Blogs & News

: Temporary Exhibition: I’ve Never Read Elizabeth Gaskell

Early in 2025 Elizabeth Gaskell's House announced its inaugural writers residency funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to celebrate the House's 10 year anniversary of opening to the public. Three young writers (all aged under 30) were invited to spend time immersing themselves in Elizabeth’s world and responding to her legacy in their words. Georgia Affonso, Princess Arinola Adegbite and Guruleen Kahlo who are all connected to Manchester through their life, education and creative work, sought to explore not only Elizabeth Gaskell

: Online Event: International Women’s Day – Breaking Boundaries

Join our three literary houses in an evening to celebrate women writers who broke boundaries as we mark International Women’s Day. Step into the worlds of novelists Anne Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell, and their feminist predecessors Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Robinson. Celebrate how these four writers shook the world and broke the contemporary social constraints on women. Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary Long remembered only for her relationship with the Prince of Wales, Mary Robinson has been reclaimed as one

: Online Course: A Man’s World – Lovers – John Thornton and Mr Rochester

**Please note this is a repeat of the previously sold-out February workshop** What do Victorian novelists have to say about men as fathers, lovers, activists, wealth creators – and kings? In this new course led by Dr Sherry Ashworth, we will start by looking at Elizabeth Gaskell’s John Barton in Mary Barton (father) and then move onto John Thornton in North and South together with Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (lovers). Then we will explore George

: 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 Course: A Man’s World – Kings – The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling

What do Victorian novelists like Rudyard Kipling have to say about men as fathers, lovers, activists, wealth creators – and kings? In this new course led by Dr Sherry Ashworth, we will be looking at Elizabeth Gaskell’s John Barton in Mary Barton (father), John Thornton in North and South together with Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (lovers), George Eliot’s Felix Holt in Felix Holt, the Radical (activist and lover), Jabez Clegg in Isabella Banks’ A Manchester Man (wealth creator) and finally the heroes of The Man