Here I am snug as a bug in a rug. The radiators are piping hot , I have numerous throws to wrap round myself and two fur babies to snuggle up with. Bliss !
Friday night though was spent ( mostly shivering!) In a little B&B in the Yorkshire town of Haworth. I won’t say it was our accomodations fault. I couldn’t properly get warm anywhere at all. I think Yorkshire folk must be alot hardier than us Lancashire lot. The heating was on everywhere but didn’t seem to make much of a difference. I layered myself up and was tempted to keep my coat and hat on….even in bed. I have turned into a right softy!
Wil and I ( minus the pets) stopped over in Haworth as we were attending a talk in nearby Keighley by the Arctic adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. It certainly seemed touch and go whether the event would take place. But of course ‘ the world’s greatest living explorer’ was easily up to the challenge of travelling from Exmoor to bleakest Yorkshire, whatever the conditions. 🙂
Despite my whinging, we did have a lovely time. The snow gave the cobbled streets of Haworth a wintery charm. The town is of course, famed for being the home of an extraordinary literary family, the Bronte’s. Writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne lived in the parsonage with their father the Reverend Bronte and brother Branwell. We had the Bronte Parsonage Museum all to ourselves on Saturday morning. Photography is no longer prohibited inside the museum,so I took a few pictures and imagined the Bronte siblings sitting at the dining room table, scribbling away. How frozen must their fingers have felt in the perishing south pennine winters.
We ended our visit to Haworth with a winter warming lunch in The Hawthorn on Main Street, whilst browsing our purchases. I bought ‘The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef ( Can’t wait to start it! ) and Wil had purchased a signed copy of Ranulph Fiennes appropriately titled ‘Cold’, the evening before.
Which is your favourite Bronte sister novel?
sunshine and celandines 
I have to confess I’ve never read any of the Brontes’ books as I’m not a lover of the classics, I much prefer books written in the ‘here and now’. Haworth isn’t somewhere I’ve ever thought of going to although I must admit the tiny embroidered bed looks fascinating. It’s good that you had a nice time though even if it WAS cold 🙂
Wuthering Heights has always stook in my head and I love Jane Eyre too. Though if your not a fan of their books, just the history of the place is amazing…and seeing how they all lived. I also loved that Emily and Anne both had dogs. They wrote poetry about them and took them up onto the moors. Emily’s dog Keeper pined at her graveside for weeks after she died, it is said.
X
I hear reports that Emily used to beat up Keeper. I think one report stated she left him blind in one eye. Though they had a harsh life, I can’t accept that abuse! x
Definitely not! I just read something about that. The dog was loyal to the end though.I don’t think people cared as much about their animals in those days. Its very sad. 😦 x
Very different times x
It has to be Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I read it as a teenager and it left me moody for a week. Looks like a lovely place and I love the look of that curiosity shop.
Wuthering Heights is my favourite too. The curiosity shop is a treasure trove of wierd and wonderful. 🙂
I’m quite partial to Tom Hardy in the TV adaptation too ..lol 🙂
Oh yes. Love Tom Hardy. 🙂
It all looks so pretty in the snow. 😊Another vote for Wuthering Heights here, though I’m fond of Jane Eyre too. X
To be honest I have only read Jane Eyre ( great) , Wuthering Heights ( wonderful) and Agnes Grey ( didn’t love that one, has not left a lasting impression like the other two) so I know there is more to read. X
I’m a Lancashire lass born and bred but could honestly up-sticks and sod off to Yorkshire next week it’s a beautiful place. When the kids were little we used to take them quite regularly to Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and spend all day hopping on and off steam trains and being blinded by coal dust and soot pouring in through the front car windows.
Then two of my close friends bought a house in Haworth which gave me an excellent opportunity and excuse to go visit and stay at theirs for long weekends and then we ended up meeting Dave and Fiona Katie Widdop at their beautiful farmhouse.
