The Royal Jubilee Exhibition, 1887

Exhibition hall. Archive reference TL1776.

In 1887, the Botanical Gardens were joined by an enormous exhibition of art, science and industry, to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Following in the footsteps of the 1857 'Art Treasures' exhibition thirty years before, vast numbers of people visited the site for the commemorative event: a figure which reached more than 4.5 million over the course of its 166 day run. In a single day, the exhibition was visited by more than 74,000 people.

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View of the grounds with the basin of the fairy fountain in the foreground. Archive reference TL1762.

Reportedly, the first suggestion for the exhibition came from Bowdon resident Mr Ellis Lewis, who began to write to local newspapers in April 1886. The idea gained momentum and petitions were sent to the mayors of both Manchester and Salford. In June, following a public meeting of citizens in Manchester, the scheme was agreed upon. In true Victorian fashion, exhibitors were advised that this was ‘an Exhibition intended to illustrate the progress and development of Arts and Manufactures during the Victorian era’.

The 'Manchester Royal Jubilee Exhibition' was opened in May 1887 by Edward, the Prince of Wales, and his wife, Princess Alexandra.

Arrival of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

As we can see in this plan, the site covered either side of Talbot Road, in Old Trafford, and included its own purpose-built station, to allow the easy access of rail passengers.

On 17 May 1887, The Manchester Courier reported that ‘it has come to the knowledge of the authorities that season tickets for the Jubilee Exhibition have been fraudulently transferred’ and went on to describe the technique of the young men involved. A group of ticket holders would gain entry and then one or two of them would exit with the group’s tickets so that a new group could then enter with the same tickets. The article called this practice ‘a scandalous imposition’.

This season ticket belonged to a Mr C.H.W. Knight and allowed him up to five visits to the exhibition. A man by this name was listed on the 1881 census as a railway clerk, living with his mother and siblings in Chorlton-upon-Medlock. The ticket had a protective backing and folded in half, so that it could easily be slipped into a person's pocket.

People We Met at the Manchester Exhibition

Printed and published by John Heywood of Manchester, this booklet was to be sold at the exhibition’s bookstalls. It contains many observations and humorous caricatures of visitors.

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The Royal Jubilee Exhibition, Manchester, 1887; A Photographic Record

This weighty album (which requires two people to lift!) was produced by Manchester photographer Harrison Garside for the exhibition’s Executive Committee, and contains many wonderful images. While there isn’t a great deal of information available about Garside, we do know that in 1891 the Yorkshire-born photographer was living at 32 Sidney Street in Manchester. Other references include an article in the Burnley Express from 1884 in which H. Garside is reported to have patented an ‘improved method of producing surfaces for mechanical or ink printing by means of photography’.

Figure 1. Machinery in Motion Hall. Photograph by H. Garside.

This view shows the south of the site, including the ‘Machinery in Motion’ and the ‘Machinery at Rest’ halls (Figure 1). Amongst the machines exhibited were gas engines, sewing machines, carding engines, cranes, looms, printing machines, a ‘boot and shoe paring and finishing machine’, bakery machinery and a ‘self-righting lifeboat’, to name a few.

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Figure 2. Talbot Road entrance. Photograph by H. Garside.

This photograph shows the dome and fountain from the Talbot Road entrance (Figure 2). The panels below the windows show illustrations of local industries by British artist Ford Madox Brown.

Figure 3. Gallery VI. Photograph by H. Garside.

Gallery VI, also known as the Central Hall, contained ‘portraits of Distinguished Statesmen and others, and Oil Paintings by Living Artists’. The prominent picture of a stag in this photograph is ‘Scene in Braemar, Highland Deer’ by Sir E. Landseer (Figure 3).

The exhibition included mock streets showing Old Manchester and Salford, complete with costumed attendants. The gentleman old the left, in the ruff and hat, was dressed as Humphrey Cheetham.

Sources

Burnley Express , 24 May 1884

Manchester Courier, 17 May 1887

Manchester Evening News, 11 June 1886

Bill Newton, Manchester Royal Jubilee Exhibition, Old Trafford, 1887, (Trafford Leisure Services, 1990)

Railway Archive, No.7, June 2010 (Lightmoor Press)

Sheffield Evening Telegraph, 10 November 1887