Gentleman Jack: Yorkshire festival to celebrate Anne Lister

Anne Lister lived at Shibden Hall in Halifax until her death in 1840

A festival to celebrate the life of one of West Yorkshire's most famous residents is to start later.

Anne Lister, who lived at Shibden Hall until her death in 1840, left behind a series of intimate diaries detailing her love affairs with women.

The story of her life in Halifax became the basis for hit BBC TV show Gentleman Jack.

The week-long festival marks the landowner's birthday and will include lectures and cultural workshops.

More than 70 events are set to take place from 27 March until 3 April in and around Shibden Hall, which has seen an increase in visitors since Ms Lister's story was turned into a drama.

The life and legacy of Ms Lister "continues to inspire", according to councillor Jenny Lynn, from Calderdale Council.

"The incredible success of Sally Wainwright's Gentleman Jack brought Anne's story to a wider audience and we're expecting visitors from across the world to festival events and Calderdale's cultural venues."

Suranne Jones, right, played Anne Lister in the hit BBC show Gentleman Jack, based on Ms Lister's life

More than 300 people are expected to travel from the USA to celebrate Ms Lister's birthday, Ms Lynn added.

Fellow councillor Jane Scullion said Calderdale had benefited from screen tourism, with Happy Valley also being filmed in nearby towns.

"Gentleman Jack has been a cultural phenomenon and has inspired many visitors to come and walk in Anne's footsteps and experience our vibrant towns and villages for themselves," she said.

The diaries of Ms Lister, who was a lesbian, were written partly in code to hide her actions, which were not socially acceptable at the time.

The diaries, containing an estimated five million words, documented not only her liaisons but also her life as a businesswoman and the network of relationships between women of the gentry and aristocracy in early 19th Century Halifax.