These are some sketches of Ancoats that I have drawn - things that I found interesting
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Little Italy (Manchester, England)
Manchester Italian Association
The 'Italian Catholic Society', founded in 1888, and the 'Mutual Aid Society' founded in 1900, merged in 1986 to form the 'Manchester Italian Catholic and Mutual Aid Society'. In 1997 the organisation changed its name to the 'Manchester Italian Association' (MIA).
Today the Association is still as active as it was when it was founded in 1888 by Father Tynan and the Italian community. Its aims and objectives are still the same; to promote the welfare of the Italian community, to promote its ties with Italy, to promote its history, culture and heritage, to preserve all emblems, memorabilia and items of heritage, and in the wider community to bring together young people in education and leisure activities, and help the elderly.
Throughout the year MIA organises many events. The most high profile is the Italian Procession, in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary, which takes place every July. This involves the carrying of the religious emblems, The Madonna, The Calvary, St.Anthony and beautiful banners, from Ancoats across Manchester city centre passing the Town Hall, to the Catholic cathedral of St. John in Salford. The procession is accompanied by the Lord Mayors of Manchester and Salford, members from the Italian consul, women in the colourful regional dress of Italy, children in First Communion dress, and culminates in a service led by the Bishop of Salford. This is followed by a festa of accordion music, food and drink.
As part of being the custodian of the Italian community's heritage, MIA has organised over the years many cultural, ethnic, historic events and exhibitions. They have given slideshows and talks in schools, universities, family history societies, church guilds and rotary clubs. They also organise exhibitions, such as the one shown above at Manchester Central Library. A new project has been the video 'The Roots of the Vine', another excellent documentation of the Italian community of Ancoats. The video can be booked by interested groups through MIA.
MIA also organise Italian classes at Corpus Christi social centre, ongoing events for the youth, trips out, dinner functions and many other events throughout the year.
The association is always open to new members regardless of sex, race, religious, political or other opinions. Anybody wishing to join can contact the president Lorraine Taurasi on 0161 766 2941.
Little Italy (Manchester, England)
From Italy to England
The Italian immigrants who settled in Manchester's Ancoats area came fron most regions of Italy. However the majority came from towns and villages which at the time were in the province of Caserta, Campania. After a boundary change early last century many of these towns became part of the province of Frosinone, Lazio. Originally the early immigrants who came from Campania and Lazio to Ancoats were known as 'Neapolitans' (Naples being in Campania). Those from Frosinone (located south of Rome and north of Naples) were known as 'Ciociaria'.
Manchester, in the early 19th century was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, and attractive to emigrants. Italians who came often stayed temporarily for seasonal work. Those who stayed longer would send for family members if they started their own businesses, leading to 'chain migration'.
There is a popular myth that all Italians who emigrated from Italy were ice-cream makers. Not so. The majority were 'contadini', or farming people, along with barometer makers, figurine makers, musicians, craftsmen of marble and mosaics, and other artisans. None originally made ice cream in Italy.
Just as Italy itself was split before 1860, strong regional differences persisted in the immigrant community. Northern Italians would look down on those from the South (the idea of a North / South divide is far greater in Italy even today than in Britain). Regional cliques formed in Ancoats, often with intense rivalry. It wasn't until the integration of opposing families inter-marrying that these animosities declined.
The first generation were also not happy at the thought of their children marrying into the local English and Irish communities. As with all immigrants, there is a fear of losing one's cultural identity.
Little Italy (Manchester, England)
Post war and modern times
With the war ended, "Little Italy" began to rebuild itself. The Manchester Italian Catholic Society (M.I.C.S.) and the Italian Mutual Aid Society (I.M.A.S.) were reformed.
Both societies organised community events. Manchester's first Italian week was held in 1956, and were held annually until the late sixties. Italian culture, fashion, manufacturing, produce, films, language, cars & motorbikes, and food and wine were all on display. This reflected how the Italian lifestyle had become fashionable in Britain at this time, a contrast to the war years.
After the war there was a baby boom, and there also followed a boom in the ice cream industry. This was the beginning of a technological advancement, from handmade ice cream sold from push and pony carts, to factories and modern day ice cream vans. Gone where the hawkers shouts, and in came the familiar chimes.
Ancoats was also changing. Italian families were beginning to marry into the local community. As their businesses matured, greater prosperity allowed them to leave the inner city and join the rising move to the suburbs in the fifties and sixties. New Italian immigrants, in contrast to the turn of the century, also settled outside the city. During the seventies Italy as a country became more integrated and wealthy, and this lead to drop in emmigration. Britain however was suffering a decline in manufacturing, and industrial areas such as Ancoats suffered. Manchester city council decided on slum clearance and moved remaining residents to other areas. This saw the end of "Little Italy" as a community. Today Ancoats is neglected and virtually uninhabited. This should never have been allowed to happen. If the council had supported Italian businesses and offered greater financial support to the area Ancoats would still ahve been a thriving community today.
At last the council has had some vision, and with various funding, Ancoats is about to undergo a major renaissance. With the growing trend for inner city living, Ancoats looks set to be transformed into an area of upmarket apartments and houses for professional city dwellers.
The cobbled streets, the aromas of delicacies from Italian shops, cooking pastas, the sounds of barrel organs and ice cream carts, the shouts of children playing, men and women chattering, all the hustle and bustle of a colourful, happy and lively Italian community. To its ex-residents, now spread around the city, these old memories are still held dear.
