ROXY BOURDILLON HEADS UP NORTH ON A GENTLEMAN JACK MINIBREAK
Hold on to your top hat, because I am on the lesbian pilgrimage. A part of me still can’t quite believe there even is a lesbian pilgrimage, and yet there must be, because here I am on it, exploring the dykey delights of notso- shabby little Shibden (museums. calderdale.gov.uk/visit/shibden-hall). Anne Lister, also known as “the first modern lesbian”, lived here from 1815 to 1840 and on this late summer’s day in 2019, it’s practically overflowing with Gentleman Jack groupies. And I very much include myself in that category. We have all voyaged from far and wide, drawn by the lure of the mothership. We hope to become more intimately acquainted with our beloved queero by visiting her magnificent home and, fingers crossed, soaking up some of her renowned sapphic superpowers. I’m sure Anne would have relished the thought of all these wide-eyed lady-loving ladies treading her floorboards and getting giddy over her bedroom.