other films viewed as part of the festival.

Houdini Rope Escape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbvZZsYZmEY
Manchester connection: Houdini performed in Greater Manchester in venues such as the Tameside Hippodrome.http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/1055-tameside-hippodrome

Who killed Chung Ling Soo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-yeL-68E58
Manchester connection: Chung Ling Soo got married in Manchester in 23/03/1906.

#4: Must- Read: The Secret Diary of a Content Developer http://twitter.com/#!/naturalcontent

Manchester Modernist Heroines

2011-03-08T11:48:00.000Z

To mark the centenary of International Women's Day, The Shrieking Violet, The LRM + Manchester Modernist Society have recently launched Modernist Heroines, a project exploring the hidden histories of 10 iconic Manchester women "absent from the official narrative". To find out more about the project + its outcomes, join us on 23/03, 5.30pm - 6.30pm, (venue to be confirmed), for a talk + reflection led by Maureen Ward of Manchester Modernist Society.

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

The Cafe Historique is open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage.

Freud + Manchester Historical Women

2011-03-08T11:39:00.001Z

Manchester's Cafe Historique invites you to take part in its first quiz event - dedicated to "Freud + Manchester Historical Women", it will offer a fantastic opportunity to either show off your knowledge of psychoanalysis + women's history or simply enjoy a pleasant moment with local history enthusiasts.

Join us on 16/03, 5.30pm - 6.30om, Cafe Couture @ The Manchester Museum.

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

The Cafe Historique is open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage.

Enriqueta Rylands: a Manchester Collector?

2011-03-08T11:34:00.000Z

"Manchester is rich in libraries as I found under Dr.Axon's guidance. The famous Chetham Library of some 60,000 volumes has many rare + ancient manuscripts - most interesting to an antiquarian. Then there is the John Rutland's Library (sic) which includes the costly Althorp Library of Earl Spencer, totaling some 90,000 volumes of the finest collection of Bibles in the sixth century. There is also a Free Reference Library of 125,......000 volumes. I could have spent months among these books with Dr. Axon's enriching knowledge + comment to aid me. Add to this the small De Quincey Collection in Greenheys near Dr. Axon and we understand something of the city's wealth in books."

Source: William Sanders Scarborough, The Autobiography of William Sanders Scarborough: An American Journey from Slavery to Scholarship

Home to the "oldest public library in the English Speaking World" (1653) + the first Free Landing Library (1852), Manchester has for centuries impressed bibliophiles such as African American philologist William Sanders Scarborough. "The city's wealth in books" is due to the dedication + expertise of collectors such as Enriqueta Rylands (1843 - 1908) who in 1892 purchased the Spencer Collection mentioned in the opening quote.

Surprisingly little is known of the life of Enriqueta Rylands, founder of the John Rylands Library (1899) + first woman to be awarded the Freedom of the City of Manchester (1899). Born in Havana, Cuba in 1843, she was educated in New York, London + Paris. In the 1860s, she became companion to Martha Rylands - second wife of Manchester merchant John Rylands. To find out more, join us for an illustrated talk by Elizabeth Gow, Archivist (John Rylands Library) on 09/03, 5.30pm - 6.30pm, Cafe Couture @ The Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, Manchester.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=222295496026
cafehistorique@googlemail.com

The Cafe Historique is open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage.

Women in the Archives

2011-03-08T11:26:00.000Z

Fantastic images from Manchester Archives + Libraries
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterarchiveplus/sets/72157626001031513/

Happy International Women's Day!

Manchester.s Cafe Historique - Latest News

2011-03-01T19:07:00.000Z

Manchester's Cafe Historique
Latest News
01/03/11

#1: As many of us will be attending the Big Regeneration Debate tomorrow (MMU, 6.00pm - 8.00pm), the Cafe Historique will meet at 5.00pm, Cafe Couture @ The Manchester Museum (UK) for a pre-big regeneration-debate chat.

#2: A special thanks to the speakers who have contributed to the success of the Manchester Men season. Summaries of past talks will be posted soon.

In keeping with the current celebration of International Women's Month (March), the next events will focus on Women's History. Here are a few dates for your diary...

09/03, 5.30pm - 6.30pm, Cafe Couture @ The Manchester Museum Enriqueta Rylands: a Manchester Collector? by Elizabeth Gow, Archivist at John Rylands Library

16/03 5.30pm - 6.30pm, Cafe Couture @ The Manchester Museum
Freud + Manchester Historical Women (To be confirmed)

23/03 5.30pm - 6.30pm, Cafe Couture @ The Manchester Museum
Manchester Modernist Heroines by Maureen Ward, Modernist Society

#3: The Cafe Historique's first online film festival ended on 16/03 with Flower Drum Song - one of its stars, Nancy Kwan studied at Kingsmoor School, Glossop...

The opening credits of Flower Drum song are worth a watch. Absolutely beautiful!

part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x-pODJwS9M
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8hiitLD8mc
part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQDuVX_R4Ak

part 4, 5, 6, ... 14 are available on youtube.

Other films viewed as part of the festival.

