Our blog post cover everything that happens at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House from the stories discovered about objects and furnishings, to family connections and past residents. You can read about the garden and the plants we grow as well as the volunteering experience we offer to our brilliant team. The majority of the posts are written by volunteers.
Sir Squirrel Knutsford
As he curled round himself in his drey in the roof of a warm block of flats on Plymouth Grove, Squirrel Knutsford felt he lived a good life. Outside it was cold and snow still lay on the ground. But in his
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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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To Buy or not to Buy that is the Question
Volunteers at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House are often asked if Elizabeth ever bought 84 Plymouth Grove. The answer is definitely no, but her daughters, Meta and Julia, did purchase the property in 1900, many years after both their parents had died. So let
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Meet the Neighbours
After moving into a new house, it is always useful to know your neighbours. I am sure Elizabeth would have already known many of her new neighbours in Plymouth Grove as they were mainly Manchester merchants, manufacturers and local dignitaries, some possibly
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