Thomas Coglan Horsfall (1841–1932) was a noted philanthropist,

town planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...

, writer and founder of the Manchester Art Museum in Ancoats Hall (also known as the ''Horsfall Museum'' or ''Ancoats Museum'').

Life

Horsfall was the son of William Horsfall, owner of textile businesses in Halifax and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. He was educated in Manchester and Bowdon. The Times, Obituary Though a partner in his father's businesses, he did not take a very active role due to ill health, and devoted himself to philanthropic work.thomas coglan horsfall and manchester art museum and university settlement
/ref> Horsfall's views were linked to his strongly held Christian faith. He was a supporter of the Church Reform Union, part of the wider movement of

Muscular Christianity Muscular Christianity is a philosophical movement that originated in England in the mid-19th century, characterized by a belief in patriotic duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, masculinity, and the moral and physical beauty of athleticism. The mov ...

, which stressed active social engagement. Horsfall was also profoundly influenced by the ideas of

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...

, with whom he corresponded extensively.

Museum

Horsfall was a strong believer in the idea that art had an educational and moral role to play in society. In 1877 he began the movement to establish free galleries for the poor in a letter to the '' Manchester Guardian''. Ruskin's educational art gallery in Sheffield was his model. He wrote, "I may be asked why are we to do this work which it might seem is chiefly work that should be done for the city by itself – by its governing body. The answer is – we must do it, because we are willing to do it and can do it."Wilson, Shelagh, "The Highest Art for the lowest People: The Whitechapel and Other Philanthropic Art Galleries, 1877–1901", ''Governing Cultures'', Ashgate, 2000, pp. 172–86. Horsfall even argued that local employers should donate money to the gallery rather than pay higher wages to their employees because "For we he middle-classalone have learnt that money may have other powers than that of buying beer and bread. Higher wages can only lead to greater debasement." In a lecture to the

National Association for the Promotion of Social Science The National Association for the Promotion of Social Science (NAPSS), often known as the Social Science Association, was a British reformist group founded in 1857 by Lord Brougham. It pursued issues in public health, industrial relations, penal r ...

, he stated: The gallery moved to Ancoats Hall in 1886. In keeping with his moral views, no nudes were displayed at the gallery. A room in the gallery was furnished by

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

as an example of aesthetic design. According to historian Shelagh Wilson, the gallery was popular as a respectable alternative attraction to pubs and music halls, but by the early 20th century it was unable to compete with new forms of popular entertainment. When a cinema opened nearby, attendance dropped dramatically.

Other activities

Horsfall was also a strong supporter of the

Settlement movement The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity and s ...

, which sought to place the educated middle classes in socially deprived areas. He gave financial support to Toynbee Hall and was linked to the work of Samuel Barnett in Whitechapel, London. The Manchester University Settlement grew out of this, based at Ancoats under Horsfall's leadership. Along with T. R. Marr, Horsfall set up the Citizens' Association for the Improvement of the Unwholesome Dwellings and Surroundings of the People, to eliminate slum housing. In 1900, Horsfall joined with

Henry Birchenough Sir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet, (7 March 1853 – 12 May 1937) was an English businessman and public servant. Early life and education Birchenough was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, the second son of John Birchenough, a silk manufact ...

to instigate the Patriotic Association of Macclesfield, which was envisaged as a feeder for the local Volunteer Force. Subsequently, he became treasurer of the Association. In addition, Horsfall took an interest in improving the air quality of Manchester which, as the first industrial city, left much to be desired. His extensive travels in Europe reinforced this desire for change as he was able to contrast his dingy, smoke-laden home, where even vegetation in the new municipal parks struggled to survive, with the much cleaner and appealing cities that he visited. He was a member of the Manchester and Salford Noxious Vapours Abatement Association (later known as the Smoke Abatement League).

Personal life

In 1878 Horsfall married Frances Emma Reeves. The couple had three daughters. He died in 1932 at the age of 90.

Selected publications

*''The Study of Beauty, and Art in Large Towns'' (Two papers by T.C. Horsfall, with an Introduction by John Ruskin). Macmillan and Company, 1883. *''The Relation of Town-planning to the National Life''. 1908.

References

External links

*
Thomas Coghlan Horsfall papers
at the

John Rylands Library The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is a Victorian era, late-Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. It is part of the University of Manchester. The library, which opened to t ...

, Manchester. {{DEFAULTSORT:Horsfall, Thomas Coglan 1841 births 1932 deaths Philanthropists from Greater Manchester 19th-century English writers British urban planners Museum founders