Pankhurst Centre

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The Pankhurst Centre, also known as The Pankhurst Museum, at 60–62 Nelson Street in Manchester, England, comprises a pair of Victorian villas, of which No. 62 was the home of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Sylvia, Christabel and Adela<ref name="Hartwell 320">Hartwell 2001, p 320</ref> and the birthplace of the suffragette movement in 1903.<ref name="Pankhurst Centre">Template:Cite web</ref> The Pankhurst Centre is home to the Pankhurst Trust. The building is currently used as the Pankhurst Museum, as well as being the headquarters of Manchester Women's Aid.

History

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

On 9 June 1974, the site became a Grade II* listed building.<ref name="BB">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1978 there was an application submitted to demolish the building, sparking a notable protest to keep the building as a museum and centre committed to women's issues.

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The centre would merge with Manchester Women's Aid in 2014 to offer women's charity services.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 of 2018, 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Pankhurst Centre suffered a break-in on 1 October 2019. Since then, donations have been made to repair the damage, including £10,000 from The Co-operative Group.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The centre reopened on 29 August 2021 after a major redevelopment project in the two galleries and the parlour during 2020.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Description

The Pankhurst's villas provide a women-only space drop-in every Wednesday from 12pm to 2pm which creates a unique environment for women to learn together, work on projects and socialise.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Part of the centre is a museum, The Pankhurst Parlour, which has become a memorial to the suffragette movement. Its Edwardian style furnishings evoke the home of Pankhurst and her daughters. It is the only museum dedicated to telling the story of women's fight for the right to vote.

The Pankhurst Centre is run by volunteers and receives no public funding, relying solely on donations.