Alright our kid?
I’m Dean Kirby, an award-winning journalist, urban historian, genealogist and tour guide exploring and writing about the history of Manchester. Welcome to my newsletter telling stories from the streets of the world’s first industrial city.
What is the Manchester History Club?
It’s a newsletter and a community of subscribers where we’ll discuss the city’s history — starting with the districts of Angel Meadow, Ancoats and the Northern Quarter which I know best. In time, we’ll also explore other parts of the city.
Why did I start this newsletter?
A few years ago archaeologists dug up my ancestor’s house in one of Manchester’s worst Victorian slums, Angel Meadow. It sparked an interest in the area that has led me to write a bestselling book and do a PhD on the history of the area.
I want to share my passion for Manchester’s working class history and to help keep these stories alive. I now lead walking tours of Angel Meadow with a unique family history element to them and I’ve also set up a family history research service to help other people research their Mancunian ancestors.
Why should you subscribe?
If you sign up, you’ll never miss an update as my newsletter will drop straight into your email inbox each weekend. You’ll be joining more than 1,300 readers who have already joined. You can sign up for free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
In each newsletter, you’ll hear a story about Manchester’s history that I’ve researched and written. It could be about a person, an incident or a broader aspect of life for working people. As a free subscriber, you can post comments and suggestions. From time to time, you’ll also hear about offers and events.
What if you pay to subscribe?
To get extra benefits, you can pay as little as £4 a month (£1 a week) to become a fully fledged member of the Manchester History Club, which gives you bonus access to my full archive of stories and occasional, exclusive paid-for posts about researching Manchester family history.
You’ll also be able to join my subscriber chat group, where we can chat about my writing and where I am available to offer tips on how to research Mancunian ancestors.
As an extra thank you, you’ll also get a 25% discount on my Angel Meadow book when you buy through the publisher’s website and access to occasional events such as online family history skills courses.
As a paid subscriber, you will be helping to support my work as a freelance writer and ensure that I can keep this newsletter going.
If you don’t feel able to pay to subscribe, then please consider buying me a coffee or two through my Buy Me A Coffee page. My passion for Manchester history has led me to try to make a career of writing about it and and your support really will help me to keep the newsletter alive. You can do so by clicking the button below.
What’s next?
All you need to do is subscribe and start reading. As a subscriber you will receive the newsletter in your email inbox and, if you want to, you can also read it on the Substack website or in the app. If all that sounds interesting, then please take a look at the various subscription options by clicking this button.
I’m looking forward to saying hello and sharing the story of the world’s greatest city with you.