Houdini Rope Escape
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbvZZsYZmEY
Manchester connection: Houdini performed in Greater Manchester in venues such as the Tameside Hippodrome. http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/1055-tameside-hippodrome

Who killed Chung Ling Soo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-yeL-68E58
Manchester connection: Chung Ling Soo got married in Manchester in 23/03/1906.

(To be continued)

Dr Yamei Kin, Chinese doctor

2010-03-28T13:05:00.002+01:00

Sadly International Women's Month is coming to an end - however we will further our research on Manchester's political + global connections by exploring the lives of women such as Meri Mangakahi, Maori Suffragist (see photograph).

On 29/03,the Cafe Historique will look at the life + contributions of a Chinese Suffragist, Dr Yamei Kin.

Please note that on Easter Monday, the Cafe Historique will take a break until 12/04. The theme to be explored throughout April will be "Sexual Politics + Hidden Histories"...

12/04 Mr + Mrs Pankhurst
19/04 Mr + Mrs Paul Robeson
26/04 Mr + Mrs Colenso

Open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage, the Cafe Historique meets Mondays, 6-8pm at Krispy Kreme Piccadilly, Mosley Street, Manchester.

To find out more, please contact cafehistorique@googlemail.com

The Cafe Historique - International Women's Month 2010 -

2010-03-08T16:14:00.000Z

As part of International Women's Month 2010,
the Cafe Historique

will explore

the lives of the following women:
Mrs Pankhurst, Mrs Paul Robeson, Mrs Colenso +

Dr. Yamei Kin.

08/03/2010:

MRS PANKHURST, leader of the Suffragette Movement who impressed Mahatma Gandhi.

15/03/2010:

MRS PAUL ROBESON, African American scientist..., author, lecturer + anthropologist who studied under Malinowski at the London School of Economics.

22/03/2010:

MRS COLENSO, Missionary + Maori interpretor who met Queen Victoria in 1863.

29/03/2010:

DR YAMEI KIN (see photograph), the first Chinese woman to be granted a medical degree in the United States.

(According to a local publication, on 26/04/1911 she gave a lecture in Wigan on the Opium Traffic)

Meetings take place Mondays, 6pm-8pm at Krispy Kreme Piccadilly, Mosley Street, Manchester.

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

The Cafe Historique is open to men + women with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan history.

Cafe Historique: Binge Stories

2010-02-22T11:38:00.000Z

The theme of tonight's Cafe Historique will be the History of Drinking + the Temperance Movement in Manchester.

Monday 22/02/10
6.00pm-8.00pm
Manchester's Cafe Historique
@Krispy Kreme
26-28 Mosley Street
Manchester

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage, The Cafe Historique takes place Mondays, 6.00pm-8.00pm.

COOKIES + COOLIES - Part of NEW OBJECT LESSONS 2010

2010-02-17T16:01:00.001Z

COOKIES + COOLIES
Part of NEW OBJECT LESSONS 2010
19/02/10, 10.00 am-1.00 pm
WAI YIN CHINESE WOMEN SOCIETY, Mosley Street, Manchester

Recommended to anyone with an interest in local heritage + migration, COOKIES + COOLIES will look at the history of the Chinese diaspora through everyday objects as well as items found in museums, archives + libraries. The starting point of this new global journey will be a bottle of beer - which will be used to explore Darwinism in China.

Throughout the workshop, participants will also be invited to reflect on:

a. the socio-political functions of storytelling + local history
b. museum strategies supporting the preservation + the transmission of community heritage
c. art history as a tool to generate cross-cultural content

* Programme:

Wai Yin Chinese Women Society, Mosley Street, Manchester
10.00 - 10.15: Registration

Krispy Kreme, Mosley Street, Manchester
10.25 - 10.45: Talk on the History of Homosexuality in China

Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester
11.00 - 1.00: Diversity Challenges (or activities) inc. the development of a short tea trail inspired by items on display at Manchester Art Gallery

* Next NEW OBJECT LESSONS workshops:
26/02: Peace Concluded
05/03: Manchester Blues

Thanks to the kind support of the Wai Yin Chinese Women Society, participants will only be charged £5 per workshop.
Further information + bookings: naturalcontent@googlemail.com

* Recommended links:

Nancy Kwan - Interview at the Chinese American Museum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsUG-aCPOQE

Paul Robeson sings the Chinese national anthem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJv0jMLLRcw

Ama May Wong - A Study in Scarlet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-eo0q9t0_c

Beyond the Arch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFoM2OO639g

Fu Manchu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxw-YS-ljHE

* Recommended reading:

Chinese in Germany at the end of the Quing Dinasty by Dr. Hong Meng (with references to London)
http://www.gcpd.de/publication/wuli03/meng.pdf

The Riddle of Chung Ling Soo
http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/2003/2/25/565008.html

The Coolie Trade in China by Charles Dickens
ALL THE YEAR ROUND
28/07/1860
p. 360

Cafe Historique: 200 years of Black Arts in Manchester - 08/02/10

2010-02-08T13:55:00.000Z

200 Years of Black Arts in Manchester

The theme of the next Cafe Historique will be 200 Years of Black Arts in Manchester.

