Bronté Parsonage Museum (Bradford)

The Bronte Parsonage Museum stands a tribute to probably Britain's most famous literary family. The old parsonage was once home to the three famed Bronte sisters for approximately 35 years and is now maintained by the Brontë Society who champion their lives and works.

The tall stone Georgian House was built in 1778. Despite the hoards of visitors (and yes there were hoards when we visited - a usual occurance according to staff at ...
...gravestones) exuding a quiet and somewhat mysterious elegance.It's palladian front door and large sash windows overlookis a large well-organised garden.

We visited on a whim, returning home from Yorkshire on a wet windy weekend. As a long-time reader and admirer of the Brontes, I have wanted to visit for a long time and so when we saw the brown directional signs, we couldn't resist.

We parked in one of the pay and ... more

The Bronte Parsonage Museum stands a tribute to probably Britain's most famous literary family. The old parsonage was once home to the three famed Bronte sisters for approximately 35 years and is now maintained by the Brontë Society who champion their lives and works.

The tall stone Georgian House was built in 1778. Despite the hoards of visitors (and yes there were hoards when we visited - a usual occurance according to staff at the museum), the house stands facing the churchyard (complete with gravestones) exuding a quiet and somewhat mysterious elegance.It's palladian front door and large sash windows overlookis a large well-organised garden.

We visited on a whim, returning home from Yorkshire on a wet windy weekend. As a long-time reader and admirer of the Brontes, I have wanted to visit for a long time and so when we saw the brown directional signs, we couldn't resist.

We parked in one of the pay and display car parks in the picturesque village of Haworth. We then wandered around the village which has quite blaently capitalised on the popularity of the museum with coffee shops named after Bronte novels, pubs boasting connections with Branwell and book shops aplenty.

We waited for a lull in the coachloads of tourists before heading towards the museum. The reception desk / till is situated immediately at the entrance. We duly paid our £5.50 entrance fee each for adults (Senior Citizens £4, Students £3.60, Children 5-16 years £2 , Children under 5 free, Family Ticket £13) and were handed an information leaflet to enable us to self-guide ourselves around the museum.

The leaflet is well presented with clear and concise information. On the front is a black and white photograph of the house (museum) romantically blurred with gravestones to the front adding a sense of drama and mystery to what you about to see. The brochure then gives a room by room account of the house and its relevance to the Brontes.

And so shepherded along among the flock of tourists to the front of us, to the side of us and behind us, we began our tour or the rooms sectioned off by ropes to stop you getting too close.

I cannot or will not give too much detail here of the rooms or the contents but will instead highlight some of the features that struck me. So without more ado, let us set off on our virtual tour.

The first room to the right of the entrance is Patrick Bronte's study. As with all the rooms, it is furnished with the actual furniture belonging to the Brontes. Along with his desk holding his book of psalms and magnifying glass, is a small cottage piano mainly played by Emily. Getting the feel of connecting with the family yet? Despite the restrictions and control, I have to say I did.

Opposite to the left is the Dining Room complete with the sofa on which Emily died and Anne's rocking chair. On a more positive note, it was in this room that Charlotte, Emily and Anne did most of their writing. Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey were all written here!

In the kitchen is the table where Emily made bread every week. Everything including the utensils and china belonged to the Bronte household.

Heading up the large impressive staircase you pass the grandfather clock wound up by Patrick Bronte each evening on his way to bed and a reproduction of the famous portrait of the Bronte sisters painted by Branwell with the shadowy space that once contained a self-portrait of Branwell himself which he later painted out.

The first room on the upper floor is the servant's room once only accessible from outside by a stone staircase.

To the front of the house is Charlotte's room. The room was initially Patrick and Maria's bedroom. After her death in the room, Patrick moved across the hallway to another room. In a glass display case in the centre of the room, stands one of Charlotte's dresses showing just how petite a woman she was. Charlotte herself died in this room.
Next to this is the children's nursery where the two oldest Bronte sisters died early in childhood. It later became Emily's bedroom.

Beyond this is Patrick Bronte's bedroom. Branwell Bronte died in this room aged 31 looked after by his concerned father . In the room is a reproduction of the bed on which Patrick died outliving all of his family.
From here you enter Branwell's studio and exhibition room with various works of art (many by Branwell) and various Bronte paraphernalia.

A staircase leads down to the shop containing a plethora of books - novels and biographies, DVDs of various film adaptations of the books, postcards, pens and so on and so on.

The museum tour took us about two hours to complete including a lingering browse in the shop. Allow some time for the church, the village and the surrounding moorland as well, they are worth a look around.

The museum is open from 10 a.m.- 5.30 p.m. April-September and from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. October-March. It is open everyday with the exception of 24th -27th December and 2nd January - 31st January.

Getting there is straightforward. The museum is in Haworth is in West Yorkshire, eight miles west of Bradford and three miles south of Keighley. The route by road is well signposted. There are three main car parks in Haworth, all pay and display. Regular bus services run from Bradford and Keighley. The nearest railway station is in Keighley. The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway run steam trains between Keighley and Haworth at weekends,

There is no café in the Museum, but walk into the village and you find an assortment of cafes, pubs and restaurants all keen to take your money.

There are no toilet facilities in the museum. There are public toilets available in the car park nearest to the museum or you will have to visit one of the cafes to spend your penny!!

All-in-all. I was glad I had visited. It was very crowded and the tour was very controlled. The museum is not children friendly and it is not accessible for physically disabled visitors.

There are no interactive exhibits or activities for children. A lot of the house is only accessible by stairs. However, for Bronte enthusiasts the museum is a must. It is well set out and does create an atmospheric sense of the Bronte's lifes and deaths.

Two things struck me from my visit. Firstly just how much tragedy and death the house / museum had seen! A total of seven of the Bronte family had died in this house - and most of them so young!. And secondly, just how much imagination and creativity this family had.

~A house of death~
It was to this house that Reverend Patrick Bronte, his wife Maria and their six children moved on 20th April 1820. Sadly, Mrs Bronte died in their new home shortly afterwards on 15 September 1821 of cancer. Her unmarried sister, Elizabeth Branwell, took over the running of the house and children. Tragedy was to continue for the family with the eldest children, Maria and Elizabeth also dying in the parsonage in 1925 aged only 12 and 10 years.

The surviving four children were cosseted at home taught by their father and nutured by their aunt. The only boy, Branwell unhappy in love turned to alcohol and opium for solace. He died suddenly on Sunday 24 September 1848 aged thirty-one of tuberculosis. Emily died shortly afterwards in 19 December 1848 aged 30. Anne (the only Bronte not to die at the house) died in Scarborough on 28 May 1849 aged 29. Charlotte found love and married. Tragically though she died in the house on 31 March 1855 in the early stages of pregnancy. Sadly, there are no direct descents of the Brontes.

~A house of Imagination~

The four surviving children, somewhat socially isolated in this large house, created a deatailed imaginary world for themselves. This fantasy world was inspired by a gift of toy soldiers given to Branwell by his father. The children would entertain each others with stories from this world. It was the poetry written by the sisters for their characters that led them to their first publication in 1846 - a collection of poetry. Because of the Victorian prejudice against female writers, the Bronte sisters adopted the pseudonyms of Currer, Acton and Ellis Bell.

The sisters continued their writing in the parsonage. Each producing novels that were to become lasting English literary classics.

And brings us to the end of day. I left satisfied by the experience of the museum. I would recommend a visit but not really with children and if you do have any physical disability then I would advise checking with the museum first. Be prepared for a lot of visitors! As a closing line, this is a must for any Bronte enthusiasts. 

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