“Versailles 1919: Return of the Dangerous Women” – Introduced by Ali Ronan (MMU) Tuesday February 4th

We are delighted to be welcoming Dr Ali Ronan back to group on Tuesday February 4th, to present the new documentary she has been recently working on. Ali will be introducing the documentary and taking questions at the end.

This documentary tells the story of the women who met to protest the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919. Drawing activists from the international campaign to get the vote, the women wanted to prevent all future wars. They became the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF) which is still working today.

“Versailles 1919: Return of the Dangerous Women” is a short documentary (20 minutes) directed by Charlotte Bill and made by Clapham Film Unit, a collective of filmmakers working with communities to tell stories not told elsewhere. It was researched by and features volunteers from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

All our meetings are free and everyone is welcome to attend. We will be meeting at 14.00 at Burnage Library. Come and join us for lively discussion, tea and biscuits!

Ambulance Service and Red Cross Hospitals – 12th November

On 12th November one of our group, Toni, gave a fascinating talk about the Ambulance Service in the region and the Red Cross Hospitals during the wars. Toni had delved through picture archives and had found a lot of very interesting information about the emergence of the Ambulance Service, from when it was run by the local police, to a system we are more familiar with. She then went on to tell us about the Red Cross hospitals, many of which were in large private houses or even schools. Alma Park, which had 1000 pupils in World War II, became a military hospital and the children had to go to Chapel Street, alternating their lessons with the existing pupils!

Visit to Clayton Hall – 19th November

Our final trip of 2019 was to Clayton Hall, another remarkable survival from the later middle ages in what was, until recently, a heavily industrialised area. We were very lucky with the weather – cold and fresh, but dry – and had a great turn out from the group. Finding the hall proved a bit tricky. It’s well hidden from view by mature trees and to reach it we had to cross the empty moat by a narrow C17 stone bridge. Once across you feel like you have stepped back in time.

When we arrived we roamed freely around the house, with the volunteers answering any questions we had. The interior is a Victorian living history museum, and it was dressed for Christmas, making us all feel suitably festive. Much time was spent in the kitchen and dairy, with group members reminiscing about the kitchen equipment they remembered from their childhoods.

The actual date of the hall is uncertain, but there has been a building on the site since the C12 and the earliest part of the building, a timbered framed structure, probably dates from the 1400s. At one point it was lived in by Humphrey Chetham, the founder of Chetham’s School. At this point the building was much more extensive, with four wings and a courtyard in the centre. Only one of the wings still survives.

It is owned by the council, and until recently was lived in as a council house, but the management and fundraising is entirely in the hands of volunteers from the Friends and Trustees of Clayton Park. We were all very impressed by their energy, initiative and the welcome they gave us. At the end of our tour we were given an illustrated talk in the cafe. Inevitably, as with all old houses, access to the upper floor is less easy for people with limited mobility. But the volunteers were very good at helping some of the members of the group and everyone managed to look round the whole house. We would certainly recommend it as an excellent site to visit for anyone interested in the history of the area.

Tuesday 26th November: The Most Radical Street in Manchester – Dr Katrina Navickas

On the 26th of November we will be hosting a talk by Dr Katrina Navickas (Reader in History from the University of Hertfordshire) on The Most Radical Street in Manchester. Katrina specialises in the study of popular politics and protest in C19 Britain, and this is a fantastic opportunity to hear about her research on Manchester during the period.

We will be meeting as usual at 2.00 at Burnage Library – the meeting is free and open to all!

Trip to Portland Basin Museum, Ashton under Lyne – 15th October

On a sunny afternoon in October we braved the complicated one way system of Ashton under Lyne to visit Portland Basin Museum. Once we’d all successfully arrived, some of the group taking a little longer than others (!), we spent a fascinating afternoon browsing the exhibits and galleries. The museum is very well laid out, with a reconstructed early twentieth century street, a gallery covering the wide sweep of Ashton’s history, and sections on the industrial past of the area. In addition the canal basin is a beautifully constructed example of Victorian engineering and there are a number of wooden barges moored in the wharfs, giving some sense of what it must have been like a century ago.

Waiting for the fish to fry…

The 1920s street was particularly popular, with many members of the group sharing memories of their childhoods in post-war Manchester. In the industrial gallery the donkey stone mill also generated a lot of interest – the group remembered the rag and bone man handing out donkey stones, but no-one knew how they were made or the link to Belle Vue.

Toni enjoying a swift half of mild with one of the locals

Few of the group had visited before, and we spent a very enjoyable afternoon. There was plenty of room to park, the galleries were all fully accessible and although the cafe was closed, the staff very thoughtfully provided tea and biscuits.

Waiting for the sermon…

Peterloo, race and empire – Dr Shirin Hirsch (24th September)

On 24th September we were very fortunate to welcome Dr Shirin Hirsch from MMU and the People’s History Museum to our group meeting. Shirin gave a fascinating talk, linking Peterloo to questions of race and empire. At the time, the treatment of the large Irish immigrant population was shocking, and many Irish people, including Mary Fildes, the president of the Manchester Female Reform Society, were active in campaigning for political reform.

A less well known part of the story is the role played by black radicals in political reform, and the connection between the reform movement and campaigns against the slave trade. Shirin in particular highlighted the importance of Robert Wedderburn, a man of dual heritage from Jamaica, who was a prominent figure in radical circles in London, fighting both against slavery and for democracy. For the cotton industry of Manchester there was a fundamental contradiction – the industrial wealth of the city and employment of thousands of cotton spinners were dependent on slavery. As the saying went at the time “behind Manchester stands Mississippi”. But this didn’t prevent socially and politically conscious working class people in the north from campaigning against slavery, as shown on the Skelmanthorpe banner from West Yorkshire.

The talk was very well received and generated much discussion and debate amongst members of the group.

Image result for skelmanthorpe flag
Skelmanthorpe banner – showing the figure of the chained slave in the bottom right hand panel

Group visit to Ordsall Hall – 17th September

For our first group outing of the autumn term thirteen of us visited Ordsall Hall, one of the oldest buildings in Greater Manchester. Dating from the 1350s, and nestled amongst modern housing developments and business parks, Ordsall is a remarkable survival of medieval domestic architecture. It owes its survival partly because it was the main residence of the wealthy Radclyffe family for over 300 years and partly thanks to its reuse under the ownership of the Egertons of Tatton as a working men’s club, soup kitchen and then a training college for Anglican priests.

We were blessed with glorious weather (in scarce supply this autumn!).

Arthur prepares himself for combat…

Thanks to Bob McDermott for adding the following to the blogpost:

Ordsall Hall is one place that has to be seen to believe how beautiful it is. The Hall itself is not that big but has so much charm and warmth it almost puts its old arms around you and takes you back through time to the period.

The many times I have passed by the Hall are too numerous to count over the years and the building from the front never inspired me to check it out which I am informed was altered in the 19th century. The real beauty is the back with the original timber frames and brickwork.

Looking for a day out? Then it’s not that far to go to Salford.

Burnage Local History Group enjoy a Tudor banquet, presided over by Lady Glenis of Ordsall

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End of Term Summer Party – July 16th

We had a great turn out and a fantastic selection of baked savouries and cakes for our final session of the summer term. After a presentation about the transatlantic links between Manchester and the US (see next blog), we took our food outside to enjoy the sunny weather. We were eventually defeated by the heat and had to retreat into the library – hard to believe on a rainy July afternoon!

Group members enjoying the garden at Burnage Library