What’s On

  I recently visited Elizabeth Gaskell House for the first time & l was most impressed.Its not a big place but what there is has been carefully restored & is very... read more interesting to see. There is a lovely coffee shop in the basement & small gift...More

  My daughter and I visited the house on Sunday. The rooms are nicely laid out with period pieces and the volunteers were so helpful and knowledgeable. There is an excellent... read more interactive map which points out places of interest known to the Gaskell family. The garden...More

  It was a treat to visit this Victorian house, and gain a sense of the serious writing and philosophising that must have taken place in the lovely rooms. Although there... read more is very little left of the original furniture and fittings, the settings and the information...More

  Whilst we knew of some of her books, Cranford, North and South etc., our knowledge of the author was somewhat limited so that the discovery of the wide range of... read more her literary works and social activity was a revelation and quite fascinating. Our visit was...More

  I visited this house again last week, my second within the year and so I was able to use my return visitor pass. The house remains a gem with... read more such knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers who are able to enhance any visitor’s experience. Exhibits have been...More

  Visited as part of a Literary England tour. As a literary landmark, the House is somewhat of a bust, as it has very few furnishings or writings that belonged... read more to the Gaskells. However it is a wonderfully restored Regency suburban tract house, built for the pleasure of the well-to-do, but not aristocratic client. It does give a good feeling of Gaskell's perspective when writing her novels that dealt with cities rather than small towns.

For this visitor, the highlight was the gardens that have been reconstructed with plants that were common when Gaskell was in residence (1850-1865) or which are mentioned in her writing.