Monday 08/02/10
6.00pm-8.00pm
Manchester's Cafe Historique
@Krispy Kreme
26-28 Mosley Street
Manchester

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage, The Cafe Historique takes place Mondays, 6.00pm-8.00pm.

Cafe Historique: From Castlefied to Aldi - 01/02/10

2010-02-01T11:50:00.003Z

From Castlefield to Aldi:
German diaspora in Manchester
01/02/10
Krispy Kreme
Mosley Street
Manchester
6pm-8pm

The Cafe Historique is open to anyone interested in Manchester's Cosmopolitan heritage.

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Manchester True Colours: Red + Blue

2010-01-25T15:41:00.000Z

Next Cafe Historique: Manchester True Colours: Red + Blue
25/01/10
6-8pm
Krispy Kreme, Mosley Street, Manchester

e: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Mr Gintaro, Japanese Juggler + Conjurer

2010-01-20T14:14:00.002Z

Mr Gintaro visited Manchester in the 1900s.

Cheetham Hill Road, Cheetham in 1900

2010-01-20T00:45:00.000Z

Moss Side, Manchester 1897

2010-01-20T00:44:00.000Z

Mosley Street, Manchester in 1900

2010-01-20T00:24:00.000Z

Houdini in Salford

2010-01-19T00:29:00.000Z

Houdini - The Rope Escape

2010-01-19T00:19:00.000Z

The Story of M, Magic + Migration

2010-01-18T14:40:00.001Z

THE STORY OF M:

MAGIC + MIGRATION

Monday 18/01/10
6.00pm-8.00pm

@Krispy Kreme
26-28 Mosley Street
Manchester

NEXT EVENTS:

25/01/10 MANCHESTER TRUE COLOURS: RED + BLUE

01/02/10 FROM CASTLEFIELD TO ALDI: GERMAN DIASPORA IN MANCHESTER

08/02/10 200 YEARS OF BLACK ARTS IN MANCHESTER

15/02/10 MANCHESTER, THE PLACE TO ‘BEE’

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

the café historique is Open to anyone with an interest

in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage

http://www.meethelocals.blogspot.com/

Wanted: Information on the Old Trafford Bakery

2009-12-29T15:08:00.000Z

The Cafe Historique is looking for photographs +/or information on the Old Trafford Bakery located at 126 Shrewsbury Street, Old Trafford, Manchester M16 7NY

Contact: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Baking History: Greggs, Martins, Wong Wong, Barbakhan + Co

2009-12-16T15:11:00.004Z

The theme of the next Cafe Historique will be Baking History: Greggs, Martins, Wong Wong, Barbakhan + Co.

Monday 21/12/09
6.00pm-8.00pm
Manchester's Cafe Historique
@Krispy Kreme
26-28 Mosley Street
Manchester

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage, The Cafe Historique takes place Mondays, 6.00pm-8.00pm.

Recommended link: http://www.hovisbakery.co.uk/pdf/Hovis%20History.pdf

200 Years of Black Arts in Manchester

2009-12-08T00:08:00.001Z

The theme of the next Cafe Historique will be 200 Years of Black Arts in Manchester.

Monday 14/12/09
6.00pm-8.00pm
Manchester's Cafe Historique
@Krispy Kreme
26-28 Mosley Street
Manchester

Further information: cafehistorique@googlemail.com

Open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage, The Cafe Historique takes place Mondays, 6.00pm-8.00pm.

Manchester's Cafe Historique

2009-11-30T10:56:00.002Z

MANCHESTER'S FIRST CAFE HISTORIQUE will be launched on Monday 30/11/09, 6.00pm-8.00pm at Krispy Kreme, 26-28 Mosley Street, Manchester. Open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage, The Cafe Historique, will take place Mondays, 6.00pm-8.00pm, from 30/11/09 until 21/12/09.

The forthcoming themes will be:

From Castlefield to Aldi: a short introduction to the history of the German community in Manchester, inc. references to Frederick Mauritius Halle, whose mother was from New Orleans.

200 years of Black Arts in Manchester

Baking History: Greggs, Martins, Wong Wong, Barbakhan + Co.

Binge Stories

The Stories of M: Magic + Migration

Further information at cafehistorique@googlemail.com

MANCHESTER'S FIRST CAFE HISTORIQUE

2009-11-25T22:10:00.000Z

MANCHESTER'S FIRST CAFE HISTORIQUE will be launched on Monday 30/11/09, 6.00pm-8.00pm at Krispy Creme, 26-28 Mosley Street, Manchester. Open to anyone with an interest in Manchester's cosmopolitan heritage, The Cafe Historique will take place Mondays, 6.00pm-8.00pm, from 30/11/09 to 21/12/09.

If you would like to receive further information or regular updates, why not become a follower of Meet the Locals?

