Penny Dreadful! Or, Mrs Lovett’s Revenge at Elizabeth Gaskell House

Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor

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Penny Dreadful! Or, Mrs Lovett’s Revenge

9 August 2017

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

The exterior of Elizabeth Gaskell's Hosue
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Be transported to the glee of a Victorian childhood (we believe there was some glee, honest) at 84 Plymouth Grove which was once home to Elizabeth Gaskell’s four children who played in the gardens and throughout the house. This original one-woman show stars Sweeney Todd’s partner in crime, Mrs Lovett. Be appalled by a plethora of other grotesque characters from the cheap and grisly pages of the Victorian era’s penny dreadful papers, in a theatrical comedy suitable for ages 5 plus.

Take the chance to explore together inside this historic house where Elizabeth Gaskell wrote most of her famous novels. Walk in the footsteps of other cultural figures who changed history such as Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens, John Ruskin, the American abolitionist and novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe and musician Charles Hallé. Be inspired to craft tales of your own by sitting at Gaskell’s desk as she once did and don’t miss the charming tea room and bookshop.

With a summer programme that involves different artistic adventures every Wednesday and exploration resources and activity baskets especially for families, we love that younger visitors never feel as if they are treading on eggshells in this incredible slice of Mancunian and literary history and are able to get as much joy and inspiration from it as others.

 

 

Where to go near Penny Dreadful! Or, Mrs Lovett’s Revenge at Elizabeth Gaskell House

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Gaskell Society

These regular talks in both Manchester and Knutsford unpack the meaning and significance of Elizabeth Gaskell’s writing.

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Chuck Gallery

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Victoria Baths no longer functions as a ‘water palace’ and Turkish Baths, but the Grade II-listed building hosts regular events and is a stunning visit.

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Big Hands

Big Hands is the one-time haunt of legendary Manchester band Elbow; it’s shabby, loud and dark, with a jukebox and excellent roof terrace.

19 May – 1 July
Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-4pm
Free entry, tickets are available to book online

Please use the Parkside entrance to enter the gallery and café.

We are currently open for film screenings of our new exhibition, Imran Perretta: the destructors.

The Whitworth Café, Art Garden and Collections Care Centre are also open from May to June. The rest of the gallery remains closed while we install our next exhibitions, following COVID-19 safety guidelines.

We look forward to welcoming you back again when we re-open fully on 2 July with new exhibitions, and extended opening times, as part of Manchester International Festival, #MIF21

Visit our website and follow us on social media for updates.
manchester.ac.uk/whitworth 
@WhitworthArt

Winner of Visit England’s gold prize for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year in 2016 and winner of the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year in 2015, the Whitworth was originally founded in 1889 as the first English gallery in a pa
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