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.
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