Support Us

Donate to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and help us preserve and celebrate the heritage of Elizabeth Gaskell and her house.

Why you should choose to support Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

Thanks to the support of our funders and donors, Manchester Historic Buildings Trust has beautifully and sympathetically restored Elizabeth Gaskell’s Manchester home following years of neglect. Elizabeth Gaskell is one of the UK’s most celebrated Victorian authors and her novels are part of the country’s proud literary heritage.

Our vision is to ensure Elizabeth Gaskell’s House continues to give pleasure, inspiration and a place to learn for generations yet to come. We believe in preserving one of Manchester’s most significant historic buildings and celebrating one of the city’s most prominent literary alumni. We plan to continue to develop, conserve and manage the House and its programme so we can provide more opportunities for people to learn and participate in the heritage associated with this historic building and Elizabeth Gaskell and her family.

However we need your support. In order for our unique historic house to remain open to the public we rely on the support of our enthusiastic volunteers, donations from members of the public and the Friends of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.

By donating to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House you can help us fulfil our ambition to restore the House as fully as possible to its condition when Elizabeth and her family were in residence.

Like many historic buildings and museums, we have been hit hard by the pandemic. Whilst government grants have helped support us through these challenging times, donations and support have never been more valuable. We do not receive regular council or government funding and we rely on our visitors, donors, funders and partners to survive.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we restored Elizabeth’s bedroom in 2021 for visitors to experience, and our next restoration project will be the re-creation of the conservatory to connect our beautiful gardens with the House.

By donating to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, you can be part of our incredible story. We welcome donations of any size to help us to continue to develop and restore this beautifully house.

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Friends of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

You can also help support Elizabeth Gaskell’s House by joining our Friends group. Since 2004 the Friends group has played an active role in raising money to maintain and develop the House and Garden. By becoming a Friend, you will be contributing towards the preservation of this important Manchester Literary Treasure for future generations to enjoy. You can join the Friends for a minimum contribution of £10 per year. For more information and to join online

Leave a Lasting Legacy

We’re always thinking about the future of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and how it can be experienced by future generations. Legacy gifts mean we can continue making a difference for years to come. They are one of the most effective ways donors can make a lasting difference to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.

There are three types of gift you can leave in your Will to support our work:

A Residuary Gift – this is the percentage of the remainder of your estate once all other legacies and costs have been paid.

A Pecuniary Gift – this is a specific sum of money e.g. £10,000.

A Specific Gift – this could be any item of value, such as a first edition of a book or an item that belonged to Elizabeth. (For more information you can speak to the House Manager in regards to our Collections Policy)

Once you’ve made your Will, you’ll be safe in the knowledge that your wishes can be carried out. And if you choose to leave a gift to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, you can be sure that your generosity will have a lasting impact for years to come.

We understand that making a Will is a big decision, and we take your wishes seriously. We will never put you under any pressure – it’s your decision to make in your own time. We understand that you will want to make your loved ones your main beneficiaries of your Will and take care of them first, but we can promise that any money you choose to leave to us will be spent in the most cost-effective way. We respect your privacy and will handle your legacy gift with the utmost care and sensitivity.

If your estate is over a certain amount (currently £325,000), the executors of your Will may have to pay inheritance tax at 40%. A way of reducing this bill is to leave 10% or more of your estate to a charity, such as Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, as you may then qualify for a reduced rate of inheritance tax (36% rather than 40%) giving you more control over your own money.

If you would like to discuss leaving a lasting gift to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House in your Will please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our House Manager, Sally Jastrzebski-Lloyd by e-mail at sally@elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk

Thank you for your far-sighted generosity and support. Every donation has a real impact and we’re hugely grateful for any donations we receive.

A Large Cheerful, airy house, quite out of Manchester smoke.

Charlotte Brontë on visiting the House, 1851