Peace Concluded - Cross-cultural workshop exploring the theme of conflict + conflict resolution

2009-05-29T14:45:00.001+01:00

NEW OBJECT LESSONS: PEACE CONCLUDED
01/06/09
2.00PM - 5.00PM
WAI YIN CHINESE WOMEN SOCIETY
61 MOSLEY STREET
MANCHESTER M2 3HZ
Directions: http://www.waiyin.org.uk/contact.html

Places are still available on Peace Concluded, cross-cultural content development workshop part of the New Object Lessons programme presented in partnership with Wai Yin Chinese Women Society (Manchester). Using two Chinese inventions as starting points, Peace Concluded will explore Manchester's global impact through everyday objects, museum items + iconic 19th century figures linked to either its gun industry or its peace movement(s). Participants will undertake a series of activities devised to encourage them to:

- (using museum collections) consider various ways to look at the theme of conflict + conflict resolution
- develop cross-cultural narratives facilitating a constructive approach to difficult topics
- develop outreach schemes, promoting local heritage as well as introducing new audiences to science + art history

They will also be invited to reflect on the role of the curator as a social healer.

Aimed at anyone involved in celebrations such as Black History Month, Science + Engineering Week, the Cultural Olympiad or interested in developing science +/or arts outreach projects, this new cross-cultural journey will start in Manchester's Chinatown where the Wai Yin Chinese Women Society is based.

The session costs £5 - payable on the day.

Peace Concluded will be followed by Curating for 2012 (08/06/09, 2.00pm-5.00pm, Wai Yin Chinese Women Society) To find out more about the full New Object Lessons programme or to book a place, please email naturalcontent@googlemail.com

Centrepiece textile wall hanging for Ordsall Hall Museum, Salford: Brief

2009-05-29T14:42:00.001+01:00

Centrepiece textile wall hanging for Ordsall Hall Museum, Salford: Brief

Salford City Council Heritage Service wishes to commission a textile hanging(s) to be displayed in the 16th century Great Hall of Ordsall Hall. The piece will be of high artistic quality and in keeping with the design, theme and historical context of the room.

Thanks to an HLF award the Hall is undergoing a major programme of conservation, refurbishment and development before reopening in Easter 2011. For further details, visit http://www.visitsalford.info/conservation or http://www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/museums/ordsallhall.htm

We expect that this work will commence in late 2009.

The hanging(s) should:

Be of high artistic quality and enhance the interpretation of the Hall when it reopens.

Convey stories of the Hall, the local area and its community.

Be designed for display in the Great Hall above the dais.

Be in keeping with the environment within which the piece(s) are displayed, but it is not required to be a historic reproduction.

The commissioned artist will have experience of completing similar projects and will be confident at consulting with and engaging community groups to develop ideas for the themes/stories of the hanging(s). The chosen artist will also be confident in the facilitation of workshops/skills sharing sessions with a range of different audiences.

To declare your interest, please submit your CV, examples of work and an outline (500 words or less) detailing how you would approach this commission to Hazel Fenton at the address below. As audience development is a priority for Ordsall Hall, we would like this commission to have an element of community engagement, therefore it would be beneficial for your outline to briefly describe how you might go about facilitating this.

The budget for this commission will be £11,500, to cover all costs including installation. Please enclose with your submission a breakdown of how you would propose to use this budget.

The deadline for applications is 1 July 2009. To apply, or to discuss the commission further, please contact:

Hazel Fenton

Salford Museum & Art Gallery

Peel Park

Salford

M5 4WU

T. 0161 778 0837

E. hazel.fenton@salford.gov.uk

HELP TO SAVE THE GASKELL HOUSE

2008-04-14T21:20:00.003+01:00

Manchester Historic Buildings Trust, which acquired The Gaskell House on Plymouth Grove in 2004, is appealing for funds to restore it and open it to the public. We can only succeed if enough people support us, on paper and with cash. Will YOU be one of them, and write us a letter in favour of the project? Judi Dench has, but we need lots more.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. Send letters or emails of support to:
Janet Allan, Chairman, Manchester Historic Buildings Trust,
c/o 10 Dale Road, New Mills, High Peak, SK22 4NW
email: janet@janetbook.fsnet.co.uk

2. Join the Friends of Plymouth Grove + get regular news of events.

3. Volunteer to help.

4. Contribute funds. Every penny counts.

winter events at gaskell house

2007-10-30T13:28:00.000Z

The Gaskell House
84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester M13 9LW
www.thegaskellhouse.org

NOVEMBER
Sunday 4th International Open Day 12-4pm
Exhibitions, International Refreshments & Bookstall
To celebrate the diversity of life in Manchester
we are making this a International Open Day,
with a special welcome to the many residents
who originate outside our own small island.
To add to the pleasure we hope to have some International
dishes to sample.

DECEMBER
Sunday 2nd Open Day 12-2.30 and at 3p.m
A Christmas Miscellany with Delia Corrie
and Charles Foster with Carol Singing,
followed by a free glass of mulled wine
and mince pies
To book, phone Hilda Holmes (0161) 487 2593
Cost £7 50 Pay on the door*

*Early booking is advised for both events
as our two previous events
were sold out

manchester's boxing pride - 1968

2007-07-13T17:10:00.000+01:00

manchester's boxing pride, alan tottoh, went to manchester royal infirmary to give a tonic to alan barker, secretary of the BOS boxing club, who is recovering from a cartilage operation. tottoh, a member of the BOS, donned his olympic outfit for mr barker's benefit + also won admiring attention from staff nurse arthurs + staff nurse stewart.
source: M.E.N - 20/09/1968

meet the locals is teaming up with the friends of victoria baths + the friends of 84 plymouth grove to set up an exciting reminiscence project focusing on the year 1968.
to find out more the 1968 memories project , go to http://sixty08.blogspot.com/ or send an email to info@victoriabaths.org.uk.

