While living in England, on the south coast at Hastings & St. Leonards, Noonan wrote anonymous political articles, letters to newspaper editors and one 250,000 word manuscript for which he made a protective tin box. His title page read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell, his penname, which together with the book's title has become famous throughout the world.
Hastings' writer Fred C. Ball with the help of friends purchased the original manuscript in 1946. It was acquired by the NFBTO and presented to the TUC Library in 1959, within 4 years of the first unabridged edition of the novel. ROBERT TRESSELL CENTRE WEB PAGES
AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE GROUP BOOKINGS
THE RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS.
A hilly town walk exploring Mugsborough as created by Irish writer Robert Tressell. We explore 19th century utility works, visit the gentler parts of Alexandra Park where both the author's family and fictional characters played, and see the original commemorative plaque at Milward Road on our way to Windley Hill. The tour ends on Queen's Road near Town Hall & the Cricketers Public House. START@ Hastings Station
ROBERT TRESSELL'S MUGSBOROUGH
A hilly town walk exploring the life, literature and posterity of Irish writer Robert Noonan influential author of the classic working class novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists set in Edwardian Hastings and St. Leonards. We visit the wilder reaches of Alexandra Park, look at a remaining sample of Robert Noonan's sign painting and see the blue plaque unveiled by Michael Foster MP at the address where Noonan wrote his manuscript.
START@Warrior Square Station, St. Leonard's.
BACK HOME NEXT PAGE