I'm a massive fan of 'Jane Eyre' and I've been reading and rereading it for about 25 years, getting something different from the novel every time. As I live an hour away by public transport from Haworth where the Bronte's lived I decided to make a pilgrimage last week. I've been to Haworth lots of times before but always as the lone Bronte fan with disinterested friends, so this time I wanted to go to the Bronte Parsonage Museum and have a good look around.
I arrived on a wet Monday morning when most things were closed and got a rare glimpse of the village without crowds of visitors.
I decided to have an early lunch so bought a 'Fat Tyke' from a bakery, which is a 'Fat Rascal' but Betty's Tea Room have claimed that name for their own and are funny about other bakeries using it - never mind that the fruity, spicy bun existed long before Betty's. Anyway, I scurried up the rest of the hill in the rain and found shelter in the graveyard, where I stood under a tree eating my Fat Tyke and startling a dog walker.
Full of stodge I went on to the Bronte Parsonage Museum. I thought £12 for a small museum was quite expensive, but the ticket can be used for a full year and as I live near by I may go back so that's not bad.
The museum was busy but I was fortunate enough to get the dining room where the sisters did much of their writing to myself for a couple of minutes during which I basked in geekish joy thinking "Wow, this is where 'Jane Eyre' was written".
Squeezed into the bottom of a display cabinet upstairs was Charlotte's writing desk. It was obscured by shelves and I don't know why it was so tucked away and hard to see, but I was delighted nonetheless.
It's clear that a lot of effort has gone into gathering original Bronte belongings from around the country and the globe and bringing them home, filling in the blanks with good reproductions and replicating the decor of the house.
But...the real sense of what it would have been like came from being outdoors. After the busy museum I needed some air and to stretch me legs so I took a short walk on the moor. The rain varied between drizzle and downpour but the purple heather in full bloom contrasted strikingly against the grey sky, the air was fresh and muddy and the views were far reaching.
Heather is at it's best in August and even in the rain the colours were stunning.
The open hills balanced out the busy museum. The surrounding moors famously inspired and were greatly loved by the Bronte family, and it's easy to see why.
Leaving the village, souvenir shops, cafes and museum behind was refreshing and gave a real sense of place.
Is the Bronte Parsonage Museum worth a visit? Yes, but it wouldn't feel complete without taking in this special landscape too.
