Tapestry Themes #15: Migration & Community Life

 

Theme Fifteen: Migration & Community Life

We are incredibly lucky here in Manchester to have such a diverse and wide range of communities. We home people from all walks of life and we are proud to be such a multicultural city. Our researchers did a fantastic job researching some of the different communities here in Manchester and we hope to grow and expand our research and representation in the tapestry as the weeks progress. These are a few of the examples the research team for panel 15 found.

The team found lots of information about Armenian migration to Manchester. Many Armenian settlers were drawn to the UK, in particular Manchester, due to the economic opportunities provided by the thriving cotton industry. The Armenian Institute has written an interesting blog post about Armenian history in Manchester.

'The first Armenians settled in Manchester in 1835 as silk merchants. By 1862, it is estimated that there were thirty Armenian businesses in the city. The Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church of Manchester was consecrated in 1870. It is the oldest Armenian church in the UK. Joan George 'Merchants in Exile: the Armenians in Manchester, England, 1835-1935' is the definitive book for this community. There is also an article by B. Jenazian entitled 'The Armenian Merchants and Armenian Community in Manchester' (f301.45 Je1). This includes a list of Armenian merchants in Manchester 1838-1964.' (Manchester City Council)

Armenian Ladies Association of Manchester (1920s) 

Another community the team found a lot of information about was the Ukrainian community, many of whom arrived in Manchester after the Second World War, settling in Cheetham Hill in North Manchester, with the first Ukrainian social club opening in 1930. Today in Manchester, there is a community response fund for the Ukraine crisis and the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme allows residents in Manchester to offer shelter to Ukrainian refugees.

The team found some great photos of the Ukrainian Whit Walks: 'The Ukrainian community in Manchester has a long tradition of participating in the annual Whit Walks, often featuring traditional costumes, banners, and statues. These historic, colourful processions, usually held over the Whitsun weekend (often Friday or Monday), included Ukrainian Catholic contingents alongside other community groups.' (Google)

The Somali community was another of the groups this team found information about. Since the outbreak of civil war in Somalia in 1991, an influx of Somalians have been settling in Manchester, in particular Moss Side where there is now a strong, established community. They team found some beautiful examples of Somali beadwork (see above) and there was even an exhibition at Manchester Central Library in 2019 called 'See My Dunya' which told the story of Somali history and influence in Manchester.