ABSTRACT
In 1834, the collapse of both the Labour Exchanges and the Grand National Consolidated Trades’ Union ushered in a second phase in the history of the Owenite movement, one geared towards a concerted effort to establish an exemplary community. To that effect, local Owenite branches played a key role, as they were deliberately designed to serve as educational hubs in the virtues of community. This report by John Finch, written on the occasion of the first socialist festival held at Liverpool Hall of Science in November 1838, shows how leisure activities such as dances, public lectures, tea parties and banquets were designed as a “part-time version” of Robert Owen’s “Villages of Co-operation”, especially as the Queenwood community project was getting underway. John Finch was an iron merchant and co-operator based in Liverpool. Appointed Secretary of the Liverpool branch of the Association of All Classes of All Nations from 1837 onwards, he was a frequent contributor to the New Moral World.
