Days Out: Visiting the home of the Bronte sisters
His vision enables today’s visitors to see an extraordinary amount of Bronte furniture and personal possessions.
Downstairs, there’s the study of the Irish-born Reverend Patrick Bronte. He arrived in 1820 with his Cornish wife, Maria, and their six young children – Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne – and died in 1861 aged 84 having outlived his entire family, none of whom reached the age of 40.
In the neighbouring dining room, where the sisters did much of their work, is the rocking chair that Anne used to use. Even the sofa on which Emily died.
After becoming a successful writer, Charlotte enlarged the dining room and altered the floor levels of Mr Nicholls’ Study for Arthur Bell Nicholls, her husband-to-be.
In Charlotte’s Room, you can see her tiny shoes and a dress along with many other items which belonged to the sisters.
The 1850 alterations made The Nursery smaller, but it was here that the children enjoyed playing, reading and writing stories about their toy soldiers as well as creating their childhood lands of Angria and Gondal.
Following the death of his wife in 1821 – leaving the children to be cared for by their Aunt (Elizabeth) Branwell, Mr Bronte shared his bedroom with his son Branwell – and the pair saw their own works in print, too.
Branwell’s Studio contains his works as an artist, with copies of his portraits of Emily and her three sisters which are now in London’s National Portrait Gallery.
Most of the Brontes are buried in a vault in the neighbouring church of St Michael & All Angels, though Anne Bronte was buried at St Mary’s Church, Scarborough.
Mr Wade’s gable wing now houses The Bonnell Room, featuring a range of changing exhibits of items from the museum’s extensive archives.
After that, there’s a chance to walk down the atmospheric streets of Haworth itself, with plenty of cafes and pubs to choose from.
Still cut off from the ‘real’ world, there’s nowhere quite like it.
VisitorInfo
THE Bronte Parsonage Museum is at Haworth, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD22 8DR – 131 miles from central Birmingham.
Tel 01535 642323. Website: www.bronte.org.uk
Admission: The museum is open every day from: 10am-5.30pm April to September; 11am-5pm October to March.
Last admission half an hour before closing. Closed December 24-27 and January 2-31.
Adults £6, seniors £4.50, students 17+ £4.50, children 5-16 £3. Family Ticket (2 +3) £15. Under fives free.
