Blogs & News

: Online Talk: Halloween – Elizabeth Gaskell’s Gothic Tales

*This event is now sold out*   Join us online for a spine-tingling talk, just in time for Halloween! Elizabeth Gaskell delighted in writing gothic tales and ghost stories. Explore these terrifying tales in our spellbinding Halloween talk by Dr Diane Duffy. Tickets are £3.     ** Ticket sales will cease one day before the event starts, in order to give us time to send out joining instructions** **Joining instructions will be sent via email on the

: Sylvia’s Lovers on Radio 4 Extra

Two part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Sylvia's Lovers - available for 30 Days. Each episode is 1 hour. Click on the link below. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b073mh6k    

: Florence Nightingale – Behind the Legend. A Friends’ Event.

Discover the person behind the legend. Florence Nightingale was a gifted and complex woman who became a legend in her own lifetime. This illustrated talk will attempt to portray and explain her background, her motives and her struggle to lead an independent life, her rise to fame as “the lady with the lamp” and her success in public health reforms. Elizabeth Gaskell was a friend of Florence’s sister, Parthenope, who painted the picture of Florence that we have

: Online Talk: Mary Barton’s Manchester

**** Sorry this event has now sold out *****   Join us online to discover the 1840s Manchester of Elizabeth Gaskell's first novel, Mary Barton. Back by popular demand, Dr Diane Duffy will lead you on a literary journey of discovery of the places, buildings and landmarks of the city as featured in the book, with extracts from the text to map the way. This fascinating talk will interest anyone who wants to find out more about historical Manchester

: Talk – The Travels of Cranford – cancelled

**** Sorry this volunteer talk has been cancelled***   Join us for a talk on the fascinating history of this first edition copy of Cranford - a signed copy once gifted by Elizabeth Gaskell to a friend, and which now has been returned to her Manchester home after more than 110 years. Purchased by the Gaskell Society, this signed first edition is now on display in the author’s House, alongside the fascinating story of the book's four owners. The book's two