The Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is a historical museum showcasing the life and literature of the famous writer Elizabeth Gaskell and providing a glimpse into the Victorian lifestyle. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) was born in London. Not long after, her mother died, and she spent much of her childhood with her aunt in Knutsford, Cheshire, the town she later immortalized as the fictional town Cranford. Gaskell received education in arts, the classics, and decorum and was encouraged by her aunt to read and develop her natural gift of writing. In 1832, at 22, she married Unitarian minister William Gaskell, and the couple settled in Manchester. At the time, the city was at the center of industrialization, political changes, and radical activities, which influenced Gaskell’s writings. In 1837, she published her first work, a cycle of poems she co-authored with her husband, titled Sketches among the Poor. In 1845, following the death of her infant son, she began writing her first novel, Mary Barton, published in 1848. She soon became a successful author, known mainly for her ghost stories. Two years later, Gaskell and her family moved to 84 Plymouth Grove, where she lived until she passed away. In this house, she gathered a social circle that included notable people such as Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Darwin, and Florence Nightingale. Here, Gaskell wrote most of her famous works, including Cranford, Ruth, North and South, and the biography of Charlotte Bronte. Throughout her life, she published 8 novels, 8 novellas, 5 biographies and non-fiction, 2 poetry collections, and dozens of short stories. The Gaskell Society restored the 19th-century house and opened it as a museum on October 5th, 2014. A visit to the house will introduce you to the world of Gaskell and her family through the Victorian-style garden and historic period rooms such as the Study, the Drawing Room, the Tea Room, the Dining Room, the Servants’ Hall, and her Bedroom. Several objects of Gaskell’s belonging are on display, including miniatures, her wedding veil, and Paisley shawls. Though only some of the furnishings are original to the house, all of them are from that ear. In addition, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House organizes online talks, Summer Fun activities in the garden, and Second-hand book sales. Close by Elizabeth Gaskell’s House are Pankhurst Centre, the Whitworth Museum, the Victoria Baths, the Manchester Museum, and the Monastery Manchester. Read more...

The Monk’s house was the home of Virginia Woolf, one of the most prominent writers of the 20th century. Woolf and her husband, the journalist and socialist activist Leonard Woolf, bought the 16th-century cottage in 1919 for 700 pounds. Over the years, the couple made many changes and additions to the house, including the writing lodge – Woolf’s “Room of Her Own.” In that same lodge, she hosted members of the Bloomsbury Group and wrote many of her novels, including Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, The Years, and her final novel, Between the Acts, which she wrote with the inspiration she got from the village of Rodmell and the ways of lives of its residences. Currently, the National Trust owns and operates the house as a historic house and museum. The visitors can access the sitting room, kitchen, dining room, and bedroom. Among the items on display are the couple’s art collection and personal items, such as her complete collection of Shakespeare books, her Stephen Tomlin bust, and many artworks by Woolf’s sister, Vanessa Bell, including Woolf’s portrait and the painted matching table and chairs. On the way to Woolf’s writing lodge, visitors can stroll the English garden designed and nurtured by Leonard. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was born in London into a wealthy family. She attended the Ladies’ Department of King’s College London, where she became familiarized with feminist views that influenced her. During that time, Woolf became part of the Bloomsbury group, a weekly gathering of intellectuals and artists. After experiencing several personal losses, she turned to writing as a therapeutic source. Woolf experimented with her writing, breaking the norms of Victorian literature structure and creating new forms of expressions and narrative methods, today known as stream of consciousness. At 30, she married Leonard Woolf, and three years later, she published her first novel, The Voyage Out. In 1919, the Woolfs moved to the village of Rodmell in East Sussex and wrote most of her work, including the groundbreaking essay A Room of One’s Own. Over the years, she published eight novels, hundreds of short stories, dramas, essays, and autobiographic memoirs. Throughout her life, she struggled with her mental health, had numerous breakdowns, and tried to commit suicide several times. On March 28th, 1941, at 51, she filled her coat pockets with stones, walked into the river behind Monk’s House, and drowned herself. Consider visiting other historical sites in East Sussex, such as Anne of Cleves House in Lewes, the 4th century Pevensey Castle in Pevensey, the Royal Pavilion of King George IV in Brighton, and the medieval Bodiam Castle near Robertsbridge. Read more...

