Podcast: The Ragged Schools of Angel Meadows by Simon Ward

This is a podcast of when Simon Ward gave a talk on the Ragged Schools of Angel Meadows and Manchester.  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.
This is a podcast of Simon Ward talking at the Ragged University where he takes 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.
 

Sharp Street Ragged School
Sharp Street Ragged School

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.
 

Simon Ward Ragged Schools of Angel Meadow by Raggeduniversity on Mixcloud

 

Website – www.friends-of-angel-meadow.org

Twitter – @MeadowAngels

Facebook – Angel Meadow

Public Email – [email protected]