Went over to meet their border collie puppies, fell in love with one of them straight away then went inside the farmhouse just to pay a deposit and arrange a day for picking her up and Dave foolishly mentioned his wife being a harpist and having a music room with no fewer than 19 handmade harps she built from scratch using whatever she found lying around at the farm. Didn’t leave for another two hours either and ended up playing her grand piano, every harp and no doubt drove them potty but acquired a new couple of friends.
What a harpist and what a place 🙂
Wow what an amazing story. Haworth is beautiful. I would love to take a trip on a steam train on that railway, hopping on and off. Definitely going to consider that this year, and take our dog too. 19 handmade harps. Sounds extraordinary. 🙂
That was the right weather to be visiting Haworth! It is such a bleak spot, but so atmospheric! I would really recommend the BBC film ‘To Walk Invisible’ filmed at Haworth. The actress that plays Emily is particularly wonderful – gruffness made into an art-form. I love ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Wuthering Heights’ equally. I’m sorry to say that I have neglected Anne Bronte – she wasn’t on my GCSE or A Level English reading list! Your photos are lovely. The apothecary’s looks especially interesting!
I watched To Walk Invisible and loved it! I love Wuthering Heights and I did it at A-Level. Was my only A graded coursework. All went downhill from there! I have neglected Anne mostly too. Read Agnes Grey ages ago…but it didn’t leave an impression. I will try reading her other work. X
Try Anne’s Tenant of Wildfell Hall, she based it on Bramwell x
Thanks, I will try it. X
How appropriate that mother nature laid on snow and ice to set the scene for the talk! Bet you’d prefer she hadn’t bothered though! 🙂 It’s great that the prohibition against photography has been lifted; I wish a few other museums would follow suit. They should realise that it’s often through seeing somebody else’s photos that people decide to pay a visit themselves. My favourite is also Wuthering Heights. 🙂
The snow was highly appropiate. It was just so cold though, even indoors. I shivered lots!
When I visited the Bronte museum 5 years ago you couldn’t take pictures. I am so glad they changed their minds. I love Wuthering Heights too. Definitely my favourite. 🙂
The change of policy must be quite recent as photography wasn’t allowed when I last visited within the last 18 months. I completely understand why it isn’t allowed in some places, as small spaces can become congested when lots of people are standing taking photos. However, the no cameras policy is often in place so that visitors will buy merchandise from the museum shop instead, such as glossy brochures which contain shots of the interior. Again, I understand that museums have to make an income in order to remain open, so I can also understand that position. Unfortunately though, a lot of the official merchandise is very steeply priced. One of my favourite museums in London annoyingly does not allow photography. It has doubled its admission price over the last 10 years, though nothing new has been added or improvements made. Staff are seemingly employed to watch visitors and stop them taking photos. Needless to say there is a small but extremely expensive shop area where books about the museum can be purchased!
They saw my camera and just said ‘ we allow photos now, just no flash photography ‘ so I was pretty chuffed. Plus there was only us visiting due to the weather. It was nice to have a proper good look round. Lots of lovely things in the gift shop too. X
Haworth is beautiful, snow or no snow. It was more than extremely cold the last few days – so maybe you’re not as nesh as you think. On both Thursday and Friday, I had the heating on non-stop, plus the log burner and kept the curtains drawn in the rooms we weren’t using during the daytime – Hubby thought I’d turned into a vampire 😉
In my opinion Anne is definitely the best Bronte. For me the other sisters books just don’t compare and I find it disappointing that Jane Eyre and Wutherthering Heights get all the attention.
Haworth is very picturesque especially in the snow. I think Yorkshire folk are much more hardy than I. They were sat about in short sleeves whilst I shivered in my winter coat. Our B&B was freezing. I nearly requested one of those Victorian Bed Pans. 😉
I need to revisit Anne’s books. X
They were just showing off – really they were very cold. Having said that my hubby did go running in his shorts today and he is a Yorkshireman.
