Blogs & News

: Online Talk: Valentine’s Day – Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell

‘Reader, I married him.’ Celebrate Valentine's Day with a closer look at classic romances from your favourite authors. Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell created some of the best-loved heroes ever to grace page or screen with Pride and Prejudice’s Mr Darcy, Jane Eyre’s Mr Rochester and, of course, North and South’s smouldering Mr Thornton. Now popular speaker Elizabeth Williams is back with a new talk celebrating how these very different writers tackled love and romance in

: Online Talk: At Home with Elizabeth Gaskell

’of all the weary, killing wearing out bustles in this life that of the last week passed all belief’. Elizabeth Gaskell to her friend Eliza Fox, 1852 As part of the 10 year anniversary celebrations of the opening of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, we’re celebrating the home life of this incredible writer. Elizabeth Gaskell was a modern woman in many ways. She managed a hugely successful writing career, was a hands-on mother to four girls and supported her husband’s

: Online Talk: Redemption through Divine Motherhood in Ruth – Religion in Victorian Literature

In a world that wasn’t built for women, we take a radical new look at religion and redemption in Victorian literature. Starting with Elizabeth Gaskell’s groundbreaking novel Ruth, this online talk reveals the revisionary use of Christian imagery and themes found in the scandalous story of a teenage mother. Then we take a look at similar ideas of 'God as a mother' in a range of authors from popular favourites like Charlottë Bronte and Harriet Beecher Stowe to

: Online Talk: North and South – Fashion in the TV Classic and Novel

Join Curator Elinor Camille-Wood as she takes you on fabulous fashion journey through the novel and tv adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic North and South. Discover what characters like Margaret Hale would have worn in the 1850s from large skirts to beautiful bonnets in an age of clothing colour and luxury. Find out about the popular female silhouette, the latest hairstyles and the stunning new colour dyes that transformed fashion. The talk will include a discussion about the

: Online Talk: Writing Home – Elizabeth Gaskell

“Oh, I can't describe my home. It is home, and I can't put its charm into words” Margaret Hale, North and South, 1855 From October 2024 to September 2025 Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of opening the public and will be exploring themes of house and home through a season of online events. The stereotype of the Victorian home is a place of domestic bliss with an angelic woman caring for her devoted family. So,