Invisible Histories: Salford's Working Lives
I have worked with a group of Salford people over the past six months, discovering items from the Library that relate to Salford's labour history. The group of twelve people met every week and informally researched a particular theme relating to their personal interests. These themes included Chartism, mining in Salford, the life of Friedrich Engels, the Battle of Bexley Square, Salford Docks and other subjects relating to the personal histories of people who took part in the workshops. We discussed many wide-ranging issues and took part in debates relating to the archives at the Library. These activities re-animate working class histories and memories in an interactive way, bringing to life forgotten histories.
From my experience, working class histories often remain invisible, they are not often officially commemorated. The Library has done an excellent job, retaining these archives for use by future generations. As Salford is intricately connected with labour history, promoting the city's connection to it can potentially attract worldwide visitors.
The work here represents a fraction of the information gathered on the project. It has been an excellent opportunity for people to regroup, discuss and learn from each other. Projects of this kind connect local people to archives which directly relate to their lives. As the Library is located in the centre of one of the largest former industrial areas in the world, projects like this should be developed, as they are vital to community development. We are currently organising a series of talks to extend participation in the programme, over the next six months.
Special thanks to all the participants, including John Linney, George Wordsworth, Alice Searle, Paul Kelly, Roy Bullock, Jim Wareham, Claire and Roy Singleton, Joyce and Brian Daly, Bob and Nora Jones, Joan Mastin, Jacqueline Hindle, Anne Hallows, Bill Seddon, Bob Simpson, Liam, Bob Jeffrey and Stephen Kingston. Also to all the guest speakers, including Glen Atkinson, Paul, Alice, Mike Scantlebury and Jane Wood.
And with further special thanks to Booth Charities for the grant which made it possible for us to get the project underway.
Lawrence Cassidy, January 2010
The exhibition is open from 14 January 2010 to drop-in visitors Wednesdays to Fridays from 1pm to 5pm, and by appointment at other times.