experience the
brontës in pennine yorkshire
pennineyorkshire.com
The information in this guide is believed to be correct at the time of going to press, November 2009.
The West Yorkshire Tourism Partnership cannot be held responsible for any errors.
pennineyorkshire.com
Bronte Guide_13.indd 28-1
26/11/09 11:05:45
introduction
pennineyorkshire.com
introduction
T
he names of the three Brontë sisters and the
passionate novels they wrote will be linked forever
with Pennine Yorkshire. Our landscapes, including the
wild beauty of our heather moorlands, are to be found
reflected in their writings. Our heritage, the sometimes
turbulent times when this land was the cradle of the
industrial revolution, is recorded in them too.
It’s not surprising that visitors come from all around
the world to Haworth, to pay tribute to the memory of
Charlotte, Emily and Anne. But it’s not just Haworth
where the Brontë story unfolds. As you’ll find, there are
intriguing echoes of the Brontë family in other areas of
Pennine Yorkshire for you to discover.
A visit in the footsteps of the talented Brontë sisters
doesn’t need to be a solemn pilgrimage, Pennine
Yorkshire today has undergone an astonishing
transformation. As the industrial age has withdrawn, the
landscape has re-emerged triumphant. The beauty and
stark grandeur of this land is revealed once again for all
who wish to see it.
Pennine Yorkshire was the land which once inspired
the Brontës – now come, stay and let your own
imagination roam free.
Opposite:
Top Withens
This page (top to bottom):
Charlotte Brontë
Stained glass window,
Haworth church
Photo: Davy Ellis
contents
2. Introduction and contents
4. The story of the Brontës
6. Haworth: the heart of Brontë Country
10. Haworth Moor
12. The Calder Valley
14. Map of Brontë Country
16. Shirley Country
22. Echoes of the Brontës
24. Brontë Way
26. Brontës on screen
2.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 2-3
3.
26/11/09 11:05:47
the story of the brontës
P
the story
pennineyorkshire.com
atrick, father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne, was
a man driven by ambition. Born in County Down
in 1777, he quickly left his humble origins far behind,
becoming an undergraduate at St. John’s College,
Cambridge. He also left his humble surname of Brunty
behind too, changing it to the more impressive
sounding ‘Brontë’.
Tall and slim with red hair, he was a clergyman with
a campaigning streak to his personality. His life saw
much family tragedy. He married in 1812 but all of his
six children died young: Emily died at just 30 years
old, Branwell at 31 and Anne at 29, all of tuberculosis.
Charlotte died just short of her 39th birthday. Two older
sisters had died as children. Patrick’s wife Maria also
died in her thirties.
Opposite:
Penistone Hill, Haworth
Photo: Ian Howard
This page (top to bottom):
Bell Chapel, Thornton
Photo: Richard Cruise
Tapestry detail: Oakwell Hall
Photo: Andrew Hinkinson-Hodnett
4.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 4-5
But Patrick and Maria brought into the world three girls
whose prodigious talent would ensure that the Brontë
name is known worldwide. Charlotte’s novel Jane Eyre,
Emily’s Wuthering Heights and Anne’s The Tenant of
Wildfell Hall, together with their other writings, are
outstanding contributions to English literature, enjoyed
as much today as they were when first written.
5.
26/11/09 11:05:50
haworth
pennineyorkshire.com
haworth
the heart of brontë country
H
aworth today is as entwined with the story of the
Brontës as Heathcliff was with Catherine Earnshaw
in Wuthering Heights. It was this small town, eight
hundred feet up in the Pennines, which was the Brontë
family home from 1820 to 1861. Here, in the Parsonage
beside the dark graveyard, was where the sisters’ great
romantic novels were penned. Just outside the town, the
vast sweep of wild moorland was both their playground
and their inspiration.
During the time when Patrick Brontë was the clergyman
here, Haworth was a crowded industrial township, where
life expectancy was low. Today, the contrast could not
be more different. The Parsonage has become a worldfamous museum, run by a charitable trust dedicated to
telling the story of the Brontë family. The steep cobbled
Main Street is home to a wealth of small independent
shops, waiting to be browsed. Tea-shops, pubs and
restaurants are here too, serving good quality (and often
locally produced) food.
Haworth celebrates its Brontë heritage, but it’s proud
too of what it has become today, a fascinating Pennine
town which draws visitors from across Britain and the
rest of the world.