Resided inside St Thomas’ Hospital, where she established her nursing school in 1860, the Florence Nightingale Museum celebrates and honors the life and work of the founder of modern nursing. The Florence Nightingale Museum Trust opened the museum in 1989 and has been running it since. Through three pavilions, the museum follows Nightingale’s life, from her aristocratic upbringing, her journey to becoming a nurse, her work during the Crimean War, and her campaigns for better healthcare and improving the practices and reputation of nursing. The collection holds many of Nightingale’s personal items, including her pet owl, the medicine chest she took to Crimea, and the iconic lamp which earned her the nickname “The Lady With The Lamp”. There are also artifacts related to nursing history, such as a Register of Nurses that lists women who served under Nightingale in the military hospital in Crimea. The museum archives preserve approximately 800 letters Nightingale wrote and a rare book collection. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was born in an upper-class family. She was a compassionate child and supported the poor and the ill in the nearby village. At 30, she went to study nursing in Germany, and on her return, she took a job as a nurse at a hospital in London; within a year, she got promoted to head of nursing. During the Crimean War, the British Army recruited her to reorganize and operate the hospital in Scutari. There, she supervised the nurses, attended to the wounded soldiers, and improved the hygiene and sanitation conditions. She promoted the importance of mental health to recovery, so at night she walked the wards, holding her lamp and keeping company with her patients. After only six months, she reduced the hospital’s mortality rate from 42% to 2%. She returned to England as a hero and received a medal and a grant from Queen Victoria. She used the funds to establish the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas’ Hospital. In this hospital, she redefined the nursing profession, modernized its working methods, and introduced it as a respectable job for women. She also campaigned for healthcare reforms and assisted in establishing other health facilities and programs, including the midwives’ school at King’s College Hospital and the district nursing training program for improving home health care for the poor. Outside St Thomas’ Hospital stands the statue of Mary Seacole, a pioneer nurse and businesswoman who served as an independent nurse during the Crimean War. Upon its dedication in June 2016, it was the first statue of a black woman ever erected in the UK. A statue of Nightingale is located just across the Thames in Waterloo Place. Nearby worth vising sites include Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, and the Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens. Read more...

Resides in the original house of the Canadian heroine Laura Secord, Laura Secord Homestead is a historical museum that showcases the life, legacy, and bravery of Secord and provides a glimpse into the past. Laura Secord (1775-1868) was born in the colonial Province of Massachusetts Bay. In 1795, her family and other Loyalist refugees relocated to Queenston in Canada. There, she met and married James Secord and raised her seven children. During the War of 1812, in June 1813, the Americans occupied Fort George, Queenston, and the Niagara area. On June 21st, 1813, Secord overheard the American plan a surprise attack on the British troops at Beaver Dams. She left her homestead in Queenston for a 20 miles (32 km) walk to the British headquarters in Decew House, Thorold Township, to warn Lieutenant James FitzGibbon of the coming attack. Due to her intel, the British and their Mohawk allies were well prepared; they defeated the Americans and stopped them from entering Canada. Her bravery story only got recognized when she was 85 years old, in 1860, when the Prince of Wales visited Niagara Falls; he heard about her contribution to the victory in Beaver Dams and awarded her £100 for her service. She passed away at 93 years of age and was buried in the Drummondville Cemetery in Niagara Falls, next to her husband. In 1910, a monument that stands a 10-minute walk from the homestead was erected in her honor. She was named a ‘Person of National Historic Significance’ in 2003 and was honored with a statue at the Valiants Memorial in Ottawa (dedicated in 2006). The Laura Secord Candy Company restored the house and donated its original furniture in 1971. In 1998 they gifted it to Niagara Parks, and The Niagara Parks Commission has been managing it. A visit to the house with costumed interpreters will transport you back to the days that Laura, her husband, James, and their youngest child lived there (1803-1835). In addition to hearing about her life, you will hear about life in Canada during this era. Also at the museum are refreshments, ice cream, Laura Secord chocolates, and a selection of quality souvenirs. Special events such as desserts and crafts workshops take place occasionally. Do not miss the Laura Secord Walk that takes place annually in June. Read more...

