62 Nelson Street was the home of
Emmeline Pankhurst at the time she founded the
Women's Social and Political Union in 1903. In 1978 there was an application submitted to demolish the building, sparking a notable protest to keep the building as a museum and centre committed to women's issues. The
parlour was the first room in the Pankhurst Centre to be redecorated and was the centre of attraction when
Barbara Castle and
Helen Pankhurst opened the centre on 10 October 1987. The centre would merge with Manchester
Women's Aid in 2014 to offer women's charity services. The
Representation of the People Act 1918 gave the vote to all men aged 21 and over and women aged 30 and over who met certain property qualifications. In its centenary year of 2018, calls were made to fund the Pankhurst Centre to make it a major museum that tells the story of women's suffrage and the women's rights movement. The Pankhurst Centre suffered a break-in on 1 October 2019. Since then, donations have been made to repair the damage, including £10,000 from
The Co-operative Group. The centre reopened on 29 August 2021 after a major redevelopment project in the two galleries and the parlour during 2020. ==Description==