ABC Wednesday: "A" is for Angel Meadow

I made reference to Angel Meadow last Wednesday when we were on nearby Dantzic Street. These days it's a small park in the city but has a turbulent history. 

The 19th century workforce who fuelled Manchester's industrial output endured squalid conditions all around the city centre. One of the worst areas was here at Angel Meadows where 20,000 people lived (if you can call it living) and often died, doing dangerous jobs. 

The great Friedrich Engels who lived and worked in Manchester and Salford, and whose ground breaking 1844 work The Making of the English Working Classes was partly inspired by the dire conditions for the north-west industrial towns' populous, called Angel Meadow "hell on earth".

See also FOAM, Friends of Angel Meadow: 
The lowest, most filthy, most unhealthy, and most wicked locality in Manchester is called Angel Meadow. It lies off the Oldham Road, is full of cellars and is inhabited by prostitutes, their bullies, thieves, cadgers, vagrants, tramps, and, in the very worst sites of filth, and darkness. – (1849).
"Thankfully, Angel Meadow these days is a green haven of a park that is full of wild flowers, space and peace largely due to the support of the local community and the friends group - “Friends of Angel Meadow” (FOAM). Recently FOAM has hosted several Guided Walks, a major BBC Springwatch Festival in June 2007, won 2 major awards including the prestigious Green Flag for the 6th year running and continues to win grant funding to continue the good work." 


Linked to ABC Wednesday where we start all over again this week with the alpha letter...