Ha ha! Victorian bed pan 🙂
Yes do give Anne another go. xx
Yorkshireman have true grit. Must be all them Yorkshire puddings. 😁X
Ha ha! I think my husband was mostly brought up on chips! xx
😁X
Bekki I so agree with you, Anne Bronte is the best by far. I find the Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre rather immature in plot ans style.
Thank you for saying that. I feel rather out of step with English curriculums exhaulting wuthering highs and Jane Eyre and completely overlooking Anne.
I have been here many years ago but don’t remember much about it. I confess I have only read the obvious two, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, and *whispers* didn’t much care for either.
I agree. I preferred 🙂
Villette x
I loved them both, but we are all different, which is completely fine.:) I found the museum interesting and I especially liked how they were inspired ( especially Emily) by the wild and rugged countryside around them.
That sounds like a great trip, although the snow and cold made itself felt. I had forgotten Sir Ranulph is still around–good for you to get to see him. Here in the US near Woodstock NY we had some cold and snow, but this last few days was a storm that knocked out power for 110,000 people on the east coast, and we still haven’t got water since Thursday. We do have electric again though. Best wishes to all, and stay warm and safe!
Oh no. You have it alot worse than we did. And here I am complaining about the cold. Hope the water comes back on soon. The storms have subsided here now. X
The weather seems pretty much fine now, although a little breezy, but…the people next to us still have no electricity, poor folks. I am hoping for water any time, but the guy who owns the water company is a jerk who refuses to get a generator to run it when needed since it ‘would cost a lot of money’. Meanwhile, it serves dozens of houses and is a public utility, not something we could choose. Good luck to all!
He does sound a jerk. I keep my fingers crossed for you. Xx
Thanks. Eventually some regulatory commission or whatever will get him. It seems really dumb to run a public utility that many people rely on in a stupid way.
I’m so glad you had a good time. Perhaps you were cold to the bone, and that was why you couldn’t get warm? I get like that too sometimes, when I have been out in the elements too long. Villette is my favourite Bronte book, I can almost say it is may all time favourite book! Thanks for the pictures of the parsonage, seems strange to think the three sisters walking around that small table concocting tales. I think people romanticice their lives, I think they were rather tough! x
Sorry about the spelling mistakes. I meant people romanticised their lives. Howarth is a nice town, though in 19th Century it wasn’t. I think it would have smelled a lot! I hope you enjoyed the talk x
Villette is another book I have never read. It seems I have alot to learn about the Brontes. Just started reading a book by Catherine Reef about the sisters. Enjoying it so far. The talk by Ranulph Fiennes was really good. He has a really dry sense of humour and is pretty incredible, still off on expeditions at nearly 74. X
Lovely photos & so different from when I saw it back in 1991. We’ve actually not visited any time since, even though we’ve been back to UK many times. Too much to see & do when we come over. My favourite would have to be Jane Eyre & funny thing is that my step GD who arrived in Oz, Saturday night is reading it on her kindle & enjoying, so even 22 year olds are reading it now. Thanks for the pics, take care & stay warm.
Its wonderful that the Bronte novels are still so well loved today. Wuthering Heights is my favourite but I love Jane Eyre too. X
Hi there, I’ve read them all as I did them for Sixth Year Studies English many moons ago… I loved The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. We’re off to Yorkshire in June and I’m definitely going to the museum so this has further whetted my appetite.
Oh wonderful. Lots of walks round there too. I really want to visit the Bronte waterfall and Top Withins, a house ruin on the moors which is thought to be the indpiration for the house Wuthering Heights. I am sure you will love the museum and all of Haworth. X
Blimey you were barve, Haworth in that weather, can’t say I would fancy it. But that aside, I really love Haworth and the Bronte museum. It’s no wonder they died so young in that climate and living next door to the cemetery. Like Shazza above I have always wanted to walk to Top Withins.
Hopefully will get back there this year! Xx
oh missed out the word you, in like you Shazza I have always wanted to walk to Top Withins.
