48. A Year in the Life of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Posted
3rd October 2025
in 10 year Anniversary, blog, Blogs & News, Gaskell House Blogs
29 September – 3 October 2025
Well I’ve done it! I’ve documented the 10th anniversary year at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House in 48 weekly blogs (omitting a few weeks for holidays and Christmas) covering the challenges and fun we’ve had along the way. And so it will be our official 11-year anniversary this coming Sunday!
It is a cliche to say that it’s gone so fast, but when I think back to everything that’s happened in that time, I also feel like we’ve crammed in three years’ worth of activity, challenges, tears and laughs! It makes me feel a mix of pride, exasperation and happy-exhausted (if that is even a word?).
But there’s no time to navel gaze, there’s still a financial deficit to defeat (I wonder if this will ever not be the case). I pressed go on another funding application on Friday, and will be working on a new, and dare I say it exciting, National Lottery Heritage Fund Application from next week with a view to submitting it by Christmas. There remains a constant challenge of making sure we enough staff in on the days we need staff (though we are small we are mighty) and enough volunteers in when we need them (this coming Sunday being a case in point). BUT on a plus side I’ve got to work with the most wonderfully interesting, diverse, enthusiastic and fascinating people over the past year and will continue to do so. I would never know so many different people if it wasn’t for this job, our volunteers and the projects we do and I’m continually thankful for that variety.
The responsibility of looking after a Grade II* listed building and keeping everyone who visits or works in the building safe and happy is at time overwhelming and never-ending. Just as the annual PAT testing is done and the paths pressured-washed to ensure no-one slips (both things happened this week), then the fire safety procedures have to be reviewed (job for next month) and the gates need fixing (also a job that was done this week.) In larger organisations these jobs might be done by a buildings manager or facilities team, but when it’s a small independent museum like ours then these things are very immediate and have to compete with everything else on the to-do list.
I have in the large tried to be positive and professional on the blog, but I will admit there’s also a lot of challenging ( and dare I say toxic) events that have happened over the last 12 months that I haven’t wanted to write about. But they are also always going to be part of the ‘joys’ of the job and when we think we solve one issue, another rears its head. Still, it is so nice to hear from other museum professionals when they share their own challenges (off-line) to find that we are not alone and often they have it much worse.
There will at least be one less job on the list next week and that will be writing this blog on a Friday!
Here’s to another 10 years (and more) of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.
Sally Jastrzebski-Lloyd, Director of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
