The Arts And Crafts Movement In Manchester: An Untold Story

William Morris was a frequent visitor to Manchester, and the only Morris & Co shop outside London was located on Albert Square. His now famous dictum: Do not have anything in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful, was first heard in Manchester. And the first of his explicitly socialist lectures Art, Wealth and Riches was delivered at the Manchester Royal Institution, now the City Art Gallery - it was not well received! John Ruskin was also a frequent lecturer in the city, and Morris’s fellow art worker Walter Crane was Head of Design at the Manchester Municipal School of Art from 1893-1896. 

However in this talk Barry will also share recent research on lesser known Manchester-based Arts and Crafts architects, artists and artisans who, in 1896, formed the Northern Art Workers’ Guild in the city. In a new and original book the Guild’s members are identified, with numerous illustrations of their work, together with the exhibitions that brought them to public notice. It tells the story of a northern craft revival that was neither rural nor London-focused, but an essential component of the Arts and Crafts movement located here in the heart of industrial England. The Guild was unusual for its time in that women were active and equal members, holding office, giving talks and showing work at the Guild’s open exhibitions. 

Whilst the Guild was relatively short-lived (1896-1912) its members and ideals played a key part in later initiatives. In 1917, the highly active Manchester branch of the Design & Industries Association was established, promoting the best in everyday machine-made products. And in 1920 the Red Rose Guild of Artworkers held the first of its annual craft exhibitions, thus continuing the promotion of hand-made objects. 

Barry’s beautifully illustrated talk, with a particular focus on the Wilmslow connections, will bring all this to life as he reveals the untold story of Manchester’s extensive involvement in the Arts and Crafts movement.