A Love Affair with Cranford New exhibition opening at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House Following a successful fundraising campaign the Elizabeth Gaskell bedroom project was launched not long before the Covid-19 pandemic, which has added to the challenges faced by the small volunteer team that has carried out the work.
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s volunteer and Trustee Adam Daber, explains, “The starting point for our endeavor was the 1914 auction catalogue, which was produced when the house was sold following the death of Elizabeth’s daughter Meta. This gave us lots of clues of what we should be looking for together with our own extensive research. But even with that we found that we had to take a number of U-turns in a search that became global in its scope. The bed and the carpet created the biggest challenges, but now also help to create the wow factor when you walk in the room.” The four poster bed is attributed to master makers Gillows of Lancaster and is circa 1785, reflecting of the fact that it is likely that some of Elizabeth’s own furniture may well have been second hand or family heirlooms. Many hours went into the research of this piece and many more into its construction, before a polish of beeswax and a dressing with a range of beautiful bedding fabrics. Finishing touches include two nightstands upon which visitors will be fascinated to see a selection of bedtime reading for both Elizabeth and
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her husband William. It was also known that Elizabeth’s preference throughout the house was for fitted carpets, and the team were fortunate to find one of the last pieces of Yorkshire made ‘Brussels’ looped carpet, which has been specially hand-stitched in panels just as it would have been in 1860. Elizabeth Gaskell’s bedroom has been designed in vibrant colours, including vivid shades of cornflower blue and deep rich reds, as was the taste of the Victorian period. It’s a comfortable room, but not the largest bedroom in the house; she saved the largest for guests, which included fellow writer Charlotte Bronte. Known to have favourite writing spots throughout the house, it is thought that Elizabeth’s bedroom would have been one of these, whether for writing short stories or catching up on her correspondence. Volunteer and Trustee Jane Baxter has been involved in sourcing much of the fabric that visitors will see in the room, but there is one aspect that has eluded her search. “The fabrics, both in colour and texture, help to make this room and I’m overjoyed at the results. However, I have an ongoing quest for www.lancmag.com
