We took a trip to Swinton yesterday (28th October) for the annual Salford Histories Festival 2023 which once again was fantastically well attended and packed full of wonderful stalls covering all aspects of local history from the coal mines of Agecroft to the history of Swinton Rugby Club. The festival was opened by none other than our very own in house historian and vagabond Tony Flynn who was given a lovely introduction from Don Ranger. View the online Gallery Full of many more photos from the day: We spotted a few well known faces behind the various stalls, notably Lawrence Cassidy who currently has an exhibition of photos from Salford and Manchester at the Langworthy Cornerstone. Well worth a visit as it has a lot of photos taken within various local schools so you may find yourself upon them. Festival Organisers Paul Kelly and John Catterall were present as ever with a stall jammed to the rafters with memorabilia and information on the colliers who dug the coal which powered the industrial revolution and made Salford what it is. Paul has done tremendous work in honouring those who tragically killed whilst working within the many pits and should be commended for his tireless work. Our good friend Michelle Pearson from the Buile Hill Mansion Association (BHMA) was spotted chatting with people interested in the current work going on at the mansion which is soon to be turned into a wedding venue with a café and community space. Sadly there was no representation from the Hothouse Association who are seeking funding to save the wooden structure in the park. Speaking of saving historic buildings, our good friend Glenn Kennedy was present with a stall and was happy to explain the purpose of ACRA the Agecroft Chapel Restoration Association which we are happy to say has just been given charitable status to enable them to seek funding for the beautiful and historic buildings restoration. The Salford Victoria Theatre Trust were present with a stall packed full of information about their quest to save what is another iconic Salford building. We hope to soon follow up with their work and take a look around the theatre. Buildings like this can not and must not be allowed to be written off the map. They need to be preserved for future generations. We were especially delighted to see a stall present for one of our favourite history projects in Salford the Unearthing Pendletons Past Project which has been continuing behind the scenes uncovering the lives of those who were interred within St Thomas Church (Pengy Church) cemetery in Pendleton. They have spent an unbelievable amount of time compiling the vast wealth of data they have uncovered and have produced a book which will soon be published and available to buy. It will be a must for anyone with a passion for Salford History as it goes into great detail and if the teaser they had available is anything to go by, it will be a must read and a serious contender for next years Molineux award which this year was awarded to Lawrence R Gregory for his book 'THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF SALFORD 1850 - 1902' - co-authored with David Lannon. You can read the review by Tony Flynn below: There were too many stalls to mention individually, many of which were selling books and memorabilia but the highlight as always was the hands on Merry Trotters Mobile Museum Of Memorabilia which is always a delight and a huge highlight of the festival, putting history into the hands of the people which is precisely where it should be. Watch the Video below: And with that the festival ended for another year and if the past few years are anything to go by, it will be even bigger and better next year. Well done to all those who came together and took part, as well as those who organised it all, you have once more done Salford proud. Take a much deserved Bow.