Little Italy (Manchester, England)
The Ice Cream Families
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| The 40 quart ice cream freezer 1890s |
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Yes there were many families that made ice cream in the early years in Ancoats. For some it was a brief living, while for others it was a way of life. These families were the pioneers of the ice cream industry in Manchester.
Young children queued eagerly with their pennies and ha'pennies in every season for the mouth-watering creations. Now grandparents themselves, their children and their children's children still buy today in many cases from the same families.
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| Advances in early ice cream equipment were most rapid in America, above are examples of catalogues around the 1890s. |
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| The ice cream families and manufacturers together formed the Ice Cream Federation in the early 1900s, latterly the Ice Cream Alliance |
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The names of the more famous and industrious ice cream families were magic, music to the ear, and roll off like the names of the Italian national football team: Marco Rea and sons; Vincenzo Schiavo (Vincent's Ices); Carlo Tiani's; Boggiano's (Peter Burgon's); Gerardo Scappaticci (Gerard's Ices); Bernardo Scappaticci (Ben's Ices); Carlo Visco's (Mamma It's Carlo); Rocca's; Pessagno's; Pandolfo's; Trulio's, Sivori's; Raffo's; Marocca's; Meschia's; Granelli's (of Oldham Road); Bacigalupo's; Mattiusi; Luchetti; Cabrelli's; Granelli's (North Road Clayton); Longinotti's; Bertaloni's; Coniola's; Andrucci's (Andrew's); Perselli's; Levaggi's of Denton, and many more. Everyone thought they made the best ice cream!
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| Wafer cone tins by International Wafer Co. (Antonelli's), Colaluca & Rocca, and Valvona's, circa 1920s |
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One should also not forget the biscuit manufacturers (who made the cones, wafers and twists); the famous Antonelli family, whose business started life in Salford in 1912 as the International Wafer Co., still manufacturing today in Eccles; and Colaluca and Rocca. Particular mention must go to Antonio Valvona, whose company created the 'Twist' ice cream cone. At a time in the 1890s there were grave health concerns over the use of the 'licking glass' in eating ice cream - a seller would serve a customer a scoop of ice cream in a glass, wash it, then use it for the next customer. Many glasses were not scrupulously washed and the sanitary authorities threatened to ban the sale of ice cream. The Valvona Company's edible cone, in my opinion, saved the modern day industry.
During the Second World War, the ice cream industry in general suffered a complete ban, due to rationing, and the consequences of internment. This led to the closure of many family businesses - ice cream factories, milk bars, and street vending. The renamed International Biscuit Company Ltd., run by the Antonelli family, diversified into supplying the military with pre-packed biscuits. Also, if it hadn't have been for the generosity of Mr. Domenico Antonelli, many families would have gone under. He supplied them with biscuits to sell to earn a living, sometimes more than their rations allowed.
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| The queue for ice-cream at one of Rea's ice cream carts, Piccadilly, Manchester, VE Day 1945 (cutting from Daily Express newspaper) |
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After the War, the ice cream industry experienced a boom in sales, as people were released from austerity and rushed to buy so-called 'luxury' items once more. As sons returned from the front, and fathers returned from internment, the old family businesses began to re-establish themselves. Many brought in the latest ice-cream technology, bought new premises, and re-invested in equipment from manufacturers including 'Creamery Package' in the U.S., 'Gusti' from Italy and 'Edoni' in Scotland. Motorised vehicles replaced pony carts and push carts, and long gone were the shouts of the ice cream vendors, to be replaced by musical chimes (initially imported from Switzerland).
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| 1909 Label of the Valvona biscuit company established in the 1890s |
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The post-war 'baby boom' and the housing estates that followed, coupled with motorised ice cream vans, led to much larger territories, or 'rounds', for the ice cream sellers. There also followed a renewed influx of Italian immigrants, particularly from Sicily, many of whom ended up working in the lucrative ice cream business. With new selling boundaries being drawn, between the old families, and then the new arrivals, there were often conflicts. As is the way with Italians, these often ended in vendettas. This was the beginning of what became known as the 'Ice Cream Wars'. Not just isolated to Manchester, the national press soon took up these stories, colorfully embellishing them with links to the 'Mafia'. It was not uncommon to see three or four vans at one time, all arguing as to whom the street belonged. The competition was fierce.
Some families took on franchises of large national companies, such as Walls 'Mr.Whippy' and Lyons Maid 'Mr.Softee'. The ice cream business fragmented, from families who both made and sold ice cream, to those who specialized only in wholesaling, or individual self-employed ice cream van sellers. The latter could afford to shop around for the cheapest prices. This competition and fragmentation saw the decline of the local ice cream families, and the further rise in power of national companies. Perhaps if the old Italian ice cream families had consolidated, working together to form a co-operative, instead of in-fighting and under-cutting each other on prices, they might have been a greater force today.
Sadly only a few businesses remain, and the decline is continuing. This is due to several reasons, including a change in buying patterns brought about by home freezers and supermarkets, price competition, and third generation family members moving into external careers. More beureaucratic licensing laws and increased costs have also played their part. I wonder how long it will be before the magical tones of the modern day ice cream van also pass into the pages of history.
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