1
Wuthering Heights - a Mammoth Screen
Production for ITV and Screen Yorkshire
Opposite:
Haworth Parsonage, now the Brontë
Parsonage Museum
This page (top to bottom):
Edgar (Andrew Lincoln) and Cathy
(Charlotte Riley) outside Wuthering
Heights (East Riddlesden Hall)
brontë parsonage museum
Haworth, Keighley, BD22 8DR • Tel: 01535 642 323 • www.bronte.org.uk • [email protected]
Adult £6.50, Concessions £5.00, Child £3.50, ES40 £4.00, Family £15.00.
Group rates available and special offers run through the year.
April to September
10am-5.30pm
October to March
11am-5pm
Closed
2-31 Jan & 24–27 Dec
Open
1st Jan 12pm-5pm
H
aworth Parsonage still retains the powerful atmosphere of the Brontës’ own time,
giving a wonderful insight into domestic life in the nineteenth century. The rooms
the Brontës lived in are largely unchanged and are filled with their furniture, clothes
and personal possessions. The museum has an extensive exhibition on the Brontës
lives, full of fascinating treasures as well as interactive displays for families. There are
also regularly changing exhibitions and special events.
6.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 6-7
7.
26/11/09 11:05:51
2
st michael and all angels church
haworth
pennineyorkshire.com
Church Street, Haworth, BD22 8EF
Open: 9.30am – dusk
T
he Brontë vault is inside the current church
(dating from 1879), and holds the remains of all
the Brontë family except Anne, who is buried in the
churchyard of St Mary’s, Scarborough. The position
of the vault is indicated with a memorial plaque.
3
black bull
119 Main Street, Haworth BD22 8DP • Tel: 01535 642 249
T
he Black Bull public house was the haunt of
Branwell Brontë, brother of Charlotte, Emily and
Anne. His chair can be found in the dining area and
nearby is an original bell-pull of the period.
4
weavers restaurant with rooms
15 West Lane, Haworth, Keighley, BD22 8DU
Tel 01535 643 822 • www.weaversmallhotel.co.uk
E
ach 19th December, the anniversary of
Emily Brontë’s death, diners in the Weavers
Restaurant wait for the arrival of the ‘grey lady’.
This apparition is reputed to appear only on
this day, moving through the restaurant before
disappearing into one of the walls (original plans of
the building show an old staircase here).
5
the old apothecary
84 Main Street, Haworth, BD22 8DP
Tel: 01535 646 830 • www.rose-apothecary.co.uk
T
Opposite:
The Old Apothecary,
Haworth
he Old Apothecary, where once Branwell Brontë
obtained laudanum, is a shop which feels like a
museum, fragranced with exotic oils, and packed
from floor to ceiling with rich mahogany and glass
display cases.
This page (top to bottom):
St. Michael and All Angels
Church, Haworth
The Black Bull, Haworth
8.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 8-9
9.
7.
26/11/09 11:05:56
haworth moor
pennineyorkshire.com
haworth moor
the brontës’ muse
T
he wild Pennine landscape plays almost as central
a role in Wuthering Heights as does the brooding
character of Heathcliff. Emily felt the spirit of this land:
‘Every leaf speaks bliss to me’, she once wrote.
Today, the beautiful countryside once roamed by Emily
and her sisters is there for all to discover. Our moors are
a walker’s delight (the Pennine Way comes this way, for
example), whilst mountain bikers work up a sweat on the
many historic bridleways which crisscross the hills.
7
top withens
F
or a real taste of Pennine countryside, continue
another mile or so beyond the Brontë Bridge to find
the ruined farmhouse Top Withens. High up on Haworth
Moor, Top Withens is thought to be the location Emily
Brontë had in mind for the site of the house Wuthering
Heights, although the building bears little resemblance
to the one she describes in the novel.
It’s a windswept place, but one with its own stark beauty.
The interesting outcrop of rocks known as the Alcomden
Stones are close at hand, and well worth a detour.
8
ponden kirk
1 kilometre north of Top Withens, Stanbury Moor
T
6
brontë falls and charlotte’s seat
A
short walk from Haworth will bring you to Penistone Country Park and the edge
of the heather moorlands which the Brontë sisters knew so well. From there it’s
a three mile round trip to the little waterfall which bears the Brontë name. The falls
tumble down the hillside to where an attractive stone bridge – the Brontë Bridge crosses South Dean Beck. This picturesque spot is a great place to stop for a picnic.
Don’t miss the nearby rock ‘chair’, where Charlotte Brontë is said to have enjoyed
coming to sit and meditate.
10.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 10-11
here’s no church at Ponden Kirk, just a large block
of dark gritstone which in times past was thought
to have magical properties. Emily named the rock
Penistone Crags, and it was this that she chose as the
location in Wuthering Heights for Cathy and Heathcliff
to meet.
