Hollyhocks – A Personal Story
I love hollyhocks. For me they are the quintessential English summer garden flower. They tower over me, up to 3 metres tall, in a range of colours, from deep maroon almost black, through reds and purples to pink and cream. They look
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Book parcel adventures…
On 29 June 1859, Elizabeth Gaskell is on holiday in Scotland at Mr Turnbull's, Auchencairn, By ( ie 22 miles off), Dumfries. She has received a very welcome parcel from George Smith, her publisher, and writes to him: 'You never no, never
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The Charm of Cataloguing
Having been given the privilege to catalogue pieces stored in the attic of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, many items caught my attention. These items have all been donated to the House and, although not originally owned by the family, they are all items
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Women Writers of Manchester: Alison Uttley 1884 – 1976
Some time ago, friend and fellow volunteer Lesley began a series of blogs about women writers of Manchester, of whom there are many, past and present. Some were Manchester born and bred: see Frances Hodgson Burnett, Dodie Smith and Mrs G Linnaeus
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What’s in the attic? Pope Joan
Currently a small group of volunteers lead by Katy (the House Assistant) are listing the items in the attic as part of the work being undertaken to reach the standards required for museum accreditation. I recently came across a circular board with
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