A visit to the Bala’s Museum will take you back to Canada in the 1920s. The museum focuses on the famous Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery and her books but also showcases historical artifacts from the Muskoka region. The story behind the establishment of the museum started in 1990 when Linda and Jack Hutton honeymooned on Prince Eduard Island following Linda’s wish to visit the place where Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables. There, they learned that Lucy Maud Montgomery spent her two-week holiday in Bala during the summer of 1922. Not only did Montgomery loved it, but she was also inspired to set there the only novel she set outside Prince Eduard Island, The Blue Castle in Muskoka. When they discovered that the Tree Lawn Tourist Home, where Montgomery ate her meals during her vacation, stands for sale, they bought it. After extensive restoration, on July 24th, 1992, the museum was opened. Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) set almost all of her books at Prince Eduard Island, where she grew up and lived most of her life. Her first novel Anne of Green Gables (published in 1908), became an immediate bestseller and brought her worldwide fame. It was adapted to any possible media type and translated into more than 36 languages. During her lifetime, she became one of the most popular authors in the world and published 20 novels, 500 poems, 530 short stories, and 30 essays. Montgomery’s books have created a travel industry, bringing local and foreign tourists to follow her landmarks across Canada, visiting the sets of the books and other locations related to her in Prince Eduard Island and Ontario, such as this museum. The Bala’s Museum showcases vintage furniture from the 1920s, unique copies of Montgomery’s books from different editions and different languages, dioramas from the novel Anne of Green Gables, the world’s biggest Anne of Green Gables dollhouse, and personal items of Montgomery, including a silver tea set gifted for her 1911 wedding, her correspondence basket, and excerpts from her diary during her visit to Bala. Kids can explore the museum wearing costumes, play in Anne’s school room, enjoy Anne’s tea party with Diana, and host Anne of Green Gable’s birthday party. While at the museum, make sure not to miss a visit to the gift shop that carries a vast collection of Anne’s souvenirs and Montgomery’s books. Read more...

The Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon used to be the summer house of the famous crime novelist Agatha Christie (1890-1976) and the place she called “the loveliest place in the world!” It is a historic Georgian house that resides by the River Dart, surrounded by beautiful and romantic gardens. Christie purchased it with her second husband, Max Mallowan, as a holiday home in 1938, and the family had spent many of their summers and holidays there. Here she wrote several of her novels and got the inspiration for four crime fiction novels – The ABC Murders (1936), Five Little Pigs (1942), Towards Zero (1944), and Dead Man’s Folly (1956). The latter was adapted into a movie filmed in Greenway and its boathouse (where the murder scene occurred). Christie selected all the items in the house, including the furniture, decorations, sentimental items she brought from her childhood home, and unique items from her travels worldwide and her husband’s Middle Eastern excavations. In 2000, the family gifted the Greenway estate to the National Trust. Soon after, the gardens got opened to the public without access to the house since her daughter and son-in-law, Rosalind and Anthony Hicks, occupied it. When they passed away in 2005, Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, gifted the house and its contents to the National Trust. After a massive restoration project, Greenway House was opened to the public in February 2009. The house got organized as it was in 1950, presenting personal items, art collections, books, photographs, and portraits in the different rooms, including the Morning Room, the Drawing Room, the Kitchens, and the library. It allows the visitors to get a pick into the author’s life and her family’s as they explore the house and the feeling they are about to enter at any time. Also on Greenway is a second-hand book shop, a gift shop with lots of themed souvenirs, and the Greenway House tea rooms. Do not miss strolling the gardens, the view at the battery point, and the visit to the famous boathouse. Among the annual special events held in Greenway are the Greenway Literary Festival in June, the International Agatha Christie Festival on Christie’s birthday on September 15th, and the Autumn Tea Festival. 13 km north of Greenway lays Torquay, a beautiful town on the English Riviera and the hometown of Agatha Christie. A self-guided walking tour along Torquay’s seafront follows many of Christie’s landmarks and memories as part of the Agatha Christie Mile – a celebration of Christie’s legacy. Read more...