At the base of Ponden Kirk is a hole just large enough
for an adult to climb through, described by Emily as
the Fairy Cave. Local legend has it that, if you’re single
and you crawl through the hole, you will marry within
the year.
Opposite:
Haworth Moor
Photo: Steve Calcott
This page (top to bottom):
Haworth Moor
Photo: Felix Macpherson
Top Withens
Photo: Craig Wetherall
11.
26/11/09 11:05:58
halifax
pennineyorkshire.com
the calder valley
hebden bridge and halifax
T
he Brontë sisters’ only brother, Branwell, was
a potentially talented portrait artist and poet.
Unfortunately, he ended life dependent on drink and
drugs. In 1840 he sought employment in the Calder
Valley near Halifax, working in Sowerby Bridge and
later in Luddenfoot as an official on the newly-opened
railway.
Branwell spent many happy hours exploring the upper
Calder Valley countryside, sometimes accompanied
by a noted local geologist Rev. Sutcliffe Sowden from
Hebden Bridge. Then, the Calder Valley was a place of
industry and work. Today, narrowboats nuzzle together
in the attractive wharf at Sowerby Bridge, whilst the
pedestrianised streets of Hebden Bridge (recently
declared to have the ‘least cloned’ high
street in Britain) hold a wealth of small specialist
shops. The Calder Valley countryside which Branwell
knew is enjoyed by new generations of visitors who
love the outdoors.
Halifax, which Branwell also knew well (he associated
with the town’s respected artists, musicians
and writers), has also undergone a remarkable
transformation since his day. The eighteenth century
Piece Hall is one of Pennine Yorkshire’s finest buildings,
whilst the nearby nonconformist Square Chapel is now
a lively arts centre. Families today make a beeline for
the award-winning Eureka! - The National Children’s
Museum, providing stimulation and education to its
young visitors of a kind which the Brontë children surely
could never have imagined.
9
shibden hall
Lister’s Lane, Shibden, Halifax HX3 6XG • Tel: 01422 352 246
[email protected] • www.calderdale.gov.uk
Prices: Adults: £3.50, Concs: £2.50, Family (2 + 2): £10.00, Group of 10 or more: £2.50 per person
March to November
Monday to Saturday
Sunday
Opposite:
Shibden Hall
This page (top to bottom):
House Body, Shibden Hall
Branwell Brontë
12.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 12-13
10am-5pm
12pm-5pm
December to February
Monday to Saturday
10am-4pm
Sunday
12pm-4pm
outside Halifax, Shibden Hall is a beautiful house dating back to 1420 which
Just
is now a fascinating museum. It holds surviving decorative stonework from the
demolished High Sunderland Hall, a place with strong Brontë connections: High
Sunderland is believed to have been the model for Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights,
though she relocated the house from Horley Green near Halifax to the moorland
setting of Top Withens near Haworth.
13.
7.
26/11/09 11:05:59
1
brontë parsonage museum
2
st michael and all angels church
3
black bull
4
weavers restaurant with rooms
5
the old apothecary
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14 clough house, hightown
9
shibden hall
15
st. peter’s church, hartshead
10
red house, gomersal
16
all saints, dewsbury
11
oakwell hall, birstall
17
bell chapel, thornton
12
st. peter’s church, birstall
18
east riddlesden hall, keighley
13
healds hall, liversedge
19
ponden hall
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map of brontë country
map of brontë country
map of brontë country
pennineyorkshire.com
15.
26/11/09 11:06:00
shirley country
pennineyorkshire.com
shirley country
the land the luddites roamed
C
harlotte Brontë’s Shirley caused a real sensation
when it was published in 1849. The novel is set in
1811 and 1812 against the backdrop of the Luddite riots,
when the highly-skilled croppers (cloth shearers) took
violent action in a bitter struggle to try to protect their
livelihood. The Luddite name still resonates today, in our
own time of industrial change. Follow the path of their
doomed rebellion, from Marsden and Huddersfield to
Mirfield and the Spen Valley.
Charlotte Brontë would have heard the Luddite story
first hand from her father Patrick, for he was the curate
at Hartshead church when the Luddites attacked nearby
Rawfolds Mill in 1812. Charlotte knew this area both from
her schooldays and from visiting her lifelong friends
Ellen Nussey and Mary Taylor in Birstall and Gomersal.
Even dedicated Brontë students can overlook the
importance of the Spen Valley and its surrounding area
in the Brontë story. Beautiful Red House in Gomersal
(Mary Taylor’s home) and the Elizabethan manor house
of Oakwell Hall (featured in Shirley) are today open to the
public and should not be missed.
