Blogs & News

: Sunday talk: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Join Dr Diane Duffy for a lunch-time talk on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in this bicentennial anniversary year of the book's first publication. This classic novel has captured the imagination of generations with its terrifying story of a creature brought to life by man. Learn how the book - one of the first books of science fiction - explores the ethics of science, a topic that

: Time Travellers and the Crystal Dome – Stories from the Portico

The Portico Library and Seven Arches Publishing are launching their second edition of the Time Travellers and the Crystal Dome - Stories from the Portico at Elizabeth Gaskell's House on Sunday 30 September 2018 at 1.30 – 4.00 pm. Readings by Alison Padley-Woods (short-listed author for The Times Chicken House prize) and by children whose winning writing is published in the 2018 edition of ‘ Time Travellers and the Crystal Dome - Stories from the Portico’. There will

: Nell Stevens: Mrs Gaskell & Me

In Mrs Gaskell & Me, author and scholar Nell Stevens (Bleaker House) blends memoir and fiction to explore her life alongside that of Manchester’s own Elizabeth Gaskell. In 1857, following the controversial publication of The Life of Charlotte Brontë, Gaskell flees to Rome, where she meets Charles Norton, a lifelong friend and the love of her life. In 2013, Nell falls in love with Max, a man who lives in Paris and then Boston. As they attempt to

: Annie Swynnerton, Painting Light and Hope – exhibition curator talk.

Painting Light and Hope is the first retrospective exhibition of Annie Swynnerton’s work for many years currently at Manchester City Art Gallery and features 36 paintings from across her career. Rebecca Milner, who is the Gallery’s Curator for Fine Art, will talk about Annie Swynnerton and the Exhibition, at Elizabeth Gaskell's House and there will be an opportunity to hear about other portraits in the House. Annie Swynnerton was born in 1844 in Hulme. She trained at the

: Author Talk: Tessa Boase -‘Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather’

Join author Tessa Boase for an illustrated talk about the pioneering female founders of the RSPB – including rare images, a cast of invincible characters, and a surprising political secret. Tessa will be giving a free talk at the House, and signing copies of her book about these redoubtable women, including Manchester's very own female fighters for justice -  suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst and Didsbury's Emily Williamson, who began a whole new women's campaign.   THE WOMEN WHO