Our Blog

Jazz Band - Dr. Avishai Teicher Pikiwiki Israel (Creative Commons)

The soundtrack of the 'Roaring Twenties' was jazz - or so we might think. But when it first arrived, jazz met with a less than enthusiastic reception in Britain.

Creative CommonsNew records that might shed light on our Irish Ancestors are always cause for excitement. So with the release of the 1921 census in England & Wales can we look forward to viewing the 1921 census for Ireland?

By the 1920s a night at the movies was an increasingly popular entertainment option. Over 2,500 movies were released in 1921, but how many are remembered today?

For most people in 2021, the name Gracie Fields conjures up an elderly, dignified white haired woman who hailed from Rochdale and retired to the Isle of Capri. But in 1921, Gracie was just entering the prime of her career.

George Mainwaring: A Rochdale Artist

In our continuing series for 1921 we have been looking at all aspects of the 1920's.  In today's blog we are shining a spotlight on local Rochdale man George Mainwaring.  George was a Rochdale artist who wrote and illustrated for the Rochdale Observer in the 1960's.

The royal arms appear above a statue of Shakespeare over the door, but what is this sadly neglected building on Peter Street?

The setting for the 1921 fashion scene was a post-war era beginning to be dominated by Hollywood films and the film stars who were becoming the fashion icons everyone wanted to copy. See how fashions in hairstyles and clothing changed as a result.

A century ago, Manchester city centre looked very different to nowadays, not least the types and amount of public and private transport. Industrial and domestic pollution meant blackened buildings and smog. However, most of the city's major buildings were already established.