Manchester Histories are proud to present “Queer”, a platform showcasing some of the ways that LGBT+ communities and their allies have stood strong for protest, democracy and freedom of speech. We invite you to: hear the story of Manchester’s Clause 28 protest march, the history of one of the most important queer publications in Manchester, […]
The Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society host a special Peterloo Event Day. From 10.30am – 12pm, Ed Glinert, Manchester tour guide, will speak about Peterloo. Ed has worked with Mike Leigh and also the great radical activist Paul Foot. Ed has been talking, walking, reading, thinking, sleeping, writing, giving lectures and guided tours about […]
Linda Brogan, Excavating The Reno, who excavated the Reno cellar club in Moss Side MCR, and Manchester Histories have joined forces to present 1819 – 1981. This one day exhibition (running on Sat 15 June, Thurs 18 July and Tues 13 Aug) will tell the stories of the memoirs of police and communities from the 1981 […]
Join the authors of the verbatim graphic novel 'PETERLOO: Witnesses to a Massacre' for an illustrated, behind the scenes look into the research, writing and art that went into this historically accurate and visually vivid account of the 1819 massacre of pro democracy reformers from around the Greater Manchester region. 'This amazing artwork makes a […]
Join us to make posters to mark the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre using pens, inks and quills. Join in with our board game challenge and much more. Free - please drop in
Written by Rob Johnston. On August 12th 1842, just 23 years after The Peterloo Massacre, Lancashire cotton-workers again marched in protest at appalling pay and conditions. Reaching Preston’s Lune Street the protesters were confronted by the authorities and read The Riot Act. A gripping mix of tragedy and humour from the WINNER of BEST DRAMA […]
Remembering Resistance is bringing to life the history of women’s protest in the North of England. The project is celebrating and cataloguing women’s efforts to bring about political change over the last 100 years by creating an archive of women’s activism to inspire future generations. To ensure the voices of women who have been involved […]
An original production, written and performed by Charlotte Peters Rock, telling aspects of this important history, in songs and stories. The legacy of The Peaceful Weavers of Peterloo, has continued unabated, over the last 200 years. They wanted to feed, clothe, safely house and educate themselves and their children.The weavers (and other reformers) wanted the vote and […]
GET UP, STAND UP, STRUT YOUR FUNKY STUFF! The Retro Silent Disco is back by popular demand this July, Dance the night away in the brilliant Central Library to classic hits from the seventies, eighties and nineties. Bar open all evening. Doors Open 8pm. 18 and over.
Help revive the Peterloo liberty cap as a symbol of freedom and democracy by making your own with professional artists Paul Fitzgerald and Eva Schlunke. These will then become part of a sea of raised liberty caps for a mass participation art event during the August 2019 Peterloo Bicentenary commemorations in Manchester.
‘A black kingdom may take the place of the white one’ – Henry Christophe I and The Kingdom of Hayti (1811-1820) A talk by Marlene L. Daut, Associate Professor, University of Virginia. On 1 January 1804, an army led by formerly enslaved Africans in the French colony of Saint-Domingue declared themselves independent and free of slavery […]
Musical concert performance of street ballads written around the time of the Peterloo Massacre, telling the story of the underlying circumstances, the events of the day, and the aftermath. Songs are performed by folk musicians Pete Coe, Brian Peters and Laura Smyth, with a variety of acoustic instruments.
From dedicated performance spaces to stairwells, screens, nooks and domes, Central Library might directly inspire your next event or intervention. Contact us to arrange a tour.
