Visit Haworth: Bronte country

	Study, work or travel in the UK. British culture and life.
Homepage	Search	A-Z index	Message Board	Contact us
Britain	Course	Life	Work	Links
English	Prepare	Personal	Travel	Ideas




< Up	Travel / Tours / England / Haworth
Visit Haworth


Sections:	Introduction
	Bronte Parsonage Museum
	Parish church
	Village centre
	Steam railway
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

Haworth is a small village with a population of about 5,000 in West Yorkshire, not far from Bradford. It is located in a set of hills known as the Pennines, just outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The area around the village is often known as Brontë Country, because three famous novelists called the Brontë sisters spent much of their lives there.

Haworth: A History
Author: Steven Wood
Publisher: Tempus Publishing
Date: March 2005

Bronte Country [2002] (DVD)
Studio: Delta Music
Date: September 2002
video version

BRONTE PARSONAGE MUSEUM

The Brontë sisters were born in the nearby town of Thornton, but in 1820 the family moved to Haworth and it remained their home until 1861. The three daughters - Emily, Charlotte and Anne - each wrote books, often inspired by the countryside which surrounded them. "Wuthering Heights" (by Emily Brontë) is perhaps the most famous example: it is the story of the relationship between a woman called Catherine and a man called Heathcliffe, set on the moors near Haworth.

The family lived in Haworth Parsonage, now known as the Brontë Parsonage. The building is now used as a museum about the lives and works of the Brontë sisters.

Haworth Parsonage:
a Georgian house

Entrance sign for the
Brontë Parsonage Museum

	Wuthering Heights (book) Author: Emily Bronte Publisher: Penguin Books Date: October 2004		Wuthering Heights [1939] (DVD) Studio: MGM Home Ent. (Europe) Date: July 2004 video version
	Jane Eyre (book) Author: Charlotte Bronte Publisher: Penguin Books Date: January 1994		Jane Eyre [1996] (DVD) Studio: Pathe Distribution Date: June 2003 video version
	The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (book) Author: Anne Bronte Publisher: Penguin Books Date: March 1994		The Tenant of Wildfell Hall [1996] (Video) Studio: BBC Date: June 2003

PARISH CHURCH

The father of the Brontë sisters was a parson (priest) at the local parish church. This church was demolished in 1879, but another church was built on the same site soon afterwards: this is the building which you can see today. Most of the members of the Brontë family are buried in a vault under the floor (Anne is buried in Scarborough): there is a stone inscription and a plaque above this.

The Brontë sisters' father used
to work in Haworth Parish Church

Part of the old church tower was used
when the new church was built in 1879

VILLAGE CENTRE

The streets of Haworth are very attractive. Visitors enjoy browsing in the shops or sitting down for tea or a meal.

This cobbled street has a fine view
of the Pennine hills

Three features of a Victorian village: a post office,
red public telephone and drug store (apothecary)

The Old Apothecary is now used as a gift shop
selling traditional English products

Sit down and enjoy some Yorkshire tea,
or for a roast meal with Yorkshire pudding

STEAM RAILWAY

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is a steam railway running for 5 miles (8 kilometres) between Keighley and Oxenhope, stopping at Haworth. Services run at weekends, bank holidays and daily during July and August.

This railway featured in the popular 1970 film version of E.Nesbit's story "The Railway Children" (starring Jenny Agutter). The stationmaster in the film (Mr Perks) was shown working at Oakworth station, which is the stop before Haworth. The doctor's house in the film was Brontë Parsonage Museum (see above). A brochure showing walks which visit places shown in the film is available from Haworth Tourist Information Centre.

	The Railway Children (book) Author: E. Nesbit Publisher: Penguin Books Date: April 1995		The Railway Children [1970]/Swallows and Amazons [1974] (DVDs) Studio: Warner Home Video Date: April 2003; video version
	Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (book) Author: Mike Heath Publisher: Halsgrove Date: April 2005		Best of Britain's Steam Railways (book) Publisher: AA Publishing Date: June 2005

FURTHER INFORMATION

* Visitor information
Visit Brontë Country: http://www.visitbrontecountry.com
Brontë Country website: http://www.brontecountry.co.uk (Haworth section: http://www.haworth.yorks.com)
Haworth Village: http://www.haworthvillage.co.uk
Brontë Parsonage Museum: http://www.bronte.org.uk
Haworth youth hostel: http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/hostelpages/267.html
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway: http://www.kwvr.co.uk

* Transportation
- You may want to travel from Leeds to Keighley and then take the steam train to Haworth, if trains are running on the day of your visit
For train timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/TheTrainline
- National coach services go to Bradford or Keighley, from where you can take local bus services to Haworth
For coach timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/NationalExpress

* Weather forecast for Keighley (near Haworth)
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=1169

* More photos
360 degree panoramic pictures: http://www.visitbrontecountry.com/360/360index.htm

Lonely Planet verdict: Haworth "Former home to the 19th century's novel-writing Bronte sisters, Haworth rivals Stratford-upon-Avon as Britain's most important literary shrine ... Even without this bookish link, Haworth would still draw visitors: the dark-stone houses of cobbled Main St, running steeply down from the parish church, provide a quintessential West Yorkshire view" (extracts from "Lonely Planet Great Britain - 2003 edition", used with permission)
	Lonely Planet Great Britain Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: May 2009	Lonely Planet England Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: March 2009
Other Lonely Planet publications

LINKS

British literature: English/Reading/Literature
Trains in the UK: Travel/Transport/Train
Cooking a traditional roast: Britain/Food/Cooking/Roast

Home page: Home

Back to top

© UK Student Life 2002-2009

* Search this website (www.ukstudentlife.com) or the web: