Page 49 - All About History - Issue 180-19

P eterloo and Manchester histories
KaRen Shannon
Chief executive
How long have you been working on the
various events you have planned for
the anniversary?
Manchester Histories and partners, which include
both large cultural organisations and small
community groups across Greater Manchester,
have been working over the past four years on the
programme that has led to Peterloo 2019. This has
included running regular network and planning
meetings to shape what activities take place and
to develop the different strands of work such
as the learning resources and the new website
(peterloo1819.co.uk), which will also form part of
the legacy for the project.
Did you have a particular mission
statement for what you wanted to
achieve for the anniversay?
Despite the scale of the Peterloo Massacre and the
impact that it had at the time, both nationally and
internationally, awareness levels have remained
low. Peterloo is a chapter of our history that links
directly to our present, and events that followed
like the Chartist and suffragette movements, with
ordinary people campaigning for change. Our
mission has been to make people more aware of
the story and the relevance of Peterloo, to bring this
to life and to explore the impact on society both
then and now.
You’ve approached this anniversary in
a multitude of ways, one of which is a
broader series of events around protest
and freedom of speech in the 200 years
since Peterloo. Why did you choose to
do that?
We want to make sure Peterloo has relevance to
today and to influence people’s future thinking in
terms of finding out about their own and others’
histories and heritage. The themes were chosen
so that people could talk about their own interes
today in parallel to Peterloo.
By also looking more broadly at protest, it’s giv
the opportunity to not just focus on the story
of Peterloo, but also other important events that
have shaped our society today, like the Greenha
Common Women’s Peace Camp that peacefully
protested for nuclear disarmament.
What does Peterloo mean to the city
of Manchester?
I think the commemorations to date have been
very emotive. The Peterloo story unleashes
a rawness, it stirs deep feelings of pride,
Mike Leigh’s film, Peterloo, brought the
events of 1819 to vivid life with all of the
build up to the day of protest as well as
the gruesome events that followed © Alamy
anger, and highlights people’s struggles to be
represented. People have really connected to
this and to each other through discussions and
attending different events. It means Manchester
is still a city that has lots to say and is proud of its
radical roots and spirit!
Manchester Histories is hosting events through
July and August, most of them free to attend.
Visit manchesterhistories.co.uk for more
information and peterloo1819.co.uk for an
interactive experience
St Peter’s Field has since been
built over, but Free Trade House
is now roughly in that location
© Manchester Histories