Bullet points of what you would like to talk about:
Brief outline of Ragged School movement
Brief overview of Angel Meadow history
Sharp Street Ragged School – from basket weaving to Coronation Street
Chartered Street Ragged School (previously Angel Meadow Ragged School)
Quick look at other Manchester Ragged Schools – link to suffragette movement “it is a great mistake to suppose domestic duties were limited to girls and women, every boy in Manchester should be taught to darn his own socks and cook his own chips”
Discussion
A few paragraphs on your subject:
In the early 1800s, state contribution to education was less than the amount the government spent on the King’s stables. This talk will look at how The Ragged School movement led to the 1870 Education Act and state funding of universal education. We will take a closer look at two of Manchester’s Ragged Schools. Their fascinating history takes us from basket weaving, badminton and bombs to Suffragettes and Coronation Street.
A few paragraphs about you:
Simon Ward has degrees in Mathematics and IT and currently works in the NHS. However, his passions are history, in particular Manchester history, and philosophy. He is an active member of Friends of Angel Meadow (FOAM) and has worked on this historical research with Richard Long, also part of Friends of Angel Meadow. Richard is a local artist and sculptor who has spent many hours cataloging the history of the local area.
Friends of Angel Meadow (FOAM)
Angel Meadow once stood on the outskirts of Manchester and was a field of wildflowers sloping down to the River Irk. Fast forward a few hundred years and it was described as “the lowest, most filthy, most unhealthy and most wicked locality in Manchester”. After the Industrial Revolution, the area became an Irish slum and land next to the old church became a paupers burial ground. An estimated 30,000 bodies are buried here. Friedrich Engels studied the area for his Conditions of the Working Classes in England, LS Lowry depicted the area in several of his paintings and World Cup winner Nobby Styles practised football on the flags. Friends of Angel Meadow (FOAM) was formed by local residents in 2004 to campaign for the park’s regeneration and preserve this important historical piece of Manchester. Since then, the area has been transformed from an abandoned, unloved site into a green retreat amid the bustle of the city.
What free internet knowledge resources would you recommend to others if they wish to explore your chosen theme further?