Opposite:
Red House
This page (top to bottom):
Mary Taylor
Oakwell Hall
10
red house, gomersal
Oxford Road, Gomersal, BD19 4JP • Tel: 01274 335 100
[email protected] • www.kirklees.gov.uk/museums
Open year round - admission free
Monday to Friday
11am-5pm
Saturday & Sunday
12pm-5pm
A
s the home of Charlotte’s close lifelong friend Mary Taylor, Red House played a
significant role both in Charlotte’s life and in her novel Shirley. Charlotte often
visited the Taylor family (the ‘Yorkes’ in her novel) in the 1830s. Today this awardwinning museum looks much as it would have done in Charlotte’s time, with period
rooms and original furniture. Find out more about Charlotte’s connections with the
Spen Valley in ‘The Secret’s Out’ exhibition in the Old Barn. Experience local life in
the ‘Spen Valley Stories’ gallery and stroll the restored 1830s gardens. End your visit
browsing in the museum shop for books, toys and interesting gifts.
16.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 16-17
17.
26/11/09 11:06:02
11
oakwell hall, birstall
Nutter Lane, Birstall, Batley, WF17 9LG • Tel: 01924 326 240
[email protected] • www.kirklees.gov.uk/museums
Adults: £2.00, Children: £1.00, Family: £5.50
Open year round
Monday to Friday
Saturday & Sunday
shirley country
pennineyorkshire.com
11am-5pm
12pm-5pm
B
uilt in 1583 and set in 100 acres of parkland, the
splendid Elizabethan manor house of Oakwell
Hall inspired Charlotte’s description of Fieldhead in
Shirley; the home of heroine Shirley Keeldar.
Today, visitors can still see many of the features
Charlotte described in her novel as they explore
the fascinating period rooms and stroll through the
gardens. The Green Flag award-winning Country
Park also includes waymarked walks and nature
trails, picnic sites, playground, gift shop, café and a
newly refurbished Countryside Centre.
Visitors may also recognise Oakwell Hall from its
starring role in the recent ITV1 adaptation of Emily
Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights.
12
st peter’s church, birstall
Kirkgate, Kings Drive, Birstall, WF17 9JJ
Tel: 01924 478 560 (to arrange access to the church)
C
harlotte attended Birstall church when visiting
her friends Mary Taylor and Ellen Nussey and
the vicar inspired Charlotte’s character ‘Mr Hall’, the
Rector in Shirley. The church was rebuilt in 1865-71,
but the old tower remains.
Opposite:
Oakwell Hall
This page (top to bottom):
Grand Parlour Room,
Oakwell Hall
St. Peter’s Church, Birstall
18.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 18-19
19.
26/11/09 11:06:04
shirley country
pennineyorkshire.com
14
clough house, hightown
(Private residence – plaque above the door)
Halifax Road, Hightown, Liversedge.
C
harlotte’s newly married parents, Patrick
and Maria, lived in this three-storey house
from 1812-15 when Patrick was curate at nearby
Hartshead. Their first two children, Maria and
Elizabeth, were born here.
(Please note this is a private residence. Please respect the
privacy of the owners.)
15
st. peter’s church, hartshead
(Nunnely Church in Shirley)
Church Lane, Hartshead, WF15 8EU
C
harlotte’s father was curate here at the time of
the Luddite attack on Rawfolds Mill in 1812. It
was also where Charlotte’s eldest sister, Maria, was
baptised. The church, set in tranquil countryside,
was rebuilt in 1881 but the original tower remains.
16
all saints, dewsbury
(Dewsbury Minster)
Rishworth Road, Dewsbury, WF12 8DD • Tel: 01924 457 057
www.dewsburyminster.org.uk
Open year round
Monday to Saturday
9am-3pm
P
13
healds hall, liversedge
Leeds Road, Liversedge, WF15 6JA • Tel: 01924 409 112
[email protected] • www.healdshall.co.uk
T
he former home of the forceful Reverend Hammond Roberson, an active opponent
of the Luddites, is now the Healds Hall Hotel. Charlotte Brontë met Reverend
Roberson only once but heard many stories about him, and based the strong character
Mr Helstone in Shirley on him.
20.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 20-21
atrick Brontë was curate of All Saints Church
(now Dewsbury Minster) from 1809–1811. In
1810, his poem entitled ‘Winter Evening Thoughts’
was published and was the first piece of Brontë
literature to be seen in print. A memorial plaque
in Patrick’s memory can be found on the South
Aisle of the Minster. Visit the Heritage Centre
to find out more or stop for refreshments in the
Refectory Café.
