Stained glass at Victoria Baths
Especially for Manchester Histories Festival six of Manchester’s truly special hidden gems are throwing their doors open to the public for a day of exhibitions, music, and theatre.
Bigger than ever before Manchester Histories Festival returns from the 21- 30th March 2014. Offering music, film, debate, talks by renowned historians, performance, walking tours and exhibitions, MHF aims to both celebrate the familiar and reveal the new and hidden histories from across Greater Manchester. Whether people would describe themselves as history fans or not, MHF has something for everyone.
On Sunday 23 March Chetham's Library, Manchester Jewish Museum, Museum of Transport Greater Manchester, the Pankhurst Centre, Victoria Baths and the Working Class Movement Library (WCML) are all opening up to the public for free. Plus visitors can also hop aboard a free heritage bus to easily travel between venues.
Highlights of the day will include:
Broadside/Folk musician Jennifer Reid will be talking about and performing songs from the Manchester ballads archives at Chetham's Library. Reid appeared in Jeremy Deller'sfilm to accompany his recent exhibition All That Is Solid Melts Into Air at Manchester Art Gallery. Some of the ballads have not been performed in public for over 300 hundred years, and visitors will even be able to take home their own printed copy of a ballad score. Open 10am - 4pm. Performance times: 11.15am, 1.00pm & 2.45pm (performances last ~30mins)
- Witness an imaginary meeting between near neighbours Elizabeth Gaskell and Emmeline Pankhurst at the Pankhurst Centre. Award-winning theatre companyLipService will perform, Mrs Gaskell Meets Mrs Pankhurst, a humorous and imaginary meeting between two of Manchester's most iconic women. This is a brand new performance commissioned for the Manchester Histories Festival. Open 10am - 4pm. Performance Times: 11.00am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm (performances last ~40mins)
- Street performers The Traffic Wardens, the adorable Hodman Dodmanott and Sally Forth, and The Lost Luggage Porters will be entertaining visitors to the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester. Open 10am - 4pm. Performance times: Regular performances throughout the day.
- Visitors to the stunning Grade II* Manchester Jewish Museum on Cheetham Hill Road will be able to experience traditional Klezmer music and take part in a family friendly Klezmer workshop. Often performed weddings and celebrations, little is known about the history of the instrumental music, but the genre evolved considerably as Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, arrived in the US between 1880 and 1924, met and assimilated American jazz. Open 10am - 4pm. Performance Times: 11.00am, 12.00pm & 3.00pm (performances last ~30mins). Family Workshop 1.00pm – 3.00pm
- Discover the colourful history of Victoria Baths with an entertaining musical tour, written and performed by singer songwriter Black Jack Barnet. Visitors will also be delighted with tales of swimming in recycled water in the Females pool, budding romance in the Baths and the achievements of our Channel swimming heroine Sunny Lowry. Open 12pm - 4pm.Performance Times: 12.40pm, 1.40pm and 2.40pm (performances last 30 - 40mins)
- Hear musical tales from the Working Class Movement Library’s archive as the Bailey Sisters turn histories of working people into song. The Bailey Sisters are a trio who perform early and traditional music. Though known for their fine acapella performances, they also accompany their singing with fiddle, guitar and percussion. Visitors will also be able to unravel the history of Manchester's industrial 'Cottonopolis' through material of the time. From song books to factory injury books to raw cotton samples, there will be a variety of objects on display to see and talk about. Open 11am - 5pm) Performance times tbc.
Free bus
Route One covers the following venues and runs from 10.30 until 4.30pm:
Greater Manchester Transport Museum every half past the hour (last bus leaving at 3.30pm);
Manchester Jewish Museum every quarter to the hour;
Chetham's Library on the hour;
WCML every ten past the hour.
Route Two covers the following venues and runs from 12.00pm until 4.00pm:
Chetham's Library on the hour (last bus leaving at 3.00pm);
Pankhurst Centre twenty past the hour;
Victoria Baths twenty five to the hour.
That stained glass is incredibly vivid.
ReplyDeleteI assume you took in some of the festivities.
Everything about Manchester Histories Festival looks great, inc the Belle Vue exhibition - God bless Belle Vue - and Gary James' MCFC film at the Cornerhouse on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteSadly I missed Sunday's events as I've only just found out about the week on North West Tonight. IMO, It wasn't well publicised enough - for a start, there should've been posters where all the Great Manchester Run stuff was, that's May for crying out loud!