FOMV

Manchester Art Museum

Lifelong philanthropist and social reformer Thomas Coglan Horsfall played a pivotal role in promoting the arts to the residents of late nineteenth-century Ancoats. Inspired by the work of John Ruskin and his dedicated workers’ gallery in Sheffield, Horsfall founded the Manchester Art Museum in 1877 and later acquired Ancoats Hall on Every Street as a permanent base from 1886. 

The museum worked tirelessly until its closure in 1953 to educate, entertain and inspire those who stepped through its doors. From woodwork classes to children’s concerts to a ‘rambling club’, Horsfall aimed to challenge the exclusivity and elitism of contemporary galleries that were beyond the reach of many Ancoats residents. His work was anchored by a spirited belief in the moralising force of art and culture that saw the museum’s displays feature works of art alongside pieces of personal guidance and informational pamphlets. In 1901 the Museum merged with the neighbouring Manchester University Settlement on Every Street, consolidating the missions of the two institutions focussed on social work and community engagement.  

The years following World War I bore witness to the gradual decline of the Manchester Art Museum, separating from the University Settlement in 1918 and facing the resignation of both its treasurer and Horsfall in the following two years. The work of voluntary and philanthropic organisations was being gradually displaced in this period by state institutions, yet the museum lived on until 1953 when its collection was formally integrated into the more recognisable Manchester Art Gallery on Mosley Street. 

Today, Horsfall’s legacy lives on through 42nd Street, a prominent young people’s mental health and wellbeing charity. On Great Ancoats Street, they run ‘The Horsfall’ gallery that operates as both a safe space for young people accessing 42nd Street’s services to engage in artistic projects and as an exhibition site to spotlight these works. The gallery acknowledges the pioneering role of Horsfall in bringing art to those who may not traditionally have traditionally been able to access it, and furthers his original ambition over a century later.

Cultural and artistic initiatives like the Manchester Art Museum are rarely woven into traditional histories of the 19th and early 20th century city yet were a lively site of cross-class interaction. Highlighting the histories of institutions like these remains vitally important in attempting to understand not just the occupations or deprivation of Ancoats residents, a well-documented field, but their cultural and intellectual mores too. Only by looking at these can we attempt to build a more comprehensive picture of what life was really like in one of this city’s most famous districts. 

George Horberry