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The
Brontes are not the only famous women to be buried in Haworth. In
1906 Lily Cove, Britain's first female balloonist and parachutist,
was killed after becoming detached from her parachute. Her grave
can be seen in the cemetery near Penistone Hill. Lily's ghost is
said to haunt the Old White Lion where she was laid out after her
accident.
The
Tourist information Centre is housed in the distinctively shaped
building at the top of Main Street. It was in this building, then
a Yorkshire Penny Bank, that the Bronte Society first opened its
museum.
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| The
top of the main street |
Jewellery,
textiles, antiques (including junk), books, furniture, paintings,
potteries, toys and souvenirs of every variety can be found in the
small shops in Main Street. The
old apothecary shop, where Betty Hardacre was in the habit of supplying
Branwell Bronte with his laudanum (a derivative of opium), is now
a gift shop and guest house.
There
is an ice-cream parlour and a shop that is famous for its fudge.
Further down the hill a shop has everything for witches and the
New Age enthusiast. Would Patrick Bronte have approved?
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| The
Old Apothecary |
Every
second-shop appears to be a tearooom. One of these has a well-stocked
bakers' counter with many Yorkshire delicacies - treat yourself
to a Fatty Rascal. Nearby is a delightfully old-fashioned sweetshop
full of mouth-watering jars with names like Yorkshire Mix and Soor
Plooms.
And,
of course, there are the pubs. Branwell Bronte is known to have
frequented the Black Bull where his chair is still on display.
No
doubt Branwell drank in most of the village hostelries. The Fleece,
towards the bottom of the hill, is the only place in the country
that sells all six of Timothy Taylor's locally-brewed beers. There
has been many a walker who sets off for the moors but never gets
beyond the village pubs.
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| Branwell's
chair in the Black Bull |
Walking
is the only way to reach Top Withins, the most famous and romantic
of the buildings associated with the Bronte novels. Those who feel
like stretching their legs can follow our circular
walk from Penistone Hill to the ruined farmhouse and the
Bronte Waterfalls.
Ponden Hall, believed to be the model for Thrushcross Grange in
Wuthering Heights, can be reached from the road between Stanbury
and Wycoller. Now a private residence, Ponden Hall is remembered
fondly by many a walker as a place to get a cup of tea or a bed
for the night.
For
more Bronte associations venture further along this road and across
the Lancashire border to visit the picturesque hamlet of Wycoller.
The now-ruined Wycoller Hall may have been the setting for Ferndean
Manor where Jane Eyre finally found happiness with her Mr Rochester.
The next train to arrive at Haworth.
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| KWVR:
The next train to arrive in Haworth |
Those
with young children may prefer to take the Railway Children Walk,
a circular route passing many of the locations used in the 1970
film. You can run alongside the steam trains, waving as they pass,
just as Jenny Agutter
and the other children did in the movie.
Haworth is certainly a place that exploits the past. Wander into
Haworth in May and you may just see GIs
dancing in the streets to the strains of Glen Miller. Come
in December and you could find the village children "scroggling
the holly." Best of all, go on a foggy winter's morning when there
are few other tourists and you might just get a sense of the village
that the Brontes knew - then head for a bright and welcoming cafe.
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