Viewpoint: engaging the public with the Pankhurst home

Abstract

ABSTRACT 62 Nelson Street possesses is an almost mythical status in the history of British feminism. Home to Emmeline Pankhurst and her family between 1898 and 1907, in 1903 its parlour famously hosted the first meeting of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), the militant wing of the women’s suffrage movement. It is now home to the Pankhurst Centre, housing a museum to the history of the Pankhurst family and to women’s activism more generally, and to Manchester Women’s Aid. Despite its prominence in British history, however, supporters and curators have faced a constant battle to sustain the Pankhurst house in the face of limited funding and redevelopment. This reflection on public engagement work undertaken with the Pankhurst Centre through an AHRC Networking grant, 2019–2022 (Ref AH/S010289/1) sets out some of the reasons why engaging the public with the Pankhurst home remains crucial. It argues that the house itself presents a more inclusive history of feminism than is often acknowledged or associated with the Pankhurst family and that it is a useful case study that brings together important yet relatable links between homes and activism that can engage a range of publics and visitors to the house.