Together Trust Archive

Continuing our exploration of the illustrations created for the Manchester and Salford Refuges, we’re putting a spotlight on an image depicting the events of the 1923 Belmont Garden Fete . Some readers may have seen this little cartoon before.

Recently, we uncovered the mystery behind the charity’s first logo which was created by Enid Blyton illustrator, Grace Lodge. Discovering this fact prompted the investigation into the illustrations of the charity’s early urban services that graced (excuse the pun) the pages of the early annual reports and charity magazines. An illustration of the early Manchester and Salford Refuges and Homes Some of the above illustrations are the only records we have left of our early buildings. The engraved images are copies of original photographs, some of which still survive in the archive. Looking closely at the only surviving reproduction of the interior of the Mission Hall, the illustrator’s signature, reads ‘LANGTON’. Robert Langton (1825-1900) was a Manchester-based engraver and illustrator from Gravesend, Kent. An Associate of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts , his most well-known work was The Youth and Childhood of Charles Dickens (1891) which he both authored and illustr...

An often admired image from the Together Trust’s archive is that of a simple pen and ink drawing which depicts a group of children moving out from the shadows into the light. As if moving from the darkest corners of the city, where poverty and hardship were often found, the children move toward salvation (both physically and spiritually) – an artistic representation of the charity’s work in the early twentieth century, when the Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges stood as a beacon of hope, warmth and security to the young people of Manchester and Salford.                    

For those who read Andrew Simpson's blog dedicated to the history of Chorlton (and more!), you may already know that in celebration of the Together Trust's 150th year we are publishing a book on the history of the charity in 2020. We have worked closely with Andrew who has produced a fascinating read which delves into the history of the Together Trust, a charity whose unwavering dedication to improving the lives of young people is celebrated in this work. Andrew has consulted our vast and unique archive to tell the stories of some of the young people who in the early days of the charity found themselves destitute on the city's streets; following some of them on their journeys to Canada, and mapping the changes in child welfare in the process. The Parcel Brigade outside the Children's Shelter (c. 1915) - one of the images that inspired the cover illustration.