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Friday 27 August 2010

Brontë Parsonage, Haworth

Haworth, sitting on the edge of the Pennine moors about eight miles west of Saltaire, is famous as the home of the Brontë sisters - Charlotte, Anne and Emily - all of whom wrote novels that have become classics. The family arrived in the village in 1820 when their father Patrick became the vicar, and they lived in the Parsonage behind the church. They had, in many ways, a very tragic life - their mother died a year later and the two oldest daughters died in 1825. The three remaining girls and their brother created a rich imaginary life, writing in tiny books. Later, to earn much-needed income, the girls trained as teachers and all three published novels under male pseudonyms. Their story is in itself the stuff of novels - there is a lot of information about them on the Haworth website.

The Parsonage is now a museum, furnished much as it would have been in the 1800s, although the gable wing on the right was added by Rev Brontë's successor. Even on a sunny summer's day it has an air of melancholy, overlooking the graveyard and the church where the Brontës are interred.

7 comments:

  1. Oh I have fantasised about this place!

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  2. Yes very dour and quite austere.

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  3. I envy you to have been there...All I read about Brontës life , including the book of Daphné du Maurier about Barnwell , is speaking about that melancholy in which they were living..Your picture shows this mood very well. Once more, I'm SO glad that you share this! Thank you!

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  4. Black and white adds a charm to your picture.

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  5. So this is where all the characters we know from books (and movies) have been created. Wonderful!

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  6. Amazing to think of all that creativity in one house!

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  7. Nice perspective with the gravestones. You're right, their lives were interesting in themselves.

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