the Parsonage

Built in 1778, the interior of the house has been recreated to appear much as it would have done when the Bronte's lived here. The collection contains many items of furniture which actually belonged to the family, and also a great many of their personal possessions and creations.

The ground floor of the museum displays the dining room where the children did most of their early writing, Mr Bronte's study, the kitchen - much altered since the family lived here, although it has been reconstructed as far as possible - and the store room that Charlotte had converted into a study for her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls.

On the upper floor, in what was once Mr and Mrs Bronte's room and subsequently became Charlotte's room, is a display containing some of her clothes, and her shoes, which are tiny and look particularly uncomfortable. It's immediately obvious from both the shoes and the dress just how diminutive she was - probably no more than 4' 10".

This is also the room Charlotte and Arthur shared following their marriage on 29 June, 1854, and where she died less than a year later on 31 March 1855.

Next to Charlotte's room is the tiny bedroom thought to have been used as Emily's bedroom. Prior to some alterations carried out during the 1850s, this room would probably have been larger and was used as a nursery and playroom by all the children. It was probably here that they played with the toy soldiers and where they wrote their tiny little adventure books. One of these books is on display in the exhibition room.

Across the hallway is Patrick Bronte's room which he moved into following the death of his wife.

Patrick shared the room with his son Branwell once the latter's addiction to drugs and alcohol had reached the stage where he was likely to be a danger to himself and others.

Both Branwell and Patrick died in this room; Branwell at the age of 31, and Patrick thirteen years later, at the age of 84.

Beyond the room containing examples of Branwell's paintings is the exhibition room, telling the story of the lives of the famous Bronte family, and downstairs, the "Bonnell Room" - named after the American bibliophile who donated his collection of Bronteana to the museum - which houses temporary exhibitions.