Exile Of Erin, Naples Street

Exile of Erin, Naples Street, Angel Meadow. (c) Hazel Jackson with permission.

Another Exile of Erin, not far from the other one on Goulden Street just up the slope of Angel Meadow. This Exile of Erin on Naples Street was a Threlfalls house and the photo above shows its regulars posing outside, with Catherine Tevnan, bottom left.  Naples Street is an unheralded street in this little-known part of town, but contains a couple of notable buildings:

Sharp Street Ragged School, Naples Street. (c) Google 2010. View Larger Map.

In this corner of town is the old Sharp Street Ragged School (with the Pot of Beer / Harp & Shamrock up the street on the right), and the C W S Tobacco Factory which has given its name to the Tobacco Factory flats at the top end of Naples Street.

C W S Tobacco Factory, from Naples Street. (c) Google 2010. View Larger Map.

Naples Street now partly looks onto St Michael's Flats and Angel Meadow Park.  It's difficult to believe now, as new flats spring up and the St Michael's Flats and the Park are well looked after, but this part of town was once among the grimmest: 

"The lowest, most filthy, most unhealthy and most wicked locality in Manchester is called Angel Meadow... full of cellars and is inhabited by... bullies, thieves, cadgers, vagrants, tramps and in the very worst states of filth and darkness" - Angus Reach, 1849.  See here for a nice little history.