harriet beecher stowe meets the gaskells

2007-06-25T11:57:00.000+01:00

harriet beecher stowe to her daughters:

"i spent the day before leaving london with lady byron. she is lovelier than ever, and inquired kindly about you both. i left london to go to manchester, and reaching there found the rev. mr. gaskell waiting to welcome me in the station. mrs. gaskell seems lovely at home, where besides being a writer she proves herself to be a first-class housekeeper, and performs all the duties of a minister's wife. after spending a delightful day with her i came here to the beautiful 'dingle,' which is more enchanting than ever. i am staying with mrs. edward cropper, lord denman's daughter.
"i want you to tell aunt mary that mr. ruskin lives with his father at a place called denmark hill, camberwell. he has told me that the gallery of turner pictures there is open to me or my friends at any time of the day or night. both young and old mr. ruskin are fine fellows, sociable and hearty, and will cordially welcome any of my friends who desire to look at their pictures.
"i write in haste, as I must be aboard the ship to-morrow at eight o'clock. so good-by, my dear girls, from your ever affectionate mother."

source: life and letters of harriet beecher stowe by anne fields

talking about our (re)generation - architecture week event

2007-06-15T16:36:00.002+01:00

the gaskell house
23/06/07
1.00pm-4.00pm
FREE EVENT

84 plymouth grove
ardwick
manchester
01663 744233
http://www.gaskellsociety.co.uk/grove.html

in partnership with meet the locals + the friends of 84 plymouth grove, the gaskell house is offering a special opportunity to discover the fascinating history of one of the last remaining victorian houses on plymouth grove.
throughout the event the memories collected will be displayed alongside old maps + photographs. past + present residents can also bring their own photographs.

victoria baths - audio guide

2007-05-30T12:15:00.000+01:00

audio guide http://www.audioguide2go.com/guide.php?guide=192
following the theme of women, health and nature, the walk will take you around chorlton-on-medlock and include stops such as:

#the victoria baths
http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/

#the original manchester high school for girls
http://www.mhsgarchive.org/index.php

#the pankhurst centre
http://www.thepankhurstcentre.org.uk/

the audio guide was produced by victoria baths as part of international women's week 2006. on 08/03/06 guided walks around Chorlton-on-Medlock were also organised in partnership with meet the locals, the gaskell house, the pankhurst centre + the university of manchester.
each participant was offered a pack containing a map + a set of postcards
map http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/documents/Women%27sWalk.pdf

theatre workshop - ewan maccoll

2007-04-22T00:07:00.000+01:00

there had never been any doubt in our minds that we would reassemble after the war and continue with our work. when we did so only five of the original theatre union company were present. we met in a small rented warehouse near manchester's central station and, over a period of several weeks, discussed plans for a new theatre. we were fairly clear in our minds as to the kind of theatre we intended to build; our discussions were mainly about practical issues like finance, finding premises, drawing up training programmes, allocating jobs and responsibilities and deciding on a suitable opening programme. most of us, i think, still believed that our aims could only be achieved by playing to working-class audiences.
all the great theatres of the past, we argued, had been popular theatres and we cited aeschylus, sophocles, aristophanes, marlowe, shakespeare, jonson, calderón, lope de vega, the commedia dell'arte, moliére, etc. furthermore, we said, all the great theatres had, in one way or another, been experimental theatres.

source: working class movement library
http://sptalis.wcml.org.uk/people/em/thewkshp.htm

manchester & liverpool - marie laforet (1966)

2007-04-21T23:18:00.000+01:00

manchester est devenu triste
et liverpool vient pleurer sur la mer
je ne sais plus si j'existe
les bateaux blancs craignent l'hiver

marie laforet sings manchester & liverpool at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJb6HhtBwuE

jews and the american slave trade by saul s. friedman

2006-12-11T15:02:00.000Z

shortly before coming to the united states to establish the center of semitic studies at columbia university, gustav gottheil rebuked an audience in manchester for the distortion and misapplication of the jewish law. gottheil reminded that exodus 21:16 prescribed the death penalty for kidnapping. how then, asked the professor-rabbi rhetorically, had a slave population come to existence in the republic? "pity that the law of the hebrew legislator had been forgotten or trampled underfoot by christian nations professing to hold it as of divine authority. had it been in force among them, the slave trade put to an end with swift retributive justice".

taken from jews and the america slave trade - saul s. friedman

meet chung ling soo of bolton

2006-12-11T14:11:00.000Z

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Ling_Soo

according to news of the world "ching ling soo was born in birmingham about 50 years ago. in his youth, he was apprenticed to an engineer, (...) after finishing his apprenticeship, he travelled for many years, and during his wanderings picked up a knowledge of chinese. this gave him the idea of passing as a chinaman when he went on the stage, (...)

