History Society Visit to Gaskell /Pankhurst

Audlem History Society Summer Outing.

Audlem History Society recently had the first of their 2 summer outings, visiting Elizabeth Gaskell's house in Manchester's Plymouth Grove, where we had a private tour of the house and its artefacts, followed by lunch there. The group then walked the short distance to the Pankhurst Museum (surrounded on all sides now by the Manchester Royal Infirmary), where we again had a private tour and visited the garden.

Elizabeth Gaskell moved to the house in 1850 and lived there until her death in 1865. We heard how she balanced her life as a novelist with her domestic duties, and also about the many visitors to the house such as Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte.

The Pankhurst Museum was home to Emmeline and her daughters from 1898 whilst they were campaigning for women's suffrage. The house is rather smaller than the Gaskell residence, but no less interesting, and all 4 of our guides to the houses were very knowledgeable and eager to answer all of our questions.

And the weather was kind to us for once!

Brenda Smethurst

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