Take an hour away from your desk to watch a play about the Lancashire Cotton Famine performed in Lincoln Square this November.

Manchester, 1863.

The slow thaw of a bleak winter. The American Civil War has raged overseas for two years without relent, cutting off vital cotton supplies to North West England and leaving the former Cottonopolis a shadow of its former self. The mills are shuttered. Thousands are unemployed and facing complete destitution, roaming the streets, eyes yellowed with hunger, seeking relief wherever they can find it. And with the Victorian mentality ruling the day that “nobody gets anything for free”, relief is given only to those “willing to earn it” through back-breaking labour, such as paving roads, building sewers and unravelling by hand the individual threads of old, tarred ship-ropes.

These are the darkest hours of the Lancashire Cotton Famine.

Despite their hardships, the working people of Manchester, in a staggering response of self-sacrifice, have just declared themselves in full solidarity with Abraham Lincoln, as he battles tirelessly against the Confederate states to uproot slavery from American soil once and for all. Yet, as inspiring as this resolution is, it guarantees many more gruelling months ahead. As the atmosphere of discontent threatens to break out into full-blown rioting, three distinct personalities meet in the heart of the city – a radical, a former slave, and an out-of-work millworker – to share their stories and argue for the next best course of action.

Meeting Place: Lincoln Square (If the weather is bad, we will contact attendees with an alternative location. Please book tickets on Eventbrite to ensure you receive this.)

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This event is part of The Sun Inn Poets project made possible by Manchester Cathedral, follow us on Instagram @thesuninnpoets to find out more.

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