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was a Canadian author who wrote the famous book Anne of Green Gables, inspired by the places and people from her life on Prince Eduard Island (PEI). Montgomery lived in PEI with her grandparents since she was nearly two years old until they passed away, and she married Ewen Macdonald, a Presbyterian minister, in 1911. Since she was a child, she wrote poems and short stories, publishing them in local newspapers and magazines. In 1908, she published her first novel, Anne of Green Gables, featuring the orphan Anne Shirley, adopted by the elderly siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert and come to live on their farm on PEI. The novel describes Anne’s life with the Cuthberts, within the community, in school, and with her friends. It became a phenomenal success and made Montgomery and Canada’s smallest province worldwide famous. Montgomery published 20 novels, 500 poems, 530 short stories, and 30 essays during her lifetime. In 1942, she passed away and was buried in Cavendish Cemetery. The Anne of Green Gables Museum resides in a historic farmhouse built in 1872 by the Author’s Aunt Annie and Uncle John Campbell. Montgomery wrote about her memories of this house and its surrounding in her novels, and the museum displays them. The collection includes Montgomery’s memorabilia, photographs, personal items, and artifacts that appeared in her books, such as Anne’s Enchanted Bookcase, Crazy Patchwork Quilt, and the Blue Chest from The Story Girl. Do not miss a visit to the Campbells Pond, which Montgomery referred to as the Lake of Shining Waters. Also in the museum is a large gift shop with many Anne’s related souvenirs and an option to enjoy a scenic ride with Matthew on Matthew’s Carriage Rides. The Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery Literary Tour is a self-guided tour with 16 locations related to Montgomery on the island, including this museum. There are also stops at Montgomery Park, where her sculpture resides, the Confederation Centre of the Arts, where the Anne of Green Gables – The Musical is presented, the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island, and many more. Read more...

The Agatha Christie Gallery at Torquay Museum, located in the hometown of the prominent novelist, hosts the only permanent exhibition in the UK dedicated solely to the Queen of Mystery. Since 1990, the museum had various changing exhibitions commemorating Christie’s life and work; over time, the collection expanded to contain more than 700 items, and the exhibit became permanent. The exhibit follows her life narrative, from her childhood in Torquay to her later years in Winterbrook. It includes information panels, photographs, and personal artifacts, such as clothes, handwritten notes, and first editions of her novels. The gallery also preserves memorabilia from the TV show Agatha Christie’s Poirot, donated by ITV Studios, Acorn Productions Ltd, HarperCollins Ltd, and David Suchet, who played the mustached detective. This part of the exhibition includes furniture, pictures, books, the fireplace from Poirot’s apartment, and his signature swan cane. As part of the annual International Agatha Christie Festival, the gallery offers various events, such as talks and film screenings. This gallery is one of the stops on the Agatha Christie Mile, a self-guided walking tour of Torquay that explores many of Christie’s landmarks. It includes her statue, the honeymoon site at the Grand Hotel, her roller-skating spot at Princess Pier, the strand from many of her novels, and the Agatha Christie bust on Palk Street. A 30-minute drive south will take you to Greenway house and garden, the summer house of Christie and her family. Nowadays is a museum that provides a glimpse into her life in her home and the surroundings she loved. Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was born in Torquay, England. At five, she self-learned to read, and five years later, she wrote her first poem. As a young female author, her works got rejected by publishers. Only in 1920 did she publish her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. It was the first appearance of her most famous character, Hercule Poirot, who later appeared in 25 more books and numerous short stories. Her experiences and world travel influenced Her writing. During her life, she published 74 novels (66 of them are thrillers), 14 short-stories collections, and 19 plays. Her books were translated into over 100 languages, and many of them got adapted into films, TV series, and stage plays. Read more...

