MHF 2026 | Corsets & Kippers

Join us for the festival finale with Corsets and Kippers, a musical journey through wartime Manchester.

Blending live music and narration, the piece draws on the diaries of Joan Gatley (1939–45), capturing life from age 16 to 22. Featuring additional stories from the home front, including an air raid account and a song inspired by Laura Knight’s iconic portrait of Ruby Loftus. 

Music and songs by Paul Frost.

Donation

This event is one of many free events programmed at Manchester Histories Festival 2026. As a small charity we truly welcome any contribution you are able to make. Suggested donations of £3–£10 help us continue our work with local communities, create imaginative and inclusive programmes, and sustain the Manchester Histories Festival in celebrating Greater Manchester’s rich and diverse histories and heritage. Every donation, whatever the amount, makes a real difference. Thank you for supporting us.

Accessibility

Manchester Central Library is fully accessible. To help us make this event as inclusive as possible, we welcome you to contact us at least two weeks in advance regarding any specific access requirements, including BSL interpretation or other support needs. Thank you.

Email: info@manchesterhistories.co.uk

Call: 0161 306 1982

Data Gathering

We may contact you after the event with an event feedback form. We’d really appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to fill it out. Your thoughts will help us improve future events and strengthen the case for more programmes like this.

Complete the feedback form for your chance to win some Manchester Histories merch and a copy of These Isles: A People’s History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales by the brilliant author Brian Groom — available to Manchester Histories Festival 2026 attendees only!