Horsfall was the son of William Horsfall, owner of textile businesses in Halifax and Manchester, England. He was educated in Manchester and Bowdon. 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. 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, which stressed active social engagement. Horsfall was also profoundly influenced by the ideas of John Ruskin, 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." Horsfall even argued that local employers should donate money to the gallery rather than pay higher wages to their employees because "For we alone 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, 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 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, 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 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 called 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.
