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Elizabeth Gaskell’s House to receive £33,000 from second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, which will support the House as it prepares to reopen to public on 19 May.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House has received a grant of £33,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.

Nearly £400 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Elizabeth Gaskell’s House in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

This award will help support overheads and staff salaries ahead of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House’s planned reopening to the public on Wednesday 19 May. The reopening will also include the newly restored bedroom and a brand new exhibition, A Love Affair with Cranford, which have been developed and worked on during the last year.

Over £800 million in grants and loans have already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

This brings the Government’s total investment across grants, capital and repayable finance from the Culture Recovery Fund so far to more than £1.2 billion across over 5,000 individual cultural and heritage organisations and sites.

The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead. 

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:

“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.

Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.”

Frank Galvin, Chair of Trustees at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, said:

‘We are very grateful for the support provided by the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage which will enable us to continue to develop and offer both our online programme of events and to reopen safely to the public and for weddings from 19 May.

Our dedicated staff and volunteers have risen to the challenge over the past few months by providing innovative and inclusive online talks and tours. This latest Government support is much appreciated and will help to sustain us through the next few months.’

Ros Kerslake, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

‘Spring is definitely here, bringing not only sunshine, but that sense of optimism and hope for the future. We are all looking forward to heritage places and other visitor attractions reopening, and I am very pleased that we have been able to support DCMS in delivering this vital funding to ensure the UK’s heritage sector can rebuild and thrive, boosting local economies, creating jobs and supporting personal wellbeing.‘

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said:

‘The value of our heritage sites and the people who run them has been amply  demonstrated, as they have provided an anchor for so many of us through the dark days of the last year. Vital grants from the Culture Recovery Fund have helped them survive and will now help them recover, as the places we all cherish start to reopen in the months ahead.‘

The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England as well as the British Film Institute and Arts Council England 

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A selection of images can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2ug91pk3u3piub2/AABIFVqbIO4ytEvF61WG6opVa?dl=0

About Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is a Grade II* listed property that was built around 1835-1841 and is a rare surviving example of a suburban villa.  The Manchester author lived in the House with her family from 1850 until her death in 1865.  Her two daughters lived at the House until 1913.   

The Manchester Historic Buildings Trust was established in 1998 with the primary aim of saving Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.  The House opened to the public in October 2014 with support and funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund and other charitable trusts.

In 2019 Elizabeth Gaskell’s House Volunteer Team were presented with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund 

Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.  Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund   

About Historic England

We are Historic England, the public body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment, from beaches and battlefields to parks and pie shops. We protect, champion and save the places that define who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. We care passionately about the stories they tell, the ideas they represent and the people who live, work and play among them. Working with communities and specialists we share our passion, knowledge and skills to inspire interest, care and conservation, so everyone can keep enjoying and looking after the history that surrounds us all.