Working with Heritage Partners - Salford Museum and Art Gallery

Our Young Roots project, Deep Pockets and Dirty Faces is currently going full steam ahead. Over the last few months the young people involved have been partaking in various sessions to create a greater understanding of Manchester and Salford in the late 1800s and see how the cities approached childcare. It is area which is perhaps underrepresented in the research arena, especially in regards to what the voluntary organisations did. As mentioned before in these blogs the importance of caring for and maintaining charity archives to enrich our understanding of social welfare is imperative. We are hoping the project will incite more interest in the charity’s roots. 

Documents from the archive

To better understand the historical context in which the charity was residing, our project has been utilising the expertise of some of its heritage partners. In January young people were given the opportunity to visit Salford Museum and Art Gallery to learn more about the city in Victorian times. The museum has a recreation of a Victorian street, Lark Hill Place, at the turn of the century and gave the young people a chance to see how their own orphans may have lived, prior to being admitted into the charity homes. The street is set at dusk when the gas lamps have been turned on and the sounds of children playing and horse drawn carriages can be heard. 

At Lark Hill Place

We were fortunate to have a tour of the street by one of the Museum’s knowledgeable guides and had the chance to dress up in some replica Victorian clothing. All of this information was important for understanding what Manchester and Salford would have been like. It was a good way of putting the young people in the shoes of their orphans rather than learning about conditions through a book.

This was further extended through a classroom session with a Victorian Loan box from the Museum. This contained both original and replica items from the Victorian period. Our young people engaged in a handling session with the charity’s archivist using objects from the box. Replica outfits were tried on and discussions were held around various objects that are not familiar today, such as a chamber pot and chamber stick and snuffer. Children’s toys were also discussed (a long time spent trying to win the cup and ball game – who needs video games!) and school lessons using chalk and slate and finger stocks were also used. 

Slate and Finger Locks

These two sessions gave a fascinating hands-on experience to Manchester and Salford at the turn of the nineteenth century. It allowed the young people to immerse themselves in their orphans’ worlds and partake in drama work to start the process of putting together a radio script for the project. 

Next time we head to Liverpool...