Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

Visitors to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House can explore the author’s home where she wrote most of her novels such as North and South and Cranford.

You can learn about her work and that of her husband, William, explore the lives of their daughters and servants, and discover the Manchester the Gaskells knew.

84 Plymouth Grove is a Grade II Listed Regency-style villa – a design which was popular in Manchester at the time among the middle classes. Built between 1835 and 1841, many of the rooms, including Elizabeth’s bedroom, have been restored to how they would have looked in around 1857.

There is also a garden planted with popular plants of the day. Take a picnic in the summer and take part in the Victorian games laid out on the lawn. Children can enjoy a family garden trail.

Stop by at the tea room in what was Elizabeth Gaskell’s kitchen. Friendly volunteers serve cake, biscuits and hot and cold drinks in vintage china and there is a small gift shop.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House also hosts online talks about the works of Gaskell, other Victorian literature and social history as well as an online book group.

Booking in advance is recommended.