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.
Come and see Central Library transformed into the International ArtActivistBarbie FLASHMOB DAY headquarters. Featuring “ArtActivistBarbie”, an activist who draws attention to inequality and injustice by posing in museums and galleries around the globe. See her work on Twitter @BarbieReports. The space will live stream “ArtActivistBarbie” in action, as it happens across 72 countries. Everyone can […]
Join us for this special event where we’ll have poets reading their own poems on the themes of Peterloo, with an audience to cheer them on. Or if you are a mum with a young child bring them in the afternoon to our fun rhyming session ‘We’re Going to St Peters Fields.’ This event is […]
Carolyn O’Brien’s novel, The Song of Peterloo tells the powerful story of Manchester mill-worker, Nancy Kay. Desperate to provide for her ailing mother and sensitive son, Nancy is drawn into the agitation for reform. But as she risks everything to attend a great assembly on St Peter’s Field, Nancy is unaware the day will go down […]
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.