Opposite:
Healds Hall
This page (top to bottom):
Clough House
Photo: Humphrey Bolton
St. Peter’s Church, Hartshead
Photo: Craig Battye
All Saints, Dewsbury
21.
26/11/09 11:06:07
echoes of the brontës
thornton and keighley
17
thornton
pennineyorkshire.com
bell chapel, thornton
B
efore moving to Haworth, Patrick Brontë was the
parson in Thornton for five years between 1815
and 1820, and it was in Thornton that four of the Brontë
children were born. The old parsonage where the
Brontës lived can be found in Market Street, Thornton,
close to the Bell Chapel originally erected in 1612 and
rebuilt by Patrick. Sadly, little more than a part of the
east window survives today. The old font, in which all the
Brontë children except Maria (the eldest) were baptised,
has been moved to the nearby new church.
18
east riddlesden hall, keighley
Bradford Road, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD20 5EL
Tel: 01535 607 075 • [email protected]
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Open 27th Feb - Oct 31st
Saturday to Wednesday
11am-5pm
Tours in operation at some times. Entrance fee applicable.
E
ast Riddlesden Hall is a 17th century West Riding
manor house with formal and wild gardens,
duckpond and grounds. A National Trust property, the
hall may look surprisingly familiar for anyone who saw
ITV1’s popular adaptation of Wuthering Heights, for it
was East Riddlesden which was used for the exterior
shots. East Riddlesden Hall offers an interesting events
programme, as well as a popular tearoom and shop.
19
ponden hall
Stanbury, Keighley, BD22 OHR
Opposite:
The Old Bell Chapel, Thornton
Photo: Richard Cruise
This page (top to bottom):
Datestone, The Old Bell Chapel
Photo: Tim Green
O
riginally dating from 1634, Ponden Hall, near
Stanbury is generally thought to be the house
Emily Brontë called Thrushcross Grange, home of the
Linton family in Wuthering Heights. Today, Pennine Way
hikers pass close by what is now a private residence.
East Riddlesden Hall
22.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 22-23
23.
26/11/09 11:06:10
brontë way
pennineyorkshire.com
brontë way
S
oak up the atmosphere of the Brontë
landscapes first hand. Get your walking shoes
on and follow the Brontë Way, a waymarked trail
which links key locations associated with the
Brontë family.
The full forty mile walk will take you from Oakwell
Hall in Birstall across to Gawthorpe Hall in
Lancashire, visiting on the way the Spen Valley
(where Shirley was set), the wild moorland scenes
associated with Wuthering Heights and the
town of Haworth itself. Whether you’re planning
the full distance or a shorter stroll, you’ll find
plenty to enjoy in the beautiful countryside the
Brontë sisters knew so well. More information
and a pack (£2) can be obtained at the Haworth
Tourist Information Centre, or look out for the
comprehensive guide Brontë Way by Paul Hannon
(Hillside Publications, £4.50).
24.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 24-25
Opposite:
The Brontë Way
This page (top to bottom):
Ponden Kirk
Photo: Nigel Flory
Oxenhope reservoir
Photo: Ian Howard
25.
26/11/09 11:06:13
on screen
pennineyorkshire.com
brontës on screen
T
here have been many film and television adaptations
of the Brontë novels, with the central characters
being played by some of the world’s most acclaimed
actors. The most recent was the popular ITV 1
adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Tom Hardy starred
as the brooding Heathcliff, while Charlotte Riley played
Catherine Earnshaw.
plan your visit
www.pennineyorkshire.com
Yifek‡
Zflekip
For all the information you need to plan and book your
stay in the Brontës’ Pennine Yorkshire.
Alternatively, call in to our Tourist Information Centre
at Haworth where our friendly and helpful staff will be
happy to advise you, share their knowledge and make
your stay extra special.
Haworth Tourist Information Centre
Main Street, Haworth
Opposite:
Cathy (Charlotte Riley), Heathcliff (Tom
Hardy) and Edgar (Andrew Lincoln)
inside The Grange (Stockeld Park)
This page (top to bottom):
Edgar (Andrew Lincoln) outside The
Grange (Stockeld Park near Wetherby)
26.
Bronte Guide_13.indd 26-27
Tel: 01535 642 329
Email: [email protected]
Wuthering Heights - a Mammoth Screen Production for ITV and Screen Yorkshire
This haunting and gothic novel was spectacularly
recreated using locations across Yorkshire, including
East Riddlesden Hall and Oakwell Hall as the Earnshaw’s
moorland family home. Find out more about the
locations used and discover Pennine Yorkshire.
27.
26/11/09 11:06:15