Sounds lovely 🙂 I’ve driven through Haworth a few times and always want to stop and explore but haven’t done so yet. There are quite a few walks I’d like to do around there too. I’m currently re-reading Wuthering Heights 🙂
I am sure re-reading Wuthering Heights will inspire you to visit again and check out some moorland walks with Bronte landmarks. Look forward to your posts! 😉 I too re-read Wuthering Heights, in January. I had almost forgotten that the biggest chunk of the story concerns the younger generation and how they almost repeat the mistakes of their forbearers. You tend to forget the story is very much about Cathy, Hareton and Linton, not just Heathcliff , the first Cathy and Edgar. X
I don’t think I’ve been to Haworth – it looks very pretty.
My favourite Brontë sisters novel (that I’ve read) is Jane Eyre.
It is a very atmospheric place to visit. 🙂
I loved Jane Eyre too, but my fave is definitely Wuthering Heights. However I do need to try the other novels that Charlotte wrote and also see more of Anne. 🙂 x
Nice to see someone else who voted for Villette, which I enjoyed very much! I like Jane Eyre too, but after those two, I’ve not read any Bronte sisters works.
Your photos gave us a lovely tour around Haworth, where I have been, but long, long ago. And Mr FD is against all “browsing” so I wouldn’t have seen the lovely shops. Sigh.
Hi thanks for your comment. 🙂
Villette is definitely now on my list of books to read! Theres some quirky little shops in Haworth. Best to deposit the Mr in a pub or cafe and have a browse at your leisure I say. 🙂
Jane Eyre is a favourite I’ve read several times but I’ve enjoyed the others too. Wuthering Heights did hold a deep fascination when I was a teenager.
Its a proper gothic novel isn’t it. Well they both are. I am going to try Villette next. 😁
Seems just the right setting for an Arctic explorer. 🙂 🙂 I really wasn’t sorry to miss the deep freeze myself
You were definitely in the best place! X
Have you ever been to their birthplace in Thornton? My daughter and I went to Branwell’s 200th birthday and sat by the fire in front of which the children first saw the light of day.
Hi no I haven’t , though I would love to go. Is it now a cafe? I did pass through Cowan Bridge on my way back from the lakes yesterday. This is where the older girls went to school. It was a nasty cruel school by all accounts and Charlotte used her and her sisters harsh treatment there as a basis for the orphanage/school that Jane Eyre was sent to by the Reed family. X
Couple of years ago I made an appointment to visit an ‘old’ house in Santa Cruz California where i lived. I was interested in the history of the town and a volunteer showed me round. However, the most unexpected outcome of the day was the fact that Virginia’s husband is a direct descendent of William Carus Wilson, proprietor and headmaster at the school the Brontees attended and who became the prototype for Mr Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre. Virginia and her husband have visited that area, staying in Casterton Hall. She invited me to visit her at home sometime and see her Brontee memorabilia, which I duly did! I’ve also been inside the school in Birstwith near Harrogate where Charlotte taught
– see my blog for July 20, 2016 for photos. Branwell’s event in my blog is July 26, 2017.
Goodness, well what a small world! I wonder how he feels to have such an ancestor? He was the inspiration for such a nasty character, and wasn’t exactly a nice man himself, or so we are to believe. I will look at your posts when I have a bit more time. Thank you. X
I
I bet that hill was slippy in the snow!
I’m jealous you got the Bronte parsonage to yourself, that must have been lovely!
It was quite slippy. Yes it was lovely to have to ourselves …and even better now that you can take pics. X
This is wonderful! Jane Eyre has long been one of my favourite books. I only read Withering Heights a few years ago, and I hated it. The book itself I suppose was great, because it made me hate the characters so much that I have no wish to ever read it again, lol.
Haha yes the characters are certainly not very likable. I do root for Cathy and Hareton at the end though. Jane is much easier to like and have sympathy for too. X