The Gissing Centre
2-4 Thompson's Yard, WF1 1XH
Opened in the 1990s, the Gissing Centre is a small museum housed in a suite of rooms on the first floor of 2-4 Thompson’s Yard in central Wakefield. It is run by the Gissing Trust, staffed by volunteers and financed by donations. The house is the childhood home of the renowned Victorian novelist, George Gissing.
Gissing’s Wakefield, that of the mid-nineteenth century, is well explored in the Centre’s literature, and the team can offer guided walks around places with connections to the activities of the family. Thompson’s Yard and the surviving adjacent yards have their origins in the town’s medieval burgages, providing evidence of the development of the town over many centuries.
Please note this is accessible only by a stairwell - there is no lift.
There are no upcoming Artwalk exhibits, displays or events at The Gissing Centre.
Previously at The Gissing Centre
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Wakefield Market 1981 Wed 27th Nov 2024The Centre is delighted to be showing Richard Bell's Wakefield Market, 1981, an acrylic on canvas painting, 5' by 2', of a bustling market in the autumn of 1981. In addition there are Richard's pen and ink drawings, all made on location, showing some of the stalls: fruit & veg, the indoor meat market, clothing, bric-a-brac and toys, along with some of the cafes and snack bars. The Gissing Centre will be open from 5pm to 9pm. It is accessed beyond the archway of Thompson's Yard on the right. The house has a plaque explaining that it is the childhood home of the novelist, George Gissing. The Centre is on the first floor up a flight of stairs.
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The Gissing Centre Wed 25th Sep 2024A new display of photos of George Gissing at work, with images and words about and from his best -known novels.
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The Gissing Centre Wed 31st Jul 2024As well as the permanent displays and videos about the life of Victorian novelist George Gissing (1857-1903) there is a small display of drawings by Rev Thomas Kilby: "Scenery in the Vicinity of Wakefield" (1843). You are invited to see if you can recognise areas of Wakefield 180 years ago.
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Gissing Centre Museum Wed 27th Mar 2024Visit our small museum in the childhood home of Wakefield’ s most widely-known novelist. Learn about his family life and the locations in and around Wakefield which he used in a number of his many novels and short stories. Our rooms are on the first floor of the house through the Thompson’s Yard entrance.
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Fact Into Fiction Wed 29th Nov 2023A display of Wakefield places which provided material for some of George Gissing's novels and stories. Please note the centre is on the first floor with stair access only.