Celebrating the life and work of Elizabeth Gaskell
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 join us on catch-up here. The Gaskells must have often … Continued
With Christmas only weeks away, Dr Diane Duffy looks at how Elizabeth Gaskell prepared for and celebrated Christmas through the years. Despite the fact that Unitarians did not recognise the divinity of Christ, Christmas as a time of peace, love … Continued
This talk was given to the Gaskell Society by Bob Gamble on 19 August 2020. In it, he presents undiscovered biographical information about Elizabeth Gaskell. His research casts fresh light on Elizabeth’s inner circle, uncovering some of the mysteries of … Continued
Manchester was Britain’s first industrial city and in 2017 became a UNESCO’s City of Literature. It has, for nearly 200 years, been a place where art and science, culture and industry have become intrinsically linked: at its centre, we find … Continued
Our very good friend, Dr Michael Sanders, Senior Lecturer in C19th Writing at the University of Manchester, is running a virtual reading group via Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The Piston, Pen & Press team has been working on … Continued
While we are all locked down, attempting to survive the ever-increasing threat of ‘The Virus’, I thought it might be interesting to share with you an incident in the early career of Dr. Samuel Gaskell. I wonder how many comparisons … Continued
Diane Duffy looks tells the story of a tragic drowning in Silverdale in 1850, which echoed a story written by Elizabeth Gaskell three years before. While it would be good to think Elizabeth Gaskell could add the power of a … Continued
As part of the Heritage Open Days in 2019, the doors will be open at Cairo Street Unitarian Chapel, Warrington’s oldest Dissenting Chapel. Founded on the same site in 1662, when led by the Revd Samuel Yates Rector of St … Continued
Two of Elizabeth Gaskell’s daughters, Meta and Julia, are buried with Elizabeth and their father William Gaskell, at Brook Street Unitarian Chapel in Knutsford. Their daughter Florence is buried in London but members of the Gaskell Society were unaware of … Continued
In 2010, on the bicentenary of her birth, Elizabeth Gaskell was finally given the recognition she deserves, as a window panel in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey, was dedicated to her memory. After the service, conducted by The Very Reverend John … Continued