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was a Canadian writer best known for her Anne of Green Gables novel series. Montgomery was born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, and at 21 months old, she went to live with her grandparents in Cavendish. At nine, she began to write, and by 16, she had published her first poem. In the following decades, she regularly published short stories in various magazines and newspapers. In 1908, 34 years old Montgomery published her first novel, Anne of Green Gables, which became her most known work. Three years later, she married Ewen Macdonald, and the newlyweds moved to the town of Leaskdale, Ontario (today part of Uxbridge), where her husband served as the minister of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. In the 15 years, she had lived in Leaskdale, Montgomery had three children and wrote 11 of her 22 novels, including the Rainbow Valley, the 7th book in the Anne of Green Gables series, that was inspired by her life and experiences in Leaskdale. Montgomery continued publishing 500 poems, 530 short stories, 30 essays, and 20 novels. The Leaskdale Manse, a two-story yellow brick house, was built in 1886 as the residence for the pastor of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. In 1965, the house was designated as an Ontario Historic Site, and a plaque was placed outside. In 1992, the Township of Uxbridge purchased the property, and two years later, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Since 2010, the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario has been operating the site as a historic house museum, preserving and sharing Montgomery’s story, heritage, and achievements. The house was renovated and preserved; on display are original furnishings, artifacts, and letters from Montgomery’s time. The Leaskdale Manse hosts annual events such as historical tours, Summer Luncheon Teas, plays, and concerts. Across the street is the Historic Leaskdale Church, the former St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. On display in the lower level are Montgomery’s journals, photographs, an exhibit about her life in Leaskdale, and miniature houses used for the production of the show Road to Avonlea. In the church garden stands a bronze statue of her, sitting on a bench. Read more...

In 2017, two of Nellie McClung’s homes were relocated to Manitou, Manitoba, and opened to the public. The Nellie McClung Heritage Site celebrates the life, achievements, and legacy of the legislator, social reformer, and women’s rights activist Nellie Letitia McClung in the same location she started her adult life. Nellie Letitia McClung (1873-1951) was 16 years old when she arrived in 1890 to work as a teacher at the Hazel school near Manitou and boarded with the Hasselfield family. Hazel Cottage is one of two houses on the Nellie McClung Heritage Site. Two years later, she started teaching at Manitou school and boarded with the family of a Methodist minister. The minister’s wife, Annie E. McClung, was a women’s suffrage supporter and the provincial president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU); she inspired and influenced McClung to become an active member of the organization. In 1896, she married the family’s second son, Wesley, and they moved to the McClung House in 1899. In this house, they raised four of their five children; she wrote two of her 16 books and became a prominent leader in the Canadian suffrage movement and women’s right to vote. In 1911, the family moved to Winnipeg, and McClung continued her suffrage work. In 1916, following the campaign McClung led, Manitoba became the first province in Canada to grant women the vote. Her most famous achievement happened in 1929 when she, as one of the Famous Five, won the Person Case that qualified women as persons and allowed them to serve in the Canadian Senate. During the spring and summer, the Hazel Cottage and McClung House were renovated and restored to the time when McClung and her family lived there. On display are 19th-century artifacts and memorabilia related to McClung and her family and an exhibition of historic wedding gowns and dresses. Read more...