Have you ever visited…the Working Class Movement Library?
Article published: Friday, August 21st 2009
Manchester is famous for being the birthplace of industrial capitalism. However, it is also hallowed ground in the history of working class politics and struggles for justice and equality – stories all too easily left out of mainstream history. Keeping that legacy alive relies on preserving that history, and making it accessible and relevant today.
Two Salfordian Communists, Ruth and Eddie Frow, had this in mind when they founded the Working Class Movement Library in the 1950s. Today the library is based in an impressive Edwardian redbrick building just a stone’s throw from Salford Crescent railway station. The unique national collection of the history of radical, labour and feminist movements now fills 40 rooms, but it all started in Ruth and Eddie’s house.
They believed passionately that working people should value their own history and achievements and dedicated their lives to gathering the books and archives that form the core of the library. The collection includes all the paraphernalia associated with radical politics: books, pamphlets, leaflets, banners, prints, personal letters, newspapers, badges, LPs, T-shirts, photographs and much else.
Whatever freedoms we enjoy today weren’t handed down from on high – they had to be fought for. The library illuminates these struggles over the past few hundred years. It’s common sense now that the church and monarchy have no place governing society, but Thomas Paine caused uproar for saying as much in the late 1700s. The collection starts with Paine’s influential works, and goes on to include the Peterloo Massacre (a cavalry charge on a demonstration for reform of parliament in 1819, near Manchester Town Hall) and the Chartists, who fought for the right to vote.
The exhibitions also charts the rise of the trade unions, the General Strike, Movement for Socialism and the Vote for Women campaign as well as anti-fascism and the struggle for Irish independence. There is also an international dimension with coverage of the International Brigades in Spain and the Pan African Congress of 1945 as well as more recent British groups like the CND, plus landmark events like the Miners Strike and just about every significant social movement you could think of.
Eddie died in May 1997 and Ruth passed away in January 2008. They have left what is now recognised, both at home and abroad, as one of the most important radical libraries around. The task of keeping it running according to the ethos of openness and inclusivity is handled by a few staff members and an enthusiastic group of around 40 volunteers. The Library has accessible displays and exhibitions for those without time to sit down and read. Entry is free, so why not pay a visit? If you’ve not been, you’re missing out on one of the city’s real gems.
More info http://www.wcml.org.uk/
Michael Herbert
More: Features
Comments
-
It’s well worth a look – Manchester has an incredible history, and there’s a lot to learn from past movements!
Comment by andyb on August 21, 2009 at 4:49 pm -
Yawn!
Think I’ll do the Granada Studios Tour instead when I next visit Manchester – btw is that still going?
Comment by Rob Davis on June 7, 2010 at 1:53 pm
The comments are closed.
