Anne Lister Birthday Festival 2022
Join us for a celebration of the life of the extraordinary Anne ‘Gentleman Jack’ Lister of Shibden Hall (1791-1840).
Anne 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 they have been 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.
The Anne Lister Birthday Festival 2022 gives you the opportunity to follow in Anne Lister’s footsteps here in Halifax, Yorkshire. Explore the places she knew, learn about her life, and see where the TV show Gentleman Jack was filmed.
Here’s our day-by-day guide to what’s on. Follow the links below for full details of each event and links to book your places or buy tickets, where relevant.
Saturday 26th March 2022
10 am: Bankfield Museum. Fashions in the Time of Anne Lister Celebratory Opening Event. Celebrate the opening of this exhibition, exploring the many different styles of fashion popular in her lifetime. Free entry. no need to book.
10am -4pm: Halifax Minster is open for day of quiet reflection. Refreshments available
Friday 1st April 2022
10am – 4pm: Shibden Hall. Anne Lister’s home of Shibden Hall will be open daily 10am-4pm during the Anne Lister Birthday Festival 2022. £8. Booking required for timed entry.
10am -4pm: Halifax Minster is open daily for quiet reflection during the Anne Lister Birthday Festival 2022. Refreshments available. Free entry. (Donations welcome).
Saturday 2nd April 2022
10am – 4pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Display of Anne Lister’s Diaries. Free event, but places must be booked in advance
10am-5pm: Victorian Artisan Market at Shibden Estate, on the lawn outside Shibden Hall. Free entry to the Market.
10.30am – 2pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Kid’s Anne Lister-themed craft activities. Free entry.
10.30am – 3pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Halifax Antiquarian Society Library Open Day. Free entry.
10.30am: Bankfield Museum. Come and be a Code Breaker! Family event where we will be creating our own code, making diaries, and deciphering historic codes around the Museum. £4. Booking required.
4pm: Lister Lane Cemetery. Guided Tours of Lister Lane Cemetery. Free entry
Sunday 3rd April 2022
9.45am – 11.15am:The Piece Hall. Bell Ringing and Breakfast to Celebrate Anne Lister’s Birthday A birthday breakfast , bell ringing and tour of the Piece Hall, with a certificate and medal to remember your visit. £30 Booking required.
11am-5pm: Victorian Artisan Market at Shibden Estate, on the lawn outside Shibden Hall. Free entry to the Market.
12.30pm – 1.30pm: The Piece Hall. The Gentlewoman’s Wardrobe – Fashion in the Era of Anne Lister, a talk by dress historian Lucy Adlington. £15. Booking required.
7pm: Victoria Theatre. Sally Wainwright and O’Hooley & Tidow. A special interview with the phenomenal writer / director of Gentleman Jack with a concert by O’Hooley and Tidow, the talent behind the Gentleman Jack theme song. £20. Booking required.
Monday 4th April 2022
10am – 4pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Display of Anne Lister’s Diaries. Free event, but places must be booked in advance
10am-5pm: Victorian Artisan Market at Shibden Estate, on the lawn outside Shibden Hall. Free entry to the Market.
1pm-2pm & 2pm-3pm: Ascents of Wainhouse Tower. Open once again for private group ascents. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to ascend the 369 steps to the viewing platform, to enjoy the spectacular 360 degree views around the Calder Valley and beyond. £10 per person, Booking essential.
2pm: Square Chapel Arts Centre. The Sutherlands – Calderdale Heritage Talk by David Glover. £15. Booking essential..
Tuesday 5th April 2022
10am – 4pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Display of Anne Lister’s Diaries. Free event, but places must be booked in advance
10.30am & 2.30pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Conserving Anne Lister’s Diaries. A fascinating talk about the conservation and treatment work undertaken on Anne’s diaries. £5. Booking required
10.30am: Bankfield Museum. Fashions in the Time of Anne Lister Introductory Tour. A tour of the ‘Fashion in the Time of Anne Lister’ exhibition with Curator, Elinor Camille-Wood. Free, but booking required.
11.15am: Halifax Minster. The Way of the Setts Anne Lister Pilgrimage. A guided walk taking you to several locations important to the story of Anne Lister. Free. No booking required.