source: news of the world - 31/03/1918

according to maurice kolbet "it seems that chung ling soo was in fact a bolton lad who achieved worldwide fame, convincing many people that he really was a chinese mandarin."

source: bolton evening news - 23/02/03

http://archive.thisislancashire.co.uk/2003/2/25/565008.html

view a sepia portrait of chung ling soo (lithographer horrock + co, ashton-under-lyne) at http://www.magicgallery.com/images/soosepia.jpg

local cotton industry in the 1640's

2006-12-09T16:03:00.000Z

"A very remarkable instance of the effect of skill, capital, and industry, is mentioned by Mr. Lewis, a merchant, who published a work entitled, The Merchant's Map of Commerce, in 1641. "The town of Manchester," he says, "buys the linen yarn of the Irish in great quantity, and, weaving it, returns the same again, in linen, into Ireland to sell. Neither doth her industry rest here, for they buy cotton wool in London, that comes first from Cyprus and Smyrna, and work the same into fustians, vermilions, dimities, &c., which they return to London, where they are sold, and from thence not seldom are sent into such foreign parts where the first materials may be more easily had for that manufacture." How similar are these two instances to that which has occurred in our own days, when the cotton-wool, brought from the East Indies, has been returned thither after having been manufactured, and sold there cheaper than the native manufactures."

source: Robert Kerr's General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 18, by William Stevenson

meet a local abolitionist - rev. edward mathews

2006-12-06T15:31:00.000Z

1873 "Rev. Edward Mathews died at Manchester in January. His father was an engraver, of Bristol, who removed to Oxford, where Edward, the sixth of his family, was born March 12,1808. At the close of his apprenticeship he emigrated to New York, and became a student of the Hamilton Theological Institution there. An anti-slavery lecture, by Rev. Beriah Green, led to a riot, encouraged by the pro-slavery faculty of the college. Mathews became a Baptist minister, and gave the greater part of his life to the cause of temperance and the emancipation of the negro. His autobiography gives a vivid picture of the state of public feeling on the slavery question, both in the Northern and Southern States. He was frequently mobbed and ill-treated by pro-slavery ruffians. He agitated the matter so persistently that, when his pony was seen at a town where the Baptist Association was held, it would be said, "Ah! here is Mr. Mathew's pony; now we shall have to meet that slavery question again." In conjunction with Rev. A. T. Foss he drew up Facts for Baptist Churches on the anti-slavery question, and was sent as a missionary to Virginia and Kentucky. In the latter state, for preaching to a coloured congregation, he was thrown into a pond ten times in succession, in order to extort a pledge that he would never visit it again. In 1851 he returned to England to arouse the feeling of the churches against slavery. When he entered his father's shop in Oxford he was not recognised. He contributed to many English newspapers and periodicals on the subject he had so much at heart. Mrs. Stowe, in her novel of Dred, has given a portrait of Mathews under the name of "Father Dickson." He is buried In Ardwick Cemetery, Jan. 18."

source: http://www.mancuniensis.info/Chronology/Chronology1873FPX.htm

meet a local abolitionist - gustav gottheil

2006-10-30T22:24:00.000Z

From almost the beginning of his ministry Gottheil wished to spiritualise all his relations with the congregation, and in a letter sent to the committee he claimed the right to bring questions of a religious nature before the general body in the hope of making their meetings something more than mere business affairs. It would appear that this right was granted him, He also began to participate in the public life of the city. The slavery problem which was agitating the minds and hearts of North Americans had also taken hold of large sections of English public opinion, and so strong had the feeling become that he felt called upon to preach two sermons on the subject "Moses versus Slavery" which the synagogue authorities thought worthwhile to have printed and distributed widely. These sermons brought him to the notice of the non- Jewish religious communities with whom he was anxious (as, later, he was in America) to establish friendly contact. A warm friendship sprang up between him and the minister of the Bible Christian Church of Salford, popularly known as the "Vegetarian Church." His relationship with the "Society of Friends" or "Quakers" was also most cordial. He was one of those who helped to revive the "Eclectic Club"- a society for the leaders of "liberal" religious life in Manchester, before which body he read a paper on "The story of the Fall in the Haggadah".
In 1867 he joined the staff of Owens College as lecturer in German, a position he held until 1873 when he left Manchester to become Rabbi of Temple Emanuel, New York.

source: rabbi p. selvin goldberg

the manchester congregation of british jews - 1857-1957 - a short history

louis armstrong in manchester

2006-08-30T17:45:00.000+01:00

louis armstrong + trummy young

photograph taken by terry cryer in 1956

source: http://www.terrycryer.com/gallerypages/louis&trummy.html

reproduced with kind permission of terry cryer

louis armstrong arrives - by 'sharrabang'

2006-08-29T16:35:00.000+01:00

the legendary satchel mouth closed lovingly over a morsel of trad steak and kidney pie; the eyes bulged at the click of a camera. armstrong was in town [manchester].

a disappointed group of aficionades waited at the central station for the maestro's arrival from london. he didn't show. he came, he explained by coach. -"what you call a sharrabang" - and got his first look at a british motorway. impressive?

