The Simons of Manchester - by Martin Dodge & John Ayshford & Diana Leitch & Stuart Jones & Janet Wolff (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book illuminates the history of one of Manchester's most influential families. Charting the lives of Henry, Emily, Ernest and Shena Simon, it demonstrates their significance through tracing their work in engineering innovation, enriching Manchester's civic culture, and in shaping local government, housing and education.

Book Synopsis

The Simons of Manchester revives the history of one of Manchester's most influential families, the Simons. The book investigates the lives and public work of Henry and Emily Simon, and Ernest and Shena Simon. Through philanthropy and work in social reform, the two generations of the Simons greatly enriched Manchester's cultural and civic institutions, worked to improve the lives of its citizens, and helped to spearhead profound national reforms in health, housing, planning and education. While many people in Manchester are familiar with the Simon name through Shena Simon College, Simonsway, and the Simon Building at the University of Manchester, there is scant public knowledge of who the Simons were and their legacy. As such, this edited volume of collected essays aims to illuminate their fascinating lives and public service to rehabilitate the Simons and examine their local and national significance.

An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

From the Back Cover

This book offers a reappraisal of the private lives and public work of two generations of the Simon family, who over a period of a hundred years had a powerful influence in shaping modern Manchester. It uses a combination of collective biography and wider social, cultural and political history to explore the interaction between the family and the city between the 1860s and the 1960s. By studying the family as a cross-generational unit as well as the four key individuals (Henry and Emily, Ernest and Shena), it shows how a distinctive ethos of public service underscored the family's work in business, civic activism, philanthropy and social reform. It is a fascinating case study of how one family of German origin left a lasting imprint on the city they made their home.

About the Author

John Ayshford is a Doctoral Researcher in History at the University of Manchester
Martin Dodge is a Senior Lecturer in Geography at the University of Manchester
Stuart Jones (H.S. Jones) is a Professor of Intellectual History at the University of Manchester
Diana Leitch MBE is a former Deputy University Librarian of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester
Janet Wolff is Professor Emerita in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at the University of Manchester