Learning at the Portico Library

Samuel Ringgold Ward: A Black Abolitionist in Manchester

Samuel Ringgold Ward was an African-American Abolitionist who visited England, and was mainly based in Manchester, in 1853-54. He campaigned against the enslavement of Black people in the USA, Canada and England, and the use of raw cotton (and other goods) that enslaved people picked in the manufacturing industry.

This resource introduces his life, campaigning and makes links between the struggle for abolition and workers’ rights in the mid nineteenth century. It is suitable to be used in Black History supplementary schools or groups as well as for Key Stage Three History (Political Reform).

Download the Word Document here.

Download the PDF here.

This resource is part of the Reunited Portico Project funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund to raise awareness of our collection and the history of people in Manchester. This resource is offered under a CC attribution non-commercial share alike license. In any attribution, please credit both the author listed and the Portico Library.

Parise Carmichael-Murphy. (2025). ‘Samuel Ringgold Ward. A Black Abolitionist in Manchester – Resources’, Portico Library, Manchester.

Trading the Poppy Schools’ Resource

A Key Stage 3 schools’ resource has been produced from the work and activities as part of the 2024 Infamous: Opium, Silk and the Mission exhibition to explore the role of the global impact of and Empire in the industrial revolution and Manchester’s role on the international stage.

This work is part funded by the Granada Foundation. The resource has Teachers’ Notes, A Powerpoint Presentation (with video embedded) and Student Worksheet with a Timeline.

Mischievous Creatures: Folk Tales in the Northwest

Unleash your class's imagination with these fun craft and creative KS2 (adaptable for KS1) writing activities inspired by Northern folklore and the Portico collection. Developed by the Portico Library with support from creative practitioner Sumayyah El-Din and acclaimed author Marie Basting. Explore some of the mischievous folk who appear in traditional tales commonly told in the North. Meet characters like Will-O-The-Wisp, and Wag-at-the-Wa who preside over marshlands and roaring fires, and discover the comedic mischief of the Mancunian Boggarts. Then create your own stories about them and / or create their house. Download our Teachers’ Notes, Powerpoint Presentation and Character Card for use in the classroom.