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Knutsford Meeting – April 2023

Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United Kingdom

Our discussion series for 2022-23 looks at Wives and Daughters. First published in serial form in the Cornhill Magazine, between August 1864 and January 1866, Wives and Daughters was unfinished when Elizabeth died suddenly in 1865. This is many people's favourite … Continued

£5 – £6

Domestic Mental Cruelty in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Works

Francis Holland School 39 Graham Terrace, London, United Kingdom

A talk by Kathleen Gentle Kathleen Gentle, a postgraduate researcher at Anglia Ruskin University, examines  the depiction of psychological abuse in familial and spousal relationships and focusing on Sylvia’s Lovers and the short stories “Morton Hall” and “The Grey Woman”. … Continued

Of Song and Speech: Music and Words from Industrial Lancashire

The John Rylands Research Institute and Library 150 Deansgate, Manchester, United Kingdom

Gaskell Society member and good friend, Professor Michael Sanders,  in conversation exploring the defining literary and cultural pioneers of the era. He’ll be joined by folk singer, Jen Reid, who sings Lancashire dialect songs. 5:30-6:10: Collections Encounter Drop in at … Continued

Free

Online Talk: The Gaskells’ Garden on a Plate

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Elizabeth Gaskell had great hopes for the garden at Plymouth Grove, not just as a beautiful place to relax, but as a source of food for the family. She even joked that ‘I find my proper vocation is farming‘. Now … Continued

£5

Elizabeth Gaskell Conference

Anglia Ruskin University East Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom

We're absolutely delighted to tell you about a new Elizabeth Gaskell conference, organised by Gaskell Society members at Anglia Ruskin University, working with the British Association for Victorian Studies (BAVS).  The conference takes place in person at Anglia Ruskin University … Continued

Free

A Visit to Tabley House

Tabley House Tabley Lane, Knutsford

Knutsford is luckier than many English towns as it boasts two historic houses with Gaskell connections: Tatton Park, the seat of the Egerton family, and Tabley House, which belonged to the Leicester family until 1975.  Both houses feature in Gaskell’s … Continued

£16

Open Day at Cairo Street Unitarian Chapel

Cairo Street Unitarian Chapel 4 Cairo Street, Warrington, United Kingdom

Cairo Street Unitarian Chapel Chapel members are opening the chapel and garden to visitors and guests on Saturday 15th July. The chapel contains memorials and information regarding the Gaskell family and the important role they played in the life of … Continued

Online Talk: Margaret Hale – North and South

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Our passion for North and South continues as we take a closer look at lead character Margaret Hale. Our heroine is famous for her growing love affair with mill-owner John Thornton (played so well by Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage … Continued

£5

Mrs Gaskell’s Personal Pantheon – with Bob Gamble

Francis Holland School 39 Graham Terrace, London, United Kingdom

Bob’s book of this title appeared in August 2020 and highlights connections between Unitarian communities across England by following the life and times of Elizabeth Gaskell's dear friend, Janetta Bishop Mitchell. Janetta's closeness to the Reverend William Turner of Newcastle … Continued

Online Talk: Bad Women

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‘Revenge may be wicked, but it’s perfectly natural.’ Becky Sharpe, Vanity Fair, 1847 The stereotype of the Victorian woman is that of a domestic angel, pure, innocent and a helpmate to her husband. But the women in this talk challenge … Continued

£5

The Gaskell Memorial Service 2023

Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United Kingdom

Every year, on a Sunday close to what would have been Elizabeth Gaskell's birthday, we lay flowers on her grave (10.45am) at Brook Street Chapel in Knutsford. We also lay flowers on the nearby grave of the Gaskell Society's founder, … Continued

Online Talk: Mary Barton and the Year of Revolutions

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Mary Barton and the Year of Revolutions: ‘John Barton became a Chartist, a Communist’ Elizabeth Gaskell’s debut novel Mary Barton (1848) is recognised as one of the most important Victorian works to explore the working class Chartist movement, in this case through the … Continued

£5

Autumn Meeting: A Cranford Reader: Margaret Leicester Warren of Tabley House

Knutsford Methodist Church Princess Street, Knutsford, United Kingdom

The Joan Leach Memorial LectureA Cranford Reader: Margaret Leicester Warren (1847–1921) of Tabley House Pic: Wikimedia Commons We're delighted to welcome Sarah Webb, a trustee of the Tabley House Collection.In 1861 Margaret Leicester Warren (1847-1921) read Cranford.  She was not impressed.  This novel … Continued

£5 – £6

Manchester Meeting – Domestic Mental Cruelty in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Works

Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United Kingdom

Kathleen Gentle's talk for our October meeting will focus on familial/spousal abuse in Gaskell's works. She'll  discuss Gaskell's depiction of physical and mental cruelty and how she criticises her contemporary culture for their complicity in the abuse of women in … Continued

£5 – £6

Online Talk: Song of the Shirt

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With fingers weary and worn, With eyelids heavy and red, A woman sat in unwomanly rags, Plying her needle and thread— Stitch! stitch! stitch! Thomas Hood wrote the famous poem The Song of the Shirt (1843), in response to a newspaper report about … Continued

£5

Online Talk: Ann Radcliffe and the Female Gothic

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Ann Radcliffe and the Female Gothic – ‘A genius of no common stamp’ Get ready for a spooky night of literature as we celebrate the bicentenary of Ann Radcliffe, the ‘mighty magician’ of horror and the gothic. Once the highest … Continued

£5

Online “Knutsford” Meeting – October 2023

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*** Please note that this event is now online only, via Zoom.*** Our Chair, Dr Diane Duffy will be discussing Sylvia's Lovers  for the 2023-24 Knutsford season. Gaskell’s only historical novel, Sylvia’s Lovers is set in the fictional coastal town … Continued

£5 – £6

Manchester Meeting – Elizabeth Gaskell in the Train and on the Omnibus

Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United Kingdom

We're delighted to welcome back committee member and one of our favourite speakers, Anthony Burton. He'll be offering a tempting taster for our 2024 Conference, which explores the theme of travel. Anthony was intrigued by paintings featuring railway stations and … Continued

£5 – £6

Online Tour of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

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Using 360-degree photography, expert guides will bring Manchester’s literary heritage to life via an online tour of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. From the Morning Room and Study, to the Drawing and Dining Rooms, you’ll learn about Elizabeth’s family life; how William, … Continued

£10

Can we Devise a Gaskell Brand? – with Anthony Burton

Francis Holland School 39 Graham Terrace, London, United Kingdom

As anyone who has attended Gaskell Society conferences, or joined any of the Gaskell House’s online events, will know, Anthony has a vast and wide-ranging amount of knowledge about Elizabeth Gaskell, her life, times and contemporaries. He will use Gaskell, … Continued

Online ‘Knutsford’ Meeting – November 2023

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Our Chair, Dr Diane Duffy will be discussing Sylvia's Lovers for the 2023-24 Knutsford season. Gaskell’s only historical novel, Sylvia’s Lovers is set in the fictional coastal town of Monkshaven, against a backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Sylvia Robson lives … Continued

£5 – £6

Online Event: North and South – The Preston Lockouts Anniversary

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2023 marks the 170th anniversary of the Preston Lockouts – the historical strikes that informed the plot and themes of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic romantic novel North and South and provided inspiration for Charles Dickens in Hard Times. When workers demanded a 10% wage increase … Continued

£5