In the play we see the stories' intimate connection with the youthful experiences of their creator, as Mrs Gaskell talks to her audience and brings her characters to life. The stories are set in the 1830s, when lighting was by candle and oil lamp, sewing and lacemaking were done by hand, the fastest travel was by horse, and tea was only for the genteel few. By the time Mrs Gaskell wrote the stories in the 1860s, the slow world of Cranford had been lost to gaslight, mass production in factories, railways and much more tea available for the working classes.