Cash injection for Gaskell's house revamp
Attempts to save the former home of author Elizabeth Gaskell have received a boost after English Heritage (EH) announced that it would contribute more than £260,000 as part of a £2.5m revamp of the property.
The Grade II-listed house, where Gaskell wrote novels including Cranford and Wives and Daughters, is set for extensive renovation work after Manchester City Council approved the scheme in November last year. Owned by the Manchester Historic Buildings Trust (MHBT), the EH grant will enable work to be carried out on the building's roof to prevent leaking, the repair of rotten windows and cracked walls, and the removal of dry rot in order to ensure the building is structurally sound and weatherproofed.
Actress Dame Judi Dench, a patron of MHBT, said: "I am delighted that English Heritage is offering a grant to carry out the work that is needed on Elizabeth Gaskell's house. This is a major historical building and it will be wonderful to see it restored to its former glory."