Anne Lister 183 Celebrations
#AnneLister183 Celebrating Her Legacy
Friday 22nd September 2023 marks 183 years since the death of Anne Lister of Shibden Hall, Halifax, Yorkshire.
Anne, who lived from 1791 to 1840, was a remarkable woman: landowner, entrepreneur, mountaineer, scholar, traveller, and lesbian. Her fascinating diaries of over five million words detailed her life, loves, health, business interests and politics. Her journals are so historically significant that in 2011 they were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. Anne Lister’s story now inspires people across the globe, following the international success of Sally Wainwright’s BBC/HBO TV show ‘Gentleman Jack’, which is based on Anne’s life and diaries, and was filmed here in Calderdale – her story has literally changed people’s lives! Gentleman Jack is still available to watch (or re-watch..) on BBC iPlayer.
To commemorate the 183rd anniversary of the death of Anne Lister we have put together the following programme of events that we hope you will all enjoy, and be able to take part in.
THURSDAY 21st SEPTEMBER
10am-4pm: Halifax Minster, the 900-year-old building that was such an important part of Anne Lister’s life and is where she was baptised, worshipped and is buried, will be open for quiet reflection during the period – see the Halifax Minster website for details. FREE entry. Please Note: Halifax Minster will be closed for a private event on Saturday 23rd until 2pm. (Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax, HX1 1QL.)
10am-4pm: Bankfield Museum is open, with free entry. Two exhibitions are on currently: ‘Opening the Wardrobe’ – The History Wardrobe Collection of Lucy Adlington; and ‘A Hat for All Seasons’ celebrating all things hats! A museum since 1887 Bankfield tells the story of Halifax and Calderdale, and includes the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Museum, costume, art, toys, jewellery, textiles from around the world and much more. The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-4pm. FREE entry. For more information please visit the Bankfield Museum website. (Bankfield Museum, Akroyd Park, Boothtown Road, Halifax, HX3 6HG).
10am-5pm: Anne’s former home Shibden Hall, dating back to 1420, is open daily Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm. To guarantee your visit, please book your timed entry to the Hall. On occasion there may be opportunity to purchase tickets on arrival at the Hall, but time slots may not be guaranteed. Admission: Adult £8, Concession £5, family ticket £21. You can book admission to Shibden Hall here. (Shibden Hall, Lister’s Road, Halifax, HX3 6XG).
From 10am Mon-Sat (closing times vary – see website for details): Halifax Central Library & Archive: ‘There may be grief without tears’ exhibition. This exhibition will look at the moving words that Anne used in her diaries around the death of her brother John, her mother Rebecca, and of course her beloved Aunt Anne and will explore Anne’s feelings around death and grief by looking at her own responses to these deaths. The exhibition will feature items from both the Archives and the Library collections and will include fascinating research which will shed further light on where the family lived in 1810 when her brother John died. FREE entry. (Central Library & Archives, Square Road, Halifax, HX1 1QG.)
2.30pm: Anne Lister-themed tour of Halifax Minster.
Halifax Minster, formerly Halifax Parish Church, was where Anne Lister was baptised and is buried; she worshipped there for many years. David Glover’s tours of the second most important building in Halifax associated with Anne have become legendary. You will hear about where she sat for services, vicars she knew, the location where she ogled Miss Brown, a memorial to Ann Walker’s family with a unique coat of arms, the pew plates of many Lister friends – and so much more. Tours last 75-90 minutes. Tickets £10 per person. Minster events are bookable through the Halifax Minster website. (Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax, HX1 1QL.)
FRIDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER (the anniversary of Anne Lister’s death)
10am-4pm: Halifax Minster is open. For details please see under Thursday 21st September above.
10am-4pm: Bankfield Museum is open. For details please see under Thursday 21st September, above.
10am-5pm: Shibden Hall is open. For details please see under Thursday 21st September, above.
10am-5.30pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive is open, including their exhibition: ‘There may be grief without tears’. For details please see under Thursday 21st September, above.
10.30am-1pm: ‘Shadows of Shibden’ immersive photography and creative writing workshop, Shibden Hall. An immersive workshop blending photography and creative writing. We’ll explore the depth of grief, memory, and the art of memorialisation, drawing inspiration from Anne’s remarkable life and legacy. FREE. Please book your place via Eventbrite.
10.30am-12pm: Anne Lister-themed tour of Halifax Minster.
