Summer at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Shekina Rose, Families EditorBook now
Summer of Fun at Elizabeth Gaskell's House
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Looking for somewhere your children can get creative and messy and slightly educational? Look no further than Elizabeth Gaskell’s House this summer.
Tucked away in blooming gardens and steeped in the spirit of one of Manchester’s most prolific letter-writers, the house is rolling out a series of free family workshops designed to unleash your inner literary skills, or at least distract the kids for a few hours during the summer holidays.
There’s so much in store at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. On 6 & 7 August enjoy Garden Stories with Anita Sethi, acclaimed nature writer. Anita will guide you through the garden in a sensory scavenger hunt – sights, smells and all, before you stop, reflect, and create your very own story.
On 13 & 14 August, little and big artists will love Paint & Poetry with Stevie Ronnie. It’s here that you can learn how to bind your own book (very on-brand for a literary house), then fill it with watercolours and poetry as you wander through the rooms once graced by Gaskell herself.
20 and 21 August invites you to enjoy Weaving Words with Eleanor Godfrey. This lovely activity is inspired by Gaskell’s famous pen-pal habit, and combines art and creativity as you quite literally weave letters into something artistic. Thread provided, deep and profound thoughts optional.
On 27 & 28 August visit the Garden of Hope with Katherine Harrison. Step outside into the gorgeous gardens which will be filled with personal treasures, dreams, and quite likely a fair amount of glitter.
Meanwhile, an all-new exhibition, entitled I’ve Never Read Elizabeth Gaskell (on until 9 November), is bringing the House into the digital age. Expect giant phone screens, writer ‘bios’, voice notes, QR codes and Insta-ready inspiration courtesy of three brilliant young writers in residence.
And if that’s not enough for your culture-hungry crew, there’s also the popular Cranford the Cat family trail, opportunities for Victorian dress-up, traditional garden games and arts and crafts galore.
Adults are £8.50 and kids go free. And tickets last all year! so one price unlocks an entire season of free workshops. We’d call that a literary bargain.
