To Buy or Not to Buy?
That is the question! Volunteers at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House are often asked whether Elizabeth ever bought 84 Plymouth Grove. The answer is definitely not, but her daughters, Meta and Julia, […]
Cranford for Beginners – a talk by Libby Tempest (video)
https://vimeo.com/522747640 Libby Tempest, Chair of the Gaskell Society, tells us about how she came to know and love the work of Elizabeth Gaskell and the ‘excellent women’ of Cranford in particular. […]
Locations in ‘The Sexton’s Hero’
In January 2021, Dr Diane Duffy ran a discussion session on the short story, ‘The Sexton’s Hero’ about a daring rescue on Morecambe Bay. You can read her blog post […]
Mental Illness and the Victorians – the Case of Alice Hadfield Petschler
In March 2021, we were delighted to welcome the historian, biographer and retired teacher, Joanna Williams. Alice Hadfield Petschler (1830-1897) was the photographer, poet and “lunatic” whose case helped […]
Meet the Neighbours
After moving into a new house, it is always useful to know your neighbours. I am sure Elizabeth would have already known many of her new neighbours in Plymouth Grove, […]
Building Plymouth Grove
‘And We’ve Got a House. Yes! We really have.’ So writes Elizabeth in April 1850 about 42, Plymouth Grove, the house that was to become the Gaskells’ family home for […]
The Portico Sadie Massey Awards
We’re thrilled to learn that Elizabeth Gaskell is inspiring a new generation of readers and writers! Now in their sixth year, the prestigious Portico Sadie Massey Awards, organised by The […]
Brontë’s Mistress – a talk by Finola Austin (video)
https://vimeo.com/507999520 In February 2021, we enjoyed a real transatlantic treat! Historical novelist Finola Austin talked to us (from her home in New York) about Brontë’s Mistress. The novel tells the story […]
A Christmas Ramble (video)
We had a very jolly, festive get-together on December 1st, as the Society’s Anthony Burton took us on a walk through Victorian Manchester. We recorded his talk and you can […]