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Big Flame Project
WATCH BACK: Inksurgency Panel Discussion (28.08.25)
WATCH BACK: Inksurgency Panel Discussion (28.08.25)
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Kirkby: Legacies of Struggle Tickets, Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
Kirkby: Legacies of Struggle Tickets, Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite
Join us for a screening of a short film exploring the people and activities of the Kirkby Unemployed Centre.
Online Exhibition: Keep The Flame Burning - Working Class Movement Library
Online Exhibition: Keep The Flame Burning - Working Class Movement Library
Here we present a selection of some key exhibited pieces. You can see the exhibition in full at the WCML until 10 April 2026.
Keep the Flame Burning Exhibition
Keep the Flame Burning Exhibition
Inflammatory Material - Sign Up Form
Inflammatory Material - Sign Up Form
Please take a moment to fill out this short form to help us know how to address you, understand any access needs you might have, and get a sense of what you're hoping to get out of the sessions. We’ll be in touch soon with the selected readings and session dates. Working Class Movement Library
Who were Big Flame?
Who were Big Flame?
In this blog post, our Big Flame Project Researcher, Seth Wheeler, explores the roots of the socialist revolutionary organisation, Big Flame. Emerging on Merseyside out of the upswing in political activity that characterized university life at the end of the 1960s, the libertarian socialist organization Big Flame (active between 1970-1985) are notable in their attempt to synthesize the concerns of the then burgeoning women’s liberation movement, with their commitment to ‘rank-and-file’ workplace and community organization and their rejection of Leninist vanguardism, which put them at odds with much of Britain’s extra-parliamentary opposition during the 1970s. While never numbering more than...
What's On
Engels Memorial Lecture with Manfred Sohn
Engels Memorial Lecture with Manfred Sohn
Radical Readings 2025 - Working Class Movement Library
Radical Readings 2025 - Working Class Movement Library
Step into an afternoon of inspiration and resistance with Radical Readings, which brings together powerful performances, traditional folk music and bold storytelling that shine a light on working class voices. From the boxing ring to the best in contemporary poetry, this event explores themes of anti-racism, agit prop and working class creativity, demonstrating that celebrating shared pleasures fosters solidarity, drawing on stories from Liverpool, Moss Side & Hulme, Lancashire and Whalley Range! Proceeds from the event will support our vital work in preserving radical working class history, promoting political education and putting class back on the agenda. Performers confirmed so far: ...
What's On Page
What's On Page
WCML General
Sign Up as a Radical Reader!
Sign Up as a Radical Reader!
Become a Radical Reader Our individual membership scheme costs £3.25 a month or £36 annually. Your donation will be used to support our work to develop, care for and give access to our archive and library collection and help us deliver our mission. As a member you will receive: An exclusive Working Class Movement Library tote bag (RRP £12). A copy of our bi-annual digital newsletter, Shelf Life. 10% discount in our online shop. Invitations to our exhibition openings. Invitation to ‘Radical Readers’ membership events. The opportunity to get involved in our work through volunteering. Organisation Affiliation The library houses...
Venue Hire at the WCML
Venue Hire at the WCML
The Working Class Movement Library is based at the beautiful Jubilee House in the heart of Salford and is well connected by bus and train. Our events space, the annex, comes with a projector & screen and has a ramp on entry, accessible toilet, an air purifier and a small kitchenette. All the income generated through our space hire is directed back into our mission of preserving working class and radical history. Information on getting to the library, as well as parking, can be found here. All hirers must adhere to our Commercial Service User Agreement. The annex is self-contained,...
Roots of Resistance Volunteer Registration Form
Roots of Resistance Volunteer Registration Form
WCML Podcast
WCML Podcast
Did you know that the Working Class Movement Library has a podcast? Listen back to our talks featuring engaging discussions on working class history from the comfort of your home. Delivering Justice: Towards a History of Food Delivery Workers’ Organising “Rochdale Villages” with Isaac Rose & Owen Hatherley Workshop of the World: Essays in People’s History Many Struggles: New Histories of African and Caribbean People in Britain Women and the Miners’ Strike, 1984-1985 Giz a Job: a History of the 1981 People’s March for Jobs Troublemaking: Why You Should Organise Your Workplace
Newsletter
Newsletter
Working Class Movement Library Email Forms
Donate to our Collection
Donate to our Collection
The Working Class Movement Library is an independent library and archive. We care for and give access to our library and archive collection that covers 200 years of working class history. The library was founded in the 1950s by Edmund and Ruth Frow. Both trade unionists, Eddie was an engineer and Ruth a teacher. Their passion for activism and working class history laid the foundation for our archive. They lived in their semi-detached home in Manchester for most of their life. It was packed floor to ceiling with books and attracted visitors from all over the country. In 1971 the...
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Shop
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Website
News & Blog
News & Blog
Stay updated with the latest news, insights and milestones from our library; from archival tips to volunteer testimonials.
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