News

Funding News

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is to receive funding from The Pilgrim Trust to carry out urgent repairs to the interior and exterior of the Grade II* listed building.

A recent building condition report highlighted urgent work was needed to repair the guttering and to re-lay the stair carpet in the main hallway that had become threadbare in places.

Following an application, The Pilgrim Trust has awarded the House £13,000 to cover the cost of the work which will take place during 2026.

The work to repair the stair carpet took place in early January, and made use of traditional carpet fitting techniques that saw the existing carpet lifted and re-fitted with new underlay, using hand-stitching methods.

The historic stair carpet was specially woven on Jacquard Looms which were popular in the 1850s. Today, there are only a few manufacturers with the skills and equipment to make them. It was originally made for the House when it was restored and opened to the public in 2014 with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The practice of uplifting and repairing carpets like this would have been something that, as a middle-class Victorian woman, Elizabeth Gaskell would have been very familiar with, and it will extend the life of the carpet by another 10 years at least.

The grant will also cover the costs of gutter encapsulation work to the entire building, which will reduce the risk of future leaks and damp, and will take place later in the year.

Sally Jastrzebski-Lloyd, Director – ‘All the staff, trustees and volunteers are extremely grateful to The Pilgrim Trust for their support. The independent charity that owns the House could not have funded this work from reserves without putting the financial stability of the organisation at risk. This grant has given us security that the building is in good shape for the foreseeable future.’

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Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is open every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 11am. Booking is essential via the website.

The Pilgrim Trust is an independent charitable trust which gives around £3 million each year in grants to charities and other public bodies that focus on preserving the UK’s heritage or on bringing about social change. The Trust aims to improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and preserve the best of our past for the public to enjoy.