manchester guardian
02/06/1965

cotton famine - support from general gordon

2006-08-18T17:20:00.000+01:00

"the gold medal which the empress of china had had made for him mysteriously disappeared, no one could tell how or where. years afterwards, by accident, it was found that gordon had had the inscription taken off it, and had sent it anonymously to manchester, to help to buy food for the people who were starving there because of the cotton famine."

source: the story of general gordon - jeanie lang

chinese students

2006-08-18T17:00:00.000+01:00

"there are many of these students in the colleges of scotland, in edinburgh and glasgow; only a few in the welsh and irish universities; but the english universities that are popular with them are newcastle (where are centered many students of shipbuilding and engineering), manchester, sheffield, birmingham, and particularly london."

westminster gazette
12/01/1914

source: e. h. parker papers - manchester university archive collection
e. h. parker was professor of chinese at the university of manchester.

to indians in england - m. k. gandhi

2006-08-18T16:33:00.000+01:00

to the editor of the vegetarian
my dear brother, - if you are a vegetarian I think it is your duty to join the London vegetarian Society, and to subscribe to the vegetarian if you have not done so already.

(...) even if you are not a vegetarian, (...) you can subscribe to the vegetarian, and who knows but you may in the end consider it a privilege to join the rank of those who never depend for their existence on the blood of their fellow creatures.

of course there is also the manchester vegetarian society and its organ the vegetarian messenger. I have pleaded for the L.V.S. and its organ simply because it is so very handy being in london, and because its organ is weekly. (...) - yours in brotherly love,

m. k. gandhi

the vegetarian (london)
28/04/1894

source: http://www.ivu.org/history/gandhi/1894-1.html

cotton famine - support from africa

2006-08-18T16:19:00.000+01:00

d'urban mission station
peddie
cape of good hope
6th november 1862

(...) i have the honour of herewith transmitting the sum of £150, being the first instalment of subscriptions raised in the peddie district of the colony of the cape of good hope, in aid of the fund for the relief of the distressed operatives in lancashire and other parts of england.
there is one circumstance connected with the subscriptions raised in this outlying district of the colony, the mention of which I have no doubt will be gratifying to your lordship. more than £50 of the sum now sent have been contributed by the native tribe known by the name of the fingoes, among whom the wesleyan missionaries have many years laboured in teaching christianity and civilisation. in all the recent kaffir wars with the colony, these people have proved themselves faithful allies of the british, and are now showing their sympathy in the time of national suffering among our countrymen in england by contributing to their necessities. (...) w j davis - wesleyan missionary

manchester guardian
01/01/1863

local history + community month

2006-08-18T16:10:00.000+01:00

local history + community month will start on 01/09/06. for further information, log on to the historical association website http://www.halocal.org.uk/

meet a local: oliver scissorspaws

2006-08-18T15:55:00.000+01:00

log on to http://www.simianwebworks.com/oliver/and follow the footsteps a local mancunian.

manchester chamber of commerce - 1837

2006-08-10T20:54:00.000+01:00

"in the month of august last, his excellency moustapha rachid bey, the ambassador from the ottoman empire, to the court of great britain, visited manchester, bringing with him introductory letters to the president of the chamber, and to the boroughreeve (...) they received the assurances of his excelency, that it would always be a gratification to him to promote a cordial and good understanding between turkey and great britain."

source: manchester chamber of commerce - annual reports (1821-1889)

frederick douglass: abolition + vegetarianism

2006-08-09T16:08:00.000+01:00

"mr. axon next spoke of the opening for vegetarian propaganda amongst the coloured people of america. vegetarians in england and in the united states sympathised much with this interesting race of people, and were ready to hold out to them the hand of friendship and brotherhood. in chicago they were invited to an "informal" reception of about fifty so-called "coloured" persons, some of whom were as black as ebony, others were as white as europeans, (...). their best representative was the hon. frederick douglass, now in his 77th year, who was born a slave, the son of a slave mother and white father. douglass taught himself how to read, escaped from slavery, and visited manchester in 1846, of which place and of some of its people he retained pleasant memories".

source: vegetarian messenger - manchester, august 1893
3rd international vegetarian congress in chicago - usa

full text at www.ivu.org/congress/1893/home.html

manchester house

2006-07-09T20:39:00.000+01:00

manchester
house

"In 1860, this area of Niagara Falls, NY USA was named Manchester because it was hoped that the water-powered mills here would one day rival Manchester England's industrial might. This early history,together with the fact that we lived in Manchester, England for 6 years, led us to name our Bed and Breakfast "Manchester House" when we renovated this former Doctor's home and surgery in 1991. " Elisabeth and Carl Slenk

Manchester House Bed and Breakfast
653 Main Street,
Niagara Falls,
NY 14301 USA

photograph and caption were submitted to mtl's digital gallery by elisabeth and carl slenk during local history month 2004.

a cotton office in new orleans

2006-07-09T20:11:00.000+01:00

edgar degas to james tissot - 1873: "i have set forth on a fairly vigorous picture which is destined for Agnew and which he should place in manchester, for if a spinner ever wished to find his painter, he really ought to snap me up. (...) cotton buyers office. in it there are about fifteen individuals more or less busy with a table covered with the precious material, (...). in manchester there is a rich spinner, cottrell, who has a substantial gallery. a fellow like that would suit me and would suit agnew even better. "

source: degas and business of art: a cotton office in new orleans
find out more at http://www.degashouse.com/history.html

2006-07-09T20:06:00.000+01:00

1846 ibrahim pacha, viceroy of egypt, second son of mehemet ali visits manchester and its chief manufacturing establishments.

source: annals of manchester

"the death of old billy"

2006-07-09T19:48:00.000+01:00

1822 the death of old billy excited a great deal of interest. billy was a horse belonging to the mersey and irwell navigation, when he died, 27th nov., was in his 62nd year of his age. his lithograph was published, showing old billy, with henry harrison, who had known the animal for fifty-nine years.

