The Pankhurst Centre — Attraction in Manchester

The Pankhurst Centre, 60–62 Nelson Street, Manchester, is a pair of Victorian villas, of which No. 62 was the home of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Sylvia, Christabel and Adela[1] and the birthplace of the suffragette movement in 1903.

The Pankhurst's villas now form a centre that is a women-only space which creates a unique environment for women to learn together, work on projects and socialise. It is a Grade II* listed building as of 10 June 1974.

It also contains a museum, The Pankhurst Parlour, which has become a memorial to the suffragette movement. Its Edwardian style furnishings evoke the home of Mrs Pankhurst and her daughters. The Parlour was the first room in the Pankhurst Centre to be redecorated and was the centre of attraction when Barbara Castle and Helen Pankhurst opened the Centre on 10 October 1987.

The Women's Social and Political Union was founded in the parlour of Emmeline Pankhurst's home in October 1903.

The Pankhurst Centre is run by volunteers and receives no public funding, relying solely on donations. The Representation of the People Act 1918 gave the vote to all men aged 21 and over and women aged 30 and over who met certain property qualifications. In its centenary year calls were made to fund the Pankhurst Centre to make it a major museum that tells the story of women's suffrage and the women's rights movement.

62 Nelson Street was the home of Emmeline Pankhurst at the time she founded the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903. She moved there after the death of her husband, Richard Pankhurst in 1898.

The Pankhurst Centre suffered a break-in on 1 October 2019. Since then, donations have been made to repair the damage, including £10000 from The Cooperative Group.

In 2018, a newly designed garden, designed by Janet Leigh (a garden designer based in Stockport), was opened at the Pankhurst Centre in September 2018. The garden to mark the centenary of Votes for Women, and acknowledges the work of suffragettes. The garden was funded by an outsourcing campaign, with over 500 people contributing over £24,000 in 2017. The garden also provides a relaxation space for the women and children residents of Manchester...

This is the 4-room house museum of the famed Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. Although tiny, it's fantastic.

The staff are welcoming, helpful, charming & passionate advocates for women's rights. I loved the colorful REBEL! t-shirts so much I bought one myself.

The cafe/tearoom features a wide choice of teas you basically make yourself, a few biscuits & some fruit & nut bars. It's quirky in that definitely British way. You'll love it.

The largest room features a timeline of the Suffragette movement, its success with the labour movement to improve worker's rights, and how that v energy has carried into the peace movement.

The front room is the family room describing the Pankhurst family, their activities & their influences during the Victorian era, as well as post-WWI.

The middle room offers an engaging 15-minute summary of Suffragette history as well as Pankhurst's passionate part in its tumultuous events as they strove to gain the right to vote in the face of media ridicule & brutal government over-reaction, an over-reaction that only served to radicalize otherwise normal upper-middle-class mothers.

The back parlor is a gorgeous Art Noveau room with amazing wainscoting, a beautiful wallpaper of twisting plants, and e original period furniture.

This is the very room in which Pankhurst held the first meeting of the Suffragettes, committing themselves to the struggle for women's rights.

The museum is a bit hard to find as it's hidden at the back of a hospital parking lot. But walk towards the street corner. You'll see a gate that takes you through the calm & tidy Suffragette garden along a side path that twists around the building to the front door.

In the summer you'll want to follow the museums advice & purchase your £5 ticket in advance, as the place could get crowded very quickly.

This tiny museum is surprisingly relevant in light of today's events in both the US & the UK. I highly recommend for both women & men.

And remember: REBEL. Stand up lawfully for women's civil rights. Refuse to...

I am a member of a women's creative group 'Herizons' and we had the privilege of attending and performing a brief example of our work last week to mark the anniversary in law and the ongoing strife for the freedom from violence against women and girls. Stunning in all respects...met a load of fabulous strong women of all ages and from all walks of life and cultures who bravely shared their experiences and views. A collective smash hit of an event. Staff and volunteers were welcoming and super organised...don't even start me on the food! Incredible! Well done to all involved! The house is a gem too....odd to find such a haven literally preserved the on the grounds of a massive hospital's outpatients dept. Pankhurst was there...