The Northern Art Workers’ Guild and the Arts and Crafts movement in Manchester Book

The Northern Art Workers’ Guild was a part of the late nineteenth century revival of the crafts celebrated as the Arts and Crafts movement. Until now its history has been largely untold. This beautifully illustrated book examines the impact of the Arts and Crafts movement in Manchester and the overlooked history of the Guild from its formation in 1896 through to its demise in 1912. Unlike the London-based Art Workers' Guild it had active women members throughout. This new and original study identifies the Guild’s members and their work, together with the exhibitions that brought them to public notice. It tells the history of a northern craft revival that was neither rural nor London-focused, but an essential component of the Arts and Crafts movement located in the heart of industrial England. The authors also examine the legacy of the Guild, in the later work of the Red Rose Guild of Artworkers and the lesser-known Manchester branch of the Design and Industries Association.

"This long-awaited book on the Northern Art Workers’ Guild is a major study and gives us not only a compelling history but expertly dispels the many myths that have grown up about it. At long last we have a reliable roll call of its members and their work - some of these names are familiar, many are not, and many will come as a complete surprise". Dr Julian Holder, Architectural History, University of Oxford