This exhibition celebrates the truly creative partnership between Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, and the body of revolutionary, philosophical and economic writings that their collaboration produced. Engels claimed that he was happy to be “second fiddle” to “so splendid a first fiddle as Marx” but it is hard to...
The Library marks Museums at Night with a live gig by Alun Parry, the radical singer-songwriter who’s been called ‘an incurable champion of ordinary people’. Alun describes his music as ‘indie folk meets Americana on the way to a picket line’. Come and hear him live as he...
A short film and illustrated talk by Ali Ronan about the Women’s Peace Crusade in East Lancashire during 1917-1918. This talk is part of the Invisible Histories series - all welcome, admission free, light refreshments afterwards.
This talk, by Stephen Mustchin, Lecturer in Employment Studies, University of Manchester, focuses on engineering trade unionism, workplace conflict and strikes at the famous Eccles-based engine manufacturer L. Gardner and Sons. Strong workplace union organisation emerged following two long strikes in 1968 and late 1972, and in 1980 a...
This year is the 70th anniversary of the nationalisation of the coal industry. Vesting Day for the National Coal Board was 1 January 1947. Our event is centred around a book, The flame still burns: the creative power of coal, which explores the sheer power of an industry which...
In this talk, journalist Dean Kirby will take listeners on a journey through the gin palaces, alleyways and underground vaults of this nineteenth century Manchester slum, which was considered so diabolical it was re-christened 'hell upon earth' by Friedrich Engels. Dean is a national newspaper journalist who has been...
Bruce Wilkinson's new book Hidden culture, forgotten history: a northern poetic underground and its countercultural impact (Penniless Press) looks at the 1960s publishing and political activities of three working class Lancastrian poets. It assesses the literary influence of Jim Burns, Dave Cunliffe and Tina Morris and traces the impact...
Sound System is the story of one musician’s journey to discover what makes music so powerful. Years of touring, playing and protesting have given Dave Randall an insider’s view of the music industry, enabling him to shed light on the secrets of celebrity, commodification and culture. The book, published by Pluto Press in...
Fighting Resistance is an Arts Council-funded artist residency project placing contemporary artist James Bloomfield in Salford Museum and Art Gallery and at WCML, exploring themes surrounding the WW1 centenary and using the collections of both institutions to create new work. For the launch event of this project James has...
