Haworth – Brontë history and moorland

Haworth brings together the history of the Brontë family, moorland and historic sites. The Brontë Parsonage Museum, St Michael & All Angels Church, literary trails and Penistone Hill Country Park each offer a different focus. When planning your stay, you can choose between literature and local history, walking trails and landscape, rather than planning your visit to Haworth around just one attraction. If you’re looking for a hotel in Haworth, these themes can help you decide what kind of trip you’d like.

Brontë history and historic sites

At the parsonage, now home to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë wrote works including “Jane Eyre”, “Wuthering Heights” and “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”. The house was home to the Brontë family from 1820 to 1861. The museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Brontë manuscripts, artworks, and domestic and personal items. Together, the family history, literary works and everyday objects form a shared theme.

The museum does not have timed entry; last admission is at 4 pm. Check these visitor details before your trip.

The family’s history is also evident throughout Haworth. The Brontë family grave is in the nave of St Michael & All Angels Church. Brontë Bridge is considered one of the sisters’ favourite places. Haworth Conservation Area also includes more than 80 listed buildings. Each of these sites offers a different perspective: the grave reflects the family’s history, Brontë Bridge its attributed personal significance, and the Conservation Area Haworth’s architectural heritage.

Moorland and literary sites

Penistone Hill Country Park lies just outside Haworth and is part of the Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve. Its 72 hectares of moorland include a variety of walking trails for different ability levels, as well as old quarries and small ponds. The park brings together trails, moorland and these landscape features. It offers a different focus for planning your activities than the museum and local history.

Top Withens is a ruined farmhouse on Haworth Moor near Haworth in West Yorkshire, with far-reaching views across Brontë Country. Top Withens Farm is thought to be the place that inspired Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights”. This inspiration is presented as a possibility, not an established fact. The Brontë Waterfalls are also weather-dependent: they are at their most impressive after heavy rain.

Walking trails and railway

The self-guided Brontë Connection Walk follows the Pennine Way across Haworth Moor to Top Withens Farm. The Brontë Way is a walking trail outside Haworth that connects important sites from the history of the Brontë family. The descriptions highlight different aspects: the Connection Walk has a specified route across Haworth Moor and a named endpoint, while the Brontë Way links sites of historical significance.

The historic Keighley & Worth Valley Railway offers another perspective on Brontë Country. The line runs from Keighley to Oxenhope through Brontë Country and offers a five-mile journey. The options described therefore differ not only in their destinations and connections to the landscape, but also in how you travel: a train ride complements the walking trails.

Discover more destinations: Ilkley, Shipley, Keighley, Bingley, Bradford.

Go to the main travel overview: Bradford.