1824 the manchester and mersey presented to the manchester museum the head of old billy, a horse which was said to have been in their service 62 years.

source: annals of manchester

the ebony phenomenon

2006-07-09T19:40:00.000+01:00

james robinson the "ebony phenomenom", a well-known pugilist died of cholera 11/06/1849, aged 21. buried in rusholme cemetery. "a real genius in his profession".

mr robert rose, the "bard of colour", died in st stepen st, salford, june 19. he was west indian creole, born in 1806, and long resident in manchester. wrote the coronation, 1838.

source: annals of manchester

the chinese collection

2006-06-27T13:25:00.000+01:00

THE CHINESE COLLECTION
COOPER STREET
REMOVAL FROM MANCHESTER
ADMISSION SIX PENCE

the publicis respectfully informed that, before its departure, it is the wish of the proprietors to afford the masses of this town an opportunity of viewing this matchless scene of oriental grandeur (...)
the collection open daily from ten till ten, and brilliantly illuminated, every evening, with chinese lanterns.
CHUN-A-YOU in attendance each day and evening. (...)

manchester guardian
03/03/1849

manchester ship canal - china

2006-06-27T13:00:00.000+01:00

blue funnel ship

" another even more short-lived venture was the loading of the blue funnel ships in manchester in the mid--1880s, making use of the newly-opened manchester ship canal. manchester was, of course, the main provider of britain's exports of cotton goods, and manchester merchants saw the canal as an opportunity to gain lower freight rates from enhanced competition among shipowners. holts were not keen to use the canal, but in order to forestall possible rivals the managers dispatched titan to manchester in january 1895 to load with goods for china, and thereafter regular loadings were continued for about eighteen months."

the blue funnel legend
malcom falkus
macmillan 1990

the salvation army in manchester

2006-04-13T11:57:00.000+01:00

as a consequence to the international conference which the salvationists held in london a short time ago, "general" booth is making a tour of the country with a selection of his most prominent converts. yesterday he + his followers arrived in manchester + had two meetings at the free trade hall. the meetings were prefaced by a procession through the streets. the converts include cingalese, hindoos, french, swiss, chinese, italians, swedes, + americans; and at the meetings several of them spoke of the means by which they had been converted. the afternoon meeting was pretty well attended, but at the subsequent meeting the hall was fairly crowded.

manchester guardian
30/06/1888

manchester guardian 22/03/1856

2006-04-13T11:48:00.000+01:00

tea trade - wanted to engage a chinaman, for three or four months, who has been accustomed to the business. (...) references required. address c118, at the printer's.

manchester guardian 16/01/1856

2006-04-13T11:42:00.000+01:00

to parties going to china - a gentleman, recently returned from china, wishes to procure a passage to shanghai for a chinese woman servant, whom he can recommend. address box 545 - post office.

meet a local: joseph bandano of africa - sugar merchant

2005-12-12T14:21:00.000Z

click on image to view larger picture

according to the 1861 census, joseph bandano (37) of africa lived at the turkish divan, 38a oxford street, manchester with wife emma (29), sevant lucy waterfall (21) + nephew owen thur (14).

slater's directory
manchester
1863

birmingham's grand sultan divan was described as "a notorious dancing saloon" and was later transformed by the YMCA "from a source of untold evil into one of great blessing to young men."

with special thanks to paula moorhouse, manchester archives and local studies

find out more at http://www.special-coll.bham.ac.uk/Blueprint/featureymca.htm

2005-12-09T15:09:00.000Z

to obtain copies of the WIW flyer, please email wiw@historicalwomen.co.uk

2005-11-10T16:36:00.000Z

The Victoria Baths Trust and Meet the Locals have been talking about developing ideas for community projects in partnership with individuals, local organisations + community groups.

Some of the ideas are:

* an exhibition in Victoria Baths and other venues.
* self guided trails
* led tours
* workshops to prepare the work including audio, I pod, website and
animation
* Healthy Living walks featuring bird, bio diversity, parks
* map production
* trails in community languages

Why not join the first International Women's Week meeting on Monday: 14/11/05. For more information, please ring Diane Terry at 0161 224 2020.

bhm4all

2005-11-02T17:58:00.000Z

to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 5th pan-african congress, the victoria baths + meet the locals organised a black history market which took place on 2 october 2005.

> this photograph was taken by ebiuwa ozigbo - one of the founders of emotan pot of life, an african community group based in manchester.