Halifax Minster, formerly Halifax Parish Church, was where Anne Lister was baptised and is buried; she worshipped there for many years. David Glover’s tours of the second most important building in Halifax associated with Anne have become legendary. You will hear about where she sat for services, vicars she knew, the location where she ogled Miss Brown, a memorial to Ann Walker’s family with a unique coat of arms, the pew plates of many Lister friends – and so much more. Tours last 75-90 minutes. Tickets £10 per person. Minster events are bookable through the Halifax Minster website. (Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax, HX1 1QL.)
2.15pm: ‘Shibden Hall: 600 years of History, and more!’, Square Chapel (Red Brick auditorium).
You may know about Anne Lister, but what do you know about her family home at Shibden? David Glover will guide you through the Hall’s story from its earliest times around 1421, with stories of the resident families. Where are the Waterhouse monuments? Who was the famous British military commander born at the Hall? What happened to the estate after Ann Walker died in 1854? And then there’s the tale of John Lister ‘the last’, his conversion to Catholicism, and his Socialism. An event not to be missed! £6 plus handling fee. Book your tickets at Square Chapel’s website (Square Chapel, 10 Square Road, Halifax, HX1 1QG.)
From 5.30pm: Tea at the Minster, Halifax Minster.
Enjoy a hot & cold buffet with friends, whether you are travelling with company or alone, before the Memorial Service – note the bar will also be open. £7 per person (all you can eat!). Book ahead at the Halifax Minster website. (Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax, HX1 1QL.)
7.30-9pm: Anne Lister Memorial Service, Halifax Minster.
A formal memorial service at Halifax Minster to remember Anne Lister and to celebrate her legacy. The service will involve members of the Anne Lister community, and be led by Revd Sam Crook. FREE. (Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax, HX1 1QL.)
SATURDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER
NB Please note that Halifax Minster will be closed for a private event on Saturday 23rd until 2pm.
9.30am: Flower laying at the sculpture of Anne Lister, The Piece Hall (gates open at 9am).
Join the Anne Lister community and others at the Anne Lister sculpture ‘Contemplation’, led by Rachel Lappin (Anne Lister Programme Co-ordinator, CMBC), and Nicky Chance-Thompson MBE DL (The Piece Hall Trust CEO), to remember Anne on the 183rd anniversary of her death. ‘Petals of Grace’ flower seller will be on site in the courtyard for you to purchase flowers. (Please lay unwrapped or cellophane-free flowers only.) FREE. (Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax, HX1 1RE.)
10am-4pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive is open, including their exhibition: ‘There may be grief without tears’. For details please see under Thursday 21st September above.
10am-4pm: Bankfield Museum is open. For details please see under Thursday 21st September above.
11am-5pm: Shibden Hall is open. For details please see under Thursday 21st September above.
11am-2pm: ‘Up n Over, Walk n Talk’, Shibden walk and picnic.
Join celebrated guide Rachel Whitbread and Halifax Heritage Tours CIC for this Anne Lister-inspired community walk, from Halifax Minster to Shibden via the Wakefield Gate (Old Bank), and end with a picnic in Shibden Park (Please Note: Bring your own picnic). £6 for the walk. Book tickets for the walk at Halifax Heritage Tours. For those who are unable, or don’t wish to do the walk; you are welcome to join the picnic with Halifax Heritage Tours, in Shibden Park, at around 12.30pm (please bring your own picnic).
2pm: ‘Young Anne Lister in Halifax’ – a Calderdale Heritage Walk.
A three-hour stroll of sites and buildings Anne knew: her childhood home, her school, her tutor’s house, her usual bookshop, the location where Miss Brown lived, Christopher Rawson’s bank – and much more. Join David Glover to learn about the young Anne Lister in Halifax. A circular walk lasting up to 3 hours. £5 per person. Book your tickets via Calderdale Heritage Walks here.
6.00-7.30pm (doors open 5.45pm): Anne Lister: Arch-Traditionalist or the First Modern Lesbian? Crossley Gallery, D Mill, Dean Clough.
Join Jill Liddington, the celebrated author of Female Fortune: the Anne Lister diaries 1833-36 – the book that inspired TV scriptwriter Sally Wainwright to write Gentleman Jack (BBC1/HBO). In her latest book As Good As A Marriage – the long awaited sequel to Female Fortune – she explores this fascinating question on the remarkable Anne Lister. An evening not to be missed! £7.50. Book your tickets here. (Crossley Gallery, D Mill, Dean Clough, Halifax, HX3 5AX.)
SUNDAY 24th SEPTEMBER
NB Please note that Bankfield Museum and Halifax Central Library & Archive are closed on Sundays.
10.30am-12.30pm: Lightcliffe Tower opening.