1pm-2pm: Guided Tours of Halifax Town Hall: Come and enjoy a guided tour of this fantastic Grade II Listed building, which is of immense architectural importance. £5 per person, Booking Essential.
Wednesday 6th April 2022
1pm-2pm: Guided Tours of Halifax Town Hall: Come and enjoy a guided tour of this fantastic Grade II Listed building, which is of immense architectural importance. £5 per person, Booking Essential.
2pm: Bankfield Museum. Anne Lister’s Father and the American Revolution. An exclusive talk from Museum Curator Eli Dawson and Military Historian John Spencer to learn about the life of British Army Officer Jeremy Lister and his experiences of fighting in the Revolutionary War. £5. Booking required.
Thursday 7th April 2022
10am – 12pm, 2pm – 4pm: Shibden Valley Saunter. Join Calderdale Council staff on a leisurely walk through the Shibden Valley and enjoy the beauty of this magnificent area of Calderdale, whilst also seeing some of the filming locations used in the first series of Gentleman Jack! FREE but booking essential.
10am – 4pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Display of Anne Lister’s Diaries. Free event, but places must be booked in advance
10.30am & 2.30pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Conserving Anne Lister’s Diaries. A fascinating talk about the conservation and treatment work undertaken on Anne’s diaries. £5. Booking require
10.30am: Bankfield Museum. Shibden 600 Introductory Tour with Curator, Eli Dawson. Free, but booking required
Times TBC: Shibbden Estate. Cunnery Wood Volunteer Day. Join staff and volunteers from Calderdale Countryside Service to assist with management of Cunnery Wood in the grounds of Shibden Estate – cutting back vegetation and habitat creation. Free.
2pm: Bankfield Museum. Fashions in the Time of Anne Lister Introductory Tour. A tour of the ‘Fashion in the Time of Anne Lister’ exhibition with Curator, Elinor Camille-Wood. Free, but booking required.
6pm: Hope Hall. Rivals and Riches. Jill Liddington discusses the complex relationship between Anne Lister and Christopher Rawson in the surroundings his own home (circa 1808-49), Hope Hall.
Friday 8th April 2022
10am-11am, 11am-12pm: Ascents of Wainhouse Tower. Open once again for private group ascents. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to ascend the 369 steps to the viewing platform, to enjoy the spectacular 360 degree views around the Calder Valley and beyond. £10 per person, Booking essential.
10am -3pm: Halifax Minster. Crafting Day – Create your own hand-stitched journal cover, inspired by Anne Lister. This course is suitable both for beginners and those with more experience. Full tuition will be given. £30 places must be booked in advance via Eventbrite.
10am – 4pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Display of Anne Lister’s Diaries. Free event, but places must be booked in advance.
Saturday 9th April 2022
10am – 12pm, 2pm – 4pm: Shibden Valley Saunter. Join Calderdale Council staff on a leisurely walk through the Shibden Valley and enjoy the beauty of this magnificent area of Calderdale, whilst also seeing some of the filming locations used in the first series of Gentleman Jack! FREE but booking essential.
1pm: Halifax Central Library & Archive. Anne Lister Creative Writing Workshop. You will be guided and inspired to create your own writing – poetry or prose – about Anne herself or other themes, such as secrets, forbidden love, inspirational women or Calderdale. We may even try writing in code! Free, but booking required.
Sunday 10th April 2022
2pm: Hebden Bridge Little Theatre. Writing Anne Lister: An LGBTQ+ History with Jill Liddington. For the closing event of the Anne Lister Birthday Festival 2022, Happy Valley Pride is proud to welcome Jill Liddington whose research into the diaries of Anne Lister inspired the BBC1/HBO series Gentleman Jack. £5 Book in advance here or pay on the door.
Further Reading:
Discover more about Anne Lister, Ann Walker, the ‘Crypthand’ code Anne devised and other interesting and useful information in our series of Anne Lister blogs:
Who was Anne Lister, ‘Gentleman Jack’ of Shibden Hall?
The Secret Diaries of Anne Lister – Cracking the Crypthand Code
