Literature Network » Elizabeth Gaskell

A model of civility weekend to remember Helen Pickles discovers why Knutsford hates vulgarity but loves virtue

Content courtesy of

From: The Sunday Telegraph London
Date: 20031026
Author:Helen Pickles

To be sleeping above Martin Bell's bunker was an unexpected bonus. The blue plaque outside Knutsford's Longview Hotel, the bar of which Bell appropriated as his headquarters during the 1997 election campaign, states that he captured "the hearts and minds of fair- minded local people". As Independent candidate for Tatton in Cheshire, the man in the white suit stood against the incumbent MP, Neil Hamilton. Elizabeth Gaskell would have approved. As she observed, "Vulgar is a tremendous word in Cranford."

For Knutsford is the model for the fictional town of Cranford, Mrs Gaskell's classic novel ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Elizabeth Gaskell

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.