Brontë Country

Area of south Pennine hills in West Yorkshire, England

53°49′48″N 1°57′14″W﻿ / ﻿53.830°N 1.954°W﻿ / 53.830; -1.954

The Brontë sisters, painted by their brother, Branwell c. 1834.[1]

Brontë Country is a name given to an area of south Pennine hills west of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England.[2][3] The name comes from the Brontë sisters, who wrote such literary classics as Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë), Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë), and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Anne Brontë) while living in the area.[4]

## Geology

[edit]

The geology of the Brontë country is mainly gritstone.

## Points of interest

[edit]

The area includes the village of Haworth, where the Brontë sisters lived, and where the Brontë Parsonage Museum is located today. Top Withens is said to have been the inspiration for Wuthering Heights.[5] Ponden Hall, which located about half a mile outside Stanbury, is believed to inspire at least two buildings in Brontës' novels: Thrushcross Grange in Wuthering Heights and the eponymous mansion in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.[6] Thornton, on the outskirts of Bradford, is the birthplace of the Brontë sisters and their brother Branwell (their father was rector of Thornton church).[7] The house where they were born still exists as the Brontë Birthplace and in November 2023 was acquired for restoration and preservation as a cultural and educational space.[8] It is located on Market Street in the centre of the village.[9]

Other places of interest from the Brontë sisters' novels include Oakwell Hall (Fieldhead in Shirley), Red House (Briarmains in Shirley), and Gawthorpe Hall and Wycoller Hall (Ferndean Manor in Jane Eyre).[10]

## In media and culture

[edit]

The film Brontë Country: The Story of the Emily, Charlotte & Anne Brontë discusses the area's geography and history, and the history of the Brontë family.[11]

## Gallery

[edit]

* The birthplace of the Brontë brothers and sisters in Market Street, Thornton Village

* Bronte bridge

* Plaque at Bronte waterfall

* The Bronte Way, looking SW towards Bronte Bridge

* Haworth

* Haworth Churchyard

* Chancel east wall of the ruin of St James' chapel, Thornton, West Yorkshire

* Oakwell Hall

* Gawthorpe hall, Padiham seen from the south east

* St Barnabas' parish church, Hightown, Liversedge, West Yorkshire

* Red House Museum, Gomersal, often visited by Charlotte Brontë who featured the house as "Briarmains" in "Shirley"

## See also

[edit]

* Bingley
* Bradford
* Brontë Waterfall
* Halifax, West Yorkshire
* High Sunderland Hall
* Keighley
* Leeds
* Lumbfoot
* Oakworth
* Saltaire
* Shibden Hall
* Shipley, West Yorkshire
* Skipton
* Stanbury
* Thornton, West Yorkshire

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Furness, Hannah (18 December 2015). "National Portrait Gallery to reveal mysteries of shadowy Bronte brother". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
2. ^ "Walking Through History - Articles - Bronte Country - West Yorkshire - All 4". www.channel4.com. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
3. ^ "Bronte Country". Eagle Intermedia Publishing Ltd. 1997. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
4. ^ "Bronte Homeland Interpretative Centre". DiscoverNorthernIreland.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
5. ^ Smith, Roly (23 December 2000). "Brontë country". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
6. ^ Introductions for The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Worth Press Limited. 2008. ISBN 978-1-903025-57-4.
7. ^ "Bronte sisters chapel at Thornton targeted by thieves". BBC News. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
8. ^ "Home". Brontë Birthplace. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
9. ^ "View of the Brontë Birthplace on Market Street". Google Maps. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
10. ^ Barnett, David (27 January 2016). "House portrayed in Jane Eyre set to lose public funding". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
11. ^ "Brontë Country: The Story of the Emily, Charlotte & Anne Brontë". The Great British Channel. DeltaOne Media. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.

## External links

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Brontë Country.

* Bronte Country
* Tourist Information website for the Brontë Country Archived 16 July 2005 at the Wayback Machine
* Tourist information website for Haworth Archived 6 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine
* Web news magazine from the Brontë Parsonage Museum
* Website of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth

* v
* t
* e

Brontë sisters

Charlotte|

* Jane Eyre (1847)
* Shirley (1849)
* Villette (1853)
* The Professor (1857)

Emily|

* "Lines" (1837)
* "To a Wreath of Snow" (1837)
* "F. De Samara to A. G. A." (1838)
* "Come hither child" (1839)
* "A Death-Scene" (1844)
* Wuthering Heights (1847)

Anne|

* "Lines Composed in a Wood on a Windy Day" (1846)
* Agnes Grey (1847)
* The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)

Collaborative work|

* Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (1846)
* List of Brontë poems

