Bronte Country Landscapes

Last week, I was lucky to get the opportunity to spend some time taking photos in the Brontë Birthplace, formerly known as Thornton Parsonage, before major renovation and restoration work begins.

Patrick Brontë moved here in 1815 with his wife, Maria, and daughters Maria and Elizabeth, from their previous home at Clough House in Liversedge. They lived here until 1820, when they moved to Haworth, and it was in this house that four more children were born, Charlotte in 1816, Patrick Branwell in 1817, Emily Jane in 1818 and Anne in 1820.

This exterior view was taken last summer. The extension was built in the late 1900s and was used a s butchers shop and then, more recently, a cafe. When the building came up for sale recently, it was bought by a local community group.

The parlour, where the four youngest children were born.

The scullery. Not much in the way of original features left here, unfortunately.

The servants’ stairs lead up to the landing from the scullery.

The top of the main staircase

Patrick & Maria’s bedroom with the original fireplace and built-in wardrobe.

The warming trivet on Patrick & Maria’s bedroom fireplace.

The fireplace in the second bedroom, where, I believe, all the children would have slept.

The front room, which would have been used for ‘best’.

The front room fireplace is beautifully decorative and symmetrical piece of Georgian cast-iron. The picture is a print of a portrait of Emily painted by Branwell in about 1833. The original hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Some unique wallpaper which, unfortunately didn’t quite cover the whole wall. Maybe if Emily had written another couple of chapters….