find the right wallpaper and paint colours that would have been used in the house at the time. Armitage Construction, a specialist heritage firm founded in 1874, restored the decorative plasterwork and carpentry in the house using traditional lime plaster and woodworking techniques from the period. In February 2014 the renovators of the house were seeking a donation of a mid-19th century Broadwood demi grand piano—the model that Charles Hallé used to teach Elizabeth Gaskell's daughters at the house—for the drawing room of 84 Plymouth Grove. The upstairs of the house has a number of rooms and performance spaces dedicated to educational work, literary and community events. Gaskell House reopened to the public on 5 October 2014. Curators of 84 Plymouth Grove hope that literary tourism will benefit the house, and make it a destination similar Shakespeare's Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon or the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth. Gallery See also Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester Listed buildings in Manchester-M13 References Notes Footnotes Bibliography External links The Gaskell Society Brook Street Chapel. The Gaskell's burial place The Victorian Web: Plymouth Grove, Past and Present 'Elizabeth Gaskell's house: restoring the Victorian author's home' Woman's Hour (BBC Radio 4) Biographical museums in England Grade II* listed buildings in Manchester Grade II* listed houses Historic house museums in Greater Manchester Houses completed in 1838 Houses in Manchester Italianate architecture in England Literary museums in England Museums in Manchester Women's museums in the United Kingdom