Autumn Meeting 2021
Knutsford Methodist Church Princess Street, Knutsford, United KingdomThe Joan Leach Memorial Lecture Stubborn Facts from the Factories: James Leach & the Industrial Background to Mrs Gaskell's Fiction. We're delighted to welcome Dr Mike Sanders, who'll deliver the Joan Leach Memorial Lecture at our Autumn meeting - our first 'live' meeting since since March 2020! We can't wait to see you all again! We'll also […]
Manchester Meeting – Elizabeth Gaskell, Farmer?
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomWe're delighted to welcome guest speaker Jackie Tucker to our first Cross Street Chapel Manchester meeting in oooh... absolutely ages! We hope you'll be able to join us. In 1851 Elizabeth Gaskell wrote to Eliza Fox that she had ‘turned farmer’- a rather surprising remark for a novelist known for her writing on industrial life […]
Online Talk – Beyond Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frances E.W. Harper and Harriet Jacobs
Zoom online only, United KingdomJoin the team at Elizabeth Gaskell's House to celebrate Black History Month with the incredible duo that is Bonnets at Dawn. They’ll be stepping across the Pond to talk about American Abolitionist writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and her relationship with African-American authors Frances E.W. Harper and Harriet Jacobs. After the success […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth I
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, between October and April (except December). Bring your own packed lunch from 1pm and then enjoy a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions will be an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's […]
Lois the Witch and Other Tales
Zoom online only, United KingdomJoin the team at Elizabeth Gaskell's House online for a spine-tingling talk, perfect for Halloween! Elizabeth Gaskell definitely had a dark side and wrote a number of gothic and ghostly stories. 'Lois the Witch' is set against the backdrop of the Salem witch trials. Explore these terrifying tales in our spellbinding Halloween talk by Dr Diane […]
Manchester Meeting – The Adopted Child in 19th Century Literature
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomThis talk explores representations of adopted children in fiction by Jane Austen, Emily Brontë, Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens and George Eliot. Our guest speaker, Dr Karen Laird, is an adoptive mother and the author of The Art Of Adapting Victorian Literature, 1848-1920 (Routledge, 2019) Doors open at 1pm - tea/coffee available to purchase, and you are […]
Anne Brontë 200
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United Kingdom"A Fine and Subtle Spirit" - a bicentenary celebration in words and music A bicentenary celebration for Anne Brontë at Cross Street Chapel, Manchester. Postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic, this unique concert event features choral settings of Anne’s words, written specially for the occasion, as well as new poetry inspired by Anne’s life and example. Lucy […]
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman – Mary Wollstonecraft’s Influence on the Writings of Elizabeth Gaskell
Zoom online only, United KingdomBack by popular demand! This sell-out talk by Dr Diane Duffy explores the life and work of Mary Wollstonecraft, a pioneer of feminist thought in the UK, and her influence on Elizabeth Gaskell’s writing. Wollstonecraft is firmly back in public consciousness, due to the head-turning new statue in her honour, by artist Maggi Hambling. Join […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth II
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, between October and April (except December). Bring your own packed lunch from 1pm and then enjoy a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions are an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, […]
Victorian Women in Bed
Elizabeth Gaskell's House 84 Plymouth Grove,, Manchester, United KingdomA series of plays by Janet Goddard performed in person at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. ‘What is a bed for but to die in?’ asks angry, dead Emily Brontë. We snuggle down to participate in bed adventures with six bold women who decimate convention to be themselves. We question Emily’s analysis and love our bedbound women […]
Victorian Women in Bed – New show added
Elizabeth Gaskell's House 84 Plymouth Grove,, Manchester, United KingdomDue to popular demand, a third show has been added to the run A series of plays by Janet Goddard performed in person at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. ‘What is a bed for but to die in?’ asks angry, dead Emily Brontë. We snuggle down to participate in bed adventures with six bold women who decimate convention […]
Victorian Women in Bed
Elizabeth Gaskell's House 84 Plymouth Grove,, Manchester, United KingdomA series of plays by Janet Goddard performed in person at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. ‘What is a bed for but to die in?’ asks angry, dead Emily Brontë. We snuggle down to participate in bed adventures with six bold women who decimate convention to be themselves. We question Emily’s analysis and love our bedbound women […]
A Christmas Potpourri
onlineThe Friends of Elizabeth Gaskell's House have asked several enthusiasts to give short illustrated talks about their favourite objects in the House. So please sit back, with some suitably festive refreshments to hand, and enjoy. Tickets are £5.50, for more information and to book follow the link below.
