Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

I yesterday finished reading “The invention of Charlotte Brontë” by Graham Watson, which I bought recently in Haworth. I really enjoyed it.

The book is about the latter years of CB’s life, but also about the period that followed as Elizabeth Gaskell grappled with the task of writing a biography of her friend. On publication it generated huge interest and acclaim, but also became something of a scandal. Potential legal action from aggrieved parties, with the potential to bankrupt the publisher, caused it to be revised twice, all three editions being published in the same year. It was this best selling biography, never out of print, that made Haworth a tourist attraction.

So it was that today I visited for the first time the Elizabeth Gaskell House in Manchester. When it was built in the 1830’s Plymouth Grove was a “des res” suburban area, surrounded by fields, and a mile or so from the smoke and destitution at the heart of rapidly industrialising Manchester. Moving to the house in 1850 the Gaskell’s paid an annual rent of £150, it was a big financial risk. Now it lies adjacent to hospitals, the University and social housing estates, part of inner city Manchester. It’s remarkable that the house has survived, and even more remarkable that it was acquired by a Trust who have preserved it and, as far as is possible, have recreated what it must have looked like during Mrs Gaskell’s lifetime. It has been open to the public since 2014 and is staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. It is well worth a visit.