MHF Hightlights Mon-Tues And Opening Event Gallery

MANCHESTER Histories Festival (24 Feb-4 March) launched at the People’s History Museum on Friday promising to deliver a sweet assembly of events, activities and exhibitions bursting with Manchester’s rich past and present. 

The Festival is for people of all ages and historical experience from schoolchildren and college students to family history enthusiasts and museum curators.

An enthusiastic crowd of all ages turned up and welcomed the opening of the event. Speakers included the Festival Director, Claire Turner, Manchester’s culture councillor Mike Amesbury and Kevin Bonnet, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Student Experience, at Manchester Metropolitan. The speakers were introduced by Hannah Barker, Professor of British History at the University. 

Claire Turner, Festival Director, has a chat at the launch in the People's History Museum

The principal partners of the Festival are The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and Renaissance North West. 

There are some jolly pictures of the gathering below. 

This year’s Histories Festival builds on the work of the previous festival in 2009. The heavyweights of academia may have provided the main funding for the event but they want the whole city region to take part.

As the speakers kept re-affirming, the Festival is for people of all ages and historical experience from schoolchildren and college students to family history enthusiasts and museum curators. This year there’s even the first Community History Awards recognising successful partnerships exploring Greater Manchester history.  

Pick up a brochure or click here and you’ll be blown away by all the activity. There will be something for you even if you think history isn't your bag. Remember we only got to today because of yesterday. 

The excellent pictures on this page come courtesy of Drew Forsyth. 

Highlights this Monday and Tuesday 

Mon 27 February 

Today until Fri 2 Mar. 10am-5pm. Free

InfraManc: Postwar infrastructure of Manchester

Infra_MANC is a public exhibition about the planning, construction and promotion of four infrastructural projects in central Manchester : two were completed, two were to remain unrealised. The Mancunian Way , the never realised Picc-Vic railway tunnel, the Guardian telephone exchange and fanciful dreams of a city centre heliport are all examined. RIBA Hub, 113-115 Portland Street , Manchester , M1 6DW

Art & Artists on Film 

2-4.30pm

Three fascinating 1970s films from the North West Film Archive featuring the life and work of artists LS Lowry, Harold Riley and Walter Kershaw. Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road , Manchester , M15 6ER

Tuesday 28 Feb

Women Like You: A Portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst 

Until Fri 2 March, 10am-5pm

‘Women Like You’ is the first contemporary portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst – created by photo-mosaic containing 10,000 images of inspirational women sent in by members of the public. Each photo celebrates the extraordinary lives of ordinary women: grandmothers, mothers, aunties and sisters; best friends, teachers, colleagues, scientists and politicians to peace-workers. People's History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3ER 

Manchester’s Telecommunications Firsts 

6-7.30pm

Free but booking recommended 0161 306 1982

Our modern world is increasingly driven by the latest developments in telecommunications. Many aspects of our lives now rely upon the mobile phone, the internet, computers, television and radio. Join Nigel Linge, Professor of Telecommunications at The University of Salford, and Pauline Webb, from MOSI, to find out how the success of the Manchester Cotton industry created the world's first global communications network. Discover how the UK's first telephone was installed in Manchester, how Manchester established itself as a mass media communications hub for newspapers, television and radio and why the Internet owes its existence to Manchester. Museum of Science and Industry, Liverpool Road , Castlefield, Manchester , M3 4FP