Lightcliffe Tower will be open for two hours on Sunday morning to allow you to see the inside of the Tower and the memorials that it contains, including Ann Walker’s restored plaque. Visit Ann’s burial place and take a self-guided tour of the churchyard featuring the Walker family, Sam Washington, George Mackay Sutherland, Samuel Sowden and others.
Whilst you are at St Matthew’s you might want to combine this with a visit to the Sun Inn, opposite the Tower, or to Lightcliffe Tea Rooms – opposite Lidgate House, who also do refreshments, and enjoy a little longer in Ann Walker-country! Entry By Donation. (Lightcliffe Tower, Old St Matthew’s Churchyard, Lightcliffe, HX3 8TH.)
11am-5pm: Shibden Hall is open. For details please see under Thursday 21st September, above.
12 Noon-4pm: Halifax Minster is open for quiet reflection.
1pm: Halifax Minster Churchyard stories, including Lister and others, Halifax Minster. 75-90mins.
David Glover will guide you around an area full of absorbing interest, with lively tales about its past. Where was Anne Lister’s hairdresser buried? What was the story of her great-aunt’s runaway marriage, an escapade repeated by the lady’s daughter? Who taught Marian Lister French? Also hear the story of the lost tunnel from the pub, the reburial of thousands of old bones in 1626, and the possible ghost of a prostitute! Tickets £10. Minster events are bookable through the Minster website. (Halifax Minster, Causeway, Halifax, HX1 1QL.)
2pm: ‘Mock Marriages and Effigy-Burning’ walk – a Calderdale Heritage Walk.
In 1834, Ann Walker moved into Shibden. Soon after, the 1835 Halifax election became known as ‘the window-breaking election’, and ‘mock marriage’ announcements involving Anne and Ann soon appeared in Yorkshire newspapers. Join Jill Liddington to hear much more about this, with short readings from Jill’s work. This 2hr walk ends with pub refreshments (for you to purchase) and a Q&A session. £5 per person. Book your tickets via Calderdale Heritage Walks here.
6.30pm: ‘After Anne Lister’s Death’ lecture, Square Chapel.
From the extraordinary story of the repatriation of Anne’s remains to England, we follow the fluctuations of Ann Walker’s life after she took over Shibden Hall. Was she affected by outside factors and did these adversely affect her mental health? How was she cared for after her removal to a facility near York, and where did she go next? Recent research by Diane Halford and colleagues has shed fresh light on events, right down to Ann’s death at Cliffe Hill in February 1854. A fascinating if sombre story! – join David Glover as he takes you through this chapter in the Anne Lister/Ann Walker story. £6 plus handling fee. Book at www.squarechapel.co.uk. (Square Chapel, 10 Square Road, Halifax, HX1 1QG.)
SATURDAY 30th SEPTEMBER
Extra special additional events with internationally acclaimed, bestselling author Emma Donoghue!
3.30-5.00: Emma Donoghue: Learned By Heart – book launch, Square Chapel (Copper Auditorium).
Join The Book Corner and bestselling author Emma Donoghue for the start of Emma’s international book tour for her new book! We are thrilled to be hosting this this event in Halifax to celebrate Emma’s new Anne Lister novel Learned By Heart. Adding to the already moving, richly told and gripping collection of historical fiction from Emma Donoghue, Learned By Heart is the breathtaking story of two young girls – Anne Lister and Eliza Raine – on the margins of life, forging a connection that will last forever. This event will feature a reading, a discussion between Emma, and Anne Lister Programme Co-ordinator for Calderdale Rachel Lappin, audience Q&A and book signing.
Emma will be signing and dedicating copies of the book, which have limited edition sprayed edges and each one comes with a free tote bag. Tickets at www.squarechapel.co.uk. (Square Chapel, 10 Square Road, Halifax, HX1 1QG.)
7.00-8.30pm: Emma Donoghue: Learned By Heart – book launch, Calderdale Industrial Museum. Details as above. Tickets available here. (Calderdale Industrial Museum, Square Road, Halifax, HX1 1QG.)
So thank you, Anne Lister, for everything that you have given us. Your life was not long, but it was certainly full. It was courageous, inspirational, and meaningful. We look forward to commemorating and celebrating your life and legacy together, with our friends from across the globe – new and old.
For those of you unable to join the commemorative events we will be Live-Streaming some of the events, including from the Memorial Service, and all being well the Flower-laying event. See ‘culturedale’ social media for further info!
You can read more about Anne Lister and Gentleman Jack in our Gentleman Jack pages.