Manchester Meeting – Elizabeth Gaskell’s Visits to Capesthorne Hall
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomIn the late 1840s and early 1850s Elizabeth Gaskell paid a number of visits to her friend Caroline Davenport at Capesthorne Hall, near Congleton, Cheshire. Capesthorne is a red-brick Georgian mansion, remodelled in the 1830s by the architect Edward Blore. Gaskell’s letters dwell on the architectural features of the building, particularly its ‘old’ hall and […]
Online Talk – Christmas Customs
Zoom online only, United KingdomBringing some festive cheer from Elizabeth Gaskell’s House to your home! Sit back with a mince pie and enjoy the Gaskell Society's Anthony Burton’s talk about seasonal customs from Christmases past. The Victorians rediscovered many traditional customs, from wassail bowls and yule logs to mummers and boar’s heads. Anthony explores this ‘re-invention of Christmas’ and […]
New Year Lunch, 2022
Cottons Hotel and Spa Manchester Road, Knutsford, United KingdomWe're thrilled to welcome our members and friends back for our wonderful New Year lunch, now a firm favourite in our society's calendar. Join us at the the Cottons Hotel, Knutsford for a three-course lunch, including coffee and after-lunch entertainment. Bookings must made, along with menu choices, by 7 January, 2022. Wednesday 19 January 2022, […]
Online Talk – Cranford Illustrators: which bits did they illustrate?
Zoom online only, United KingdomAs part of the Love Affair with Cranford exhibition at Elizabeth Gaskell's House, Anthony Burton returns with a new online talk exploring Cranford’s many illustrators. Surveying thirteen varied artists, he asks why they were attracted to illustrate certain aspects of Elizabeth Gaskell’s work. The cow in flannel pyjamas? Few artists tried this but many depicted Miss Matty burning […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth III
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, between October and April (except December). Bring your own packed lunch from 1pm and then enjoy a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions are an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, […]
Online Talk: North and South – An Introduction
Zoom online only, United KingdomWe are thrilled that Elizabeth Gaskell's House is celebrating North and South during 2022, with a special season of events and talks! The season opener is the Gaskell Society's Elizabeth Williams, with an introduction to this best-known and most-loved of Gaskell's novels. One of the first industrial novels to describe class strife, it follows heroine Margaret […]
Manchester Meeting – Three Lady Writers and Love
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomJoin us for a look at how Austen, Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell approach romantic love. Mr Rochester, Mr Darcy and Mr Thornton will all be mentioned! Elizabeth Williams is a retired English lecturer, Gaskell Society member and former Chair of The Gaskell Society. She is an excellent speaker and we're delighted to welcome her […]
Online Talk: A Tale of Two Houses – Lizzy Bennet and Margaret Hale
Zoom online only, United KingdomWe are thrilled that Elizabeth Gaskell's House is celebrating North and South during 2022, with a special season of events and talks! In this lively online event we take a closer look at two of literature’s best loved heroines – Lizzy Bennet (Pride & Prejudice) and Margaret Hale (North and South). Presented in partnership with the […]
Emmeline String Quartet
Elizabeth Gaskell's House 84 Plymouth Grove,, Manchester, United KingdomThe Friends of Elizabeth Gaskell's House are delighted to welcome their friends back to the House for a performance by the Emmeline String Quartet. The Quartet was formed in 2018 at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and focuses on works by women composers. Doors open at 6pm, performance 6 30-8 00pm. As an extra treat, […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth IV
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, between October and April (except December). Bring your own packed lunch from 1pm and then enjoy a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions will be an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's […]
Manchester Meeting – The Great Miss Lydia Becker: Suffragist, Scientist and Trailblazer
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomTo mark International Women's Day we welcome Joanna Williams, who'll be talking to us about her new biography of Lydia Becker. Fifty years before women were enfranchised, a legal loophole allowed a thousand women to vote in the general election of 1868. This surprising event occurred due to the single-minded dedication of Lydia Becker, unofficial, […]
Online Talk: North and South – The TV Adaptation
Zoom online only, United KingdomWe are thrilled that Elizabeth Gaskell's House is celebrating North and South during 2022, with a special season of events and talks! The BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic novel was a surprise instant hit with television audiences when it aired in 2004. A key part of its appeal was the performance of the two […]