Local history fair at Victoria Baths this weekend
Article published: Wednesday, September 8th 2010
Victoria Baths in Ardwick will be open to the public for a local history fair on Saturday, as part of this month’s National Heritage Open Days which celebrates the country’s architecture and culture.
The event is a celebration of local and social history in Manchester, exhibited through industrial archaeology and archives relating to community history. Organisers have chosen a fitting location for the fair, in the magnificent settings of the partially restored Victoria Baths – built in for 1906 and fully functioning for 86 years, and for many years the largest of its type in Manchester – which is now cared for by a team of dedicated volunteers.
The aim of the organisers is to give an insight into a bygone era whilst encouraging active participation in the unearthing of the historical social make-up of the city.
To this end there will be advice for those interested in researching their family history as well as short talks by local historian Bill Williams on oral history.
There will be stalls from numerous interests groups including Friends of Platt Fields Park, Manchester Jewish Museum, Ghana Cultural Heritage and Gorton Local History Group among others.
And the radical side to Manchester’s history will be represented by the International Brigade Memorial Trust, a charity dedicated to unearthing the tales and preserving the memories of those who went from Britain to fight on the side of Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War.
Interested visitors will be able to view the Bath’s historical archives, in a specially preserving structure constructed by volunteers, which contain over 700 documents and a vast collection of object such as trophies, minute-books and swimming costumes all relating to the building’s history. Stored in the museum-standard vault are also recordings of oral histories, given by older local residents who frequented the Baths in the past.
The Baths is open all weekend as part of the annual National Heritage Open Days, Friday 10 – Sunday 12 September from 11am until 5pm each day. Regular guided tours of the Baths will be running as usual throughout the weekend. Admission is free but donations are welcome.
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