Juvenilia|

* A Book of Ryhmes
* Glass Town
* The Young Men's Magazine
* Gondal

Family|

* Patrick Brontë (father)
* Maria Branwell (mother)
* Branwell Brontë (brother)
* Maria Brontë (sister)
* Elizabeth Brontë (sister)
* Elizabeth Branwell (aunt)
* Arthur Bell Nicholls (Charlotte's husband)
* John Kingston (uncle-in-law)
* William Morgan (husband of first cousin once removed)

Locations|

* Haworth (village which was home to and is greatly associated with the Brontës)
* Brontë Birthplace (house in Thornton, birthplace of the Brontë sisters)
* Thornton (village which was home to the Brontës)
* Hartshead (village which was home to the Brontës)
* Brontë Country (landscape portrayed in the Brontë novels)
* Brontë Parsonage Museum (former home and now museum of the Brontës)
* Brontë Waterfall (waterfall associated with the Brontë sisters)
* Brontë Way (footpath associated with the Brontë sisters)
* Cowan Bridge School (school attended by the Brontë sisters)
* St Michael and All Angels' Church (church of which Patrick Brontë was pastor)

Associates|

* Ellen Nussey (lifelong friend and correspondent of Charlotte Brontë)
* Elizabeth Gaskell (lifelong friend and biographer of Charlotte Brontë)
* Mary Taylor (lifelong friend of Charlotte Brontë)
* Constantin Héger (teacher who was loved by Charlotte Brontë)
* George Smith (publisher of the Brontës)

Cultural legacy|

* Devotion (1946 film)
* Les Sœurs Brontë (1979 film)
* Brontë (2005 play)
* To Walk Invisible (2016 film)
* Emily (2022 film)
* Victorian literature

* Category

* v
* t
* e

City of Bradford

Towns,
villages,
areas
and wards|

Addingham
Allerton
Apperley Bridge
Baildon
Barkerend
Belle Vue
Ben Rhydding
Bingley
Bingley Rural
Bingley ward
Bolton and Undercliffe
Bowling and Barkerend
Bradford
Bradford Moor
Broomfields
Burley in Wharfedale
Burley Woodhead
Buttershaw
City of Bradford
City ward
Clayton
Cottingley
Craven ward
Crossflatts
Cross Roads
Cullingworth
Cutler Heights
Denholme
Dudley Hill
East Morton
East Bowling
Eastburn
Eccleshill
Egypt
Eldwick
Esholt
Frizinghall
Forster Square
Gilstead
Girlington
Great Horton
Greengates
Hainworth
Harden
Haworth
Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury
Heaton
Holme Wood
Idle
Idle and Thackley
Ilkley
Ingrow
Keighley
Keighley Central
Keighley East
Keighley West
Laisterdyke
Laycock
Little Germany
Little Horton
Long Lee
Longlands
Low Moor
Lumbfoot
Manningham
Menston
Oakenshaw
Oakworth
Odsal
Oldfield
Oxenhope
Queensbury
Ravenscliffe
Riddlesden
Royds
Ryecroft
Saltaire
Sandy Lane
Shipley
Silsden
Staithgate
Stanbury
Steeton
Steeton with Eastburn
Thackley
Thornbury
Thornton
Thornton and Allerton
Thorpe Edge
Toller
Tong ward
Tong village
Trident
Tyersal
Wharfedale ward
Wibsey
Wilsden
Windhill and Wrose
Worth Valley
Wrose
Wyke

Governance|

Bradford-Keighley Youth Parliament
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Constituencies
Council
Councillors
Parishes
Politics
Wards

Culture,
leisure and
tourism|

| Countryside|

Airedale
Bradford Dale
Brontë Country
Harden Moor
Heaton Woods
Ilkley Moor
Judy Woods
Penistone Hill Country Park
Pennine Way
Wharfedale
Worth Valley
Yorkshire Dales

|

Buildings and
Listed buildings|

The Gatehaus
Mechanics' Institute Library
Midland Hotel
Milligan and Forbes Warehouse
Old White Horse Inn
Salts Mill
Top Withens
White Wells
Wool Exchange
Halls
Bingley Town Hall
Bolling Hall
Bradford City Hall
Cartwright Hall
Cottingley Town Hall
East Riddlesden Hall
Heathcote
Ilkley Town Hall
Keighley Town Hall
Oakwood Hall
Oakworth Hall
Paper Hall
Ponden Hall
Royds Hall
Shipley Town Hall
Silsden Town Hall
Victoria Hall
Mills
: Drummond Mill
Lister Mills
Places of worship
All Saints' Parish Church
Al Mahdi Mosque
Bradford Cathedral
Bradford Grand Mosque

