Read more about the stories and people behind the objects and furnishings in our collection at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.
Behind Closed Doors
We are pleased to report that, despite another lockdown, our restoration of Elizabeth’s bedroom has been gathering pace behind the scenes and we have now acquired many of the items of furniture on our shopping list. We know the original four-poster bed
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Needle in a Haystack?
An intriguing entry in the Sale Catalogue of items auctioned from Elizabeth Gaskell’s House back in 1914 says “Presentation Copy from Rev W. Gaskell to Mrs Gaskell, 22nd Nov. 1852”. This inscription was inside an edition of Alfred Tennyson’s Ode on the
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And We’ve Got a House. Yes! We really have.’
So writes Elizabeth in April 1850 about 42 Plymouth Grove, the house that was to become the Gaskells' family home for the next 63 years. Over the years, our visitors have shown a great deal of interest in this building and the
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A Room of His Own
While re-reading Carolyn Lambert’s book The Meaning of Home in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Fiction (2013), I noticed a sentence that had previously escaped my attention which began: ‘William had bookshelves built to his own design’ (p. 34). As you can imagine I was
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Dressing to Impress – Elizabeth and Lace
Lace has historically been associated with dressing to impress as it was an expensive commodity. It was originally made by hand: point lace was made using needles while bobbin lace or pillow lace was, as the name suggests, made on a pillow
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