Angel Meadow: Victorian Britain’s Most Savage Slum

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Hello,

I’m Dean Kirby, an author and historian based in Manchester, UK.

Welcome to the website for my best-selling book Angel Meadow: Victorian Britain’s Most Savage Slum. The book tells the story of the nineteenth century Manchester district of Angel Meadow. In the shadow of the world’s first cotton mill, 30,000 souls trapped by poverty fought for survival there as the British Empire was built upon their backs.

The book came out some years ago, I am no longer using this site for my blog. I am now writing a newsletter over on Substack called the Manchester History Club, which is about the history of Angel Meadow and other parts of Manchester.

You can find it by visiting www.manchesterhistory.uk/subscribe.

It’s free to subscribe to although there are also some paid options to receive extra content. If you do join, you’ll also be able to find out about my new book, The Scuttlers, which will be published in May 2027. Please do check it out. If you do subscribe, you will be helping to support my work as a writer.

19 thoughts on “Angel Meadow: Victorian Britain’s Most Savage Slum”

  1. Can’t wait to read your book. My graddad Jake Winter lived in the ‘Meadow’ when he was a small child. His stories about that time stuck with him his whole life.

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  2. I too am looking forward to reading your book. My father was born in “the Medda” and I was born only a stones throw away. Researching my family history I found many fascinating pieces about my great grandparents.

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  3. When we found our family had lived there in the 1890s it opened up a chapter of social history that we never dreamed we were part of. Our family history census tells of families living apart in cellar dwellings, tramping around the country rocking up in the slumiest parts of major cities, eventually settling in the Angel Meadow part of Manchester. Thanks to a late life marriage, and an escape to Sheffield in the late 19th century (which was probably only successful because of the early death of a man who we think was tricked into marrying our great-great-great-grandma and was possibly driven to an early and suspicious death (there was a post mortem)), our ancestors travelled over the Pennines into the relative luxury of the Sheffield crofts where they ran doss houses and sold coal.
    It’s an unimaginable way of life and one which fills me with gratitude that they survived it.

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  5. My Great Grandfather and my Grandfather b.1875 lived in Charter Street for some years. My great Grandfather died there in 1906 and he was a Beer Retailer. I went to see the excavations and could not believe my eyes at what sort of property they had to live in. Angel Meadow today is a wonderful place to sit and quietly contemplate all of the work everyone has done to make such a beautiful place in the middle of our city – a wonderful tribute to everyone concerned and a big thank you to the ‘Friends of Angel Meadow’.

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    1. Jim: just seen your message regarding Angel Meadow. My mother Marian Matthews had relatives with the Flynn surname (Jim). In fact she was named after Mary Ann. I wonder if we are related?
      PS. She had a father John Matthews ex Army and 3 brothers John, Bill and Jim. They lived in the flats at Kenneth House, Smedley Lane.

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  8. I would be very interested if anyone has come across any of the Miller family who lived on Canal St in the late 1800s. They were of Irish descent. Coming from Dublin via Liverpool.

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  9. I found out about Angel Meadow after researching my family tree. What a different place it all was back in those dark industrial times. Fascinating History all round. Can’t wait to read your book.

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  10. My g.grandfather was a lodging house keeper..william powner..24st michaels square..the end of angel st..he lived with his wife elizabeth..sons/family lived on angel street..lodging houses…

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    1. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Angel Meadow, what an eye opener, the survival of the fittest it’s a credit to the author,we’ll done. John Flaherty.

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    3. He was my grandfather’s brother.. my grandfather was James Powner, married to Lily who ran the other 2 lodging houses

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  11. I was born in 52,PILLING STREET, Collyhurst, on the edge of Angel Meadow, in 1939. My mother, Grandmother and Great-grandmother were all from the same area, and I recall those slum areas very well from my childhood. The women in my family were obviously made of strong stuff to survive such hard lives.

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  12. I live in Australia now but was born at Crumpsall Hospital, trained as a nurse at Wythenshawe Hospital and love social history. I never heard of Angel Meadow, I do remember Mum driving down Oldham Rd seeing the depressing red brick slums of Ancoats that faced the road.
    Thank you for all your research!

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  14. Quite surprised to find out about the area where my Gt Gt Grandfather was born (1841). Family lived in 36 Back Style St from around 1836 to the mid 1840’s . I presume this to be overlooking the burial ground in back to back houses?

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  15. can’t wait to read this 3 Generations of my family was born and raised in ancoats what is literally next to the meadow.I don’t know any further back but am now somewhat intrigued

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