Bradford Tree of Life Synagogue
Holy Trinity Church, Bingley
St Patrick's Church
Saltaire United Reformed Church
St Peter's Church, Addingham
Shree Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple

Entertainment|

Bradford Alhambra
Bradford Odeon
Bradford Playhouse
Cubby Broccoli Cinema
Ilkley Playhouse
IMAX
Keighley Picture House
Odeon Leeds-Bradford
Pictureville Cinema
St George's Hall

Museums
and galleries|

BD1 Gallery
Bolling Hall
Bracken Hall Countryside Centre and Museum
Bradford Industrial Museum
Brontë Parsonage Museum
Cartwright Hall
Cliffe Castle Museum
Colour Experience
Ilkley Toy Museum
Impressions Gallery
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Manor House Museum
Museum of Rail Travel
National Science and Media Museum
Peace Museum
Transperience

Clubs and
societies|

Airedale Boat Club
Bradford Festival Choral Society
Bradford Girls' Choir
Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library
Fanderson
Idle Working Men's Club
Keighley and District Local History Society
The 1 in 12 Club

Shopping|

Sunbridge Wells
The Broadway
Wool Exchange

Parks|

Bingley St Ives
Bowling Park
Bradford City Park
Harold Park
Holden Park
Horton Park
Lister Park
Northcliffe Park
Peel Park
Roberts Park

Events|

Bingley Music Live
Bradford Literature Festival
Bradford Mela
Moor Music Festival
Ilkley Literature Festival
Infest
Ilkley Trophy
Keighley Festival
Saltaire Festival

Heritage|

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Saltaire International Heritage Centre
Shipley Glen Tramway
Undercliffe Cemetery

Services|

| Education|

Bradford College
Bradford Libraries
Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library
Bradford Schools
Shipley College
University of Bradford

|

Health|

Airedale General Hospital
Bradford Royal Infirmary
St Luke's Hospital

Mass media|

| Publishing|

Emerald Group Publishing
Keighley News
Telegraph & Argus

|

Radio|

Hits Radio West Yorkshire
Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire
RamAir
Sunrise Radio

TV|

AAP TV

Organisations|

| Companies|

Bradford Trades Council
British Wool Marketing Board
Club 18-30
Damart
Dean, Smith & Grace
Findel plc
Four Door Lemon
Grattan
Greenwoods
Hallmark Cards
Hield
JCT600
Kelda
Wm Morrison Supermarkets
Mumtaz Group
Pace Micro Technology
Safestyle UK
Seabrook Potato Crisps
Sports Turf Research Institute
Standard Wool
Telegraph & Argus
Timothy Taylor Brewery
Vanquis Banking Group
Wharfedale Brewery
Yorkshire Building Society
Yorkshire Water

|

Other|

Anchor Hanover Group
Association of Nail Technicians
Bradford Mechanics' Institute Library
Ilkley Upstagers' Theatre Group
Charity
Christians Against Poverty
Human Relief Foundation
Sacar
Religious
Al-Mustafa Centre
LIFE Church UK

Sport|

| Clubs|

Basketball
Bradford Dragons
Cricket
Bradford Premier League
Cycling
Ilkley Cycling Club
Football
Albion Sports A.F.C.
Bradford City
Bradford City W.F.C.
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Eccleshill United F.C.
Ilkley Town A.F.C.
Silsden F.C.
Thackley A.F.C.
Golf
Ilkley Golf Club
Rowing
Bradford Amateur Rowing Club
Rugby
Bradford & Bingley RFC
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls Women
Bradford Dudley Hill
Clayton A.R.L.F.C.
Ilkley Rugby Club
Keighley Cougars
Keighley RUFC

|

Venues|

Cougar Park
Great Horton Road
Horsfall Stadium
Odsal Stadium
Park Avenue
Valley Parade

Waterways|

| Rivers|

Bradford Beck
Harden Beck
Holme Beck
River Aire
River Wharfe
River Worth
Tyersal Beck

|

Canals|

Bingley Five Rise Locks
Bingley Three Rise Locks
Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Crossings|

Beckfoot Bridge
Ireland Bridge
Thornton Viaduct

Transport|

| Air|

Leeds Bradford Airport

|

Rail|

Lines
Airedale
Calder Valley
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Shipley Glen Tramway
Wharfedale
Stations
Tunnels
Bowling
Thackley

Bus|

Stations
Bradford Interchange
Ilkley bus station
Keighley bus station
Services
Arriva Yorkshire
First West Yorkshire
Keighley Bus Company

Road|

Road
M62
M606
A647
A650
A658
A6036
A6177

Miscellaneous|

Crime
History
Military
Postcodes
Timeline
People
Geology
Aire Valley Fault
Denholme Clough Fault

Category
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