“Manchester Alphabet”

Manchester City Art Gallery owns proof copies of all his” Manchester Alphabet,” hand-coloured by the artist. It also holds one original drawing from the Manchester Alphabet  - A is for Ancoats about 1905, Ink and watercolour on paper, about 1905. Purchased 1963.25

The drawings along with their accompanying verses are also reproduced in Manchester Memories by George Mould, published by Terence Dalton in 1972. Geprge Mould commented:

Roger Oldham’s book, A Manchester Alphabet, was published by the firm of John Heywood in 1906. As its title implies, it was constructed as a children’s ABC, although it holds appeal for adults too.   The book contained 26 comical drawings of scenes from daily life around the city of Manchester, many of them featuring local landmarks.  Oldham was a gifted illustrator.  His drawings are imaginative, well observed and beautifully drawn.  They have something of William Heath Robinson about them.  Some of the verse has an ironic tone, which nicely captures that feeling that many of us will have had about our home towns (and indeed about some of our friends and relatives) – that it is their very lack of appeal to outsiders that endears them to us.