Emily's Birthday Excursion

From the newsletter of the Bronte Parsonage:

Beautiful summer returned after the storms yesterday, just in time for Emily's Birthday Excursion, a very special new day of talks and tours in honour of the 195th anniversary of Emily Brontë's birth.

We're hoping July 30 will be a new, vital day in the Parsonage calendar, when the whole of Haworth village gets involved in the celebrations, and this year got the ball rolling in style with our first ever collaboration with the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

The Brontës may not have travelled on this particular branch line - Haworth station didn't open until 1867, 19 years after Emily's death - but she certainly used the railways, and the new freedom they brought women travellers, who - enjoying the comfort and discretion of a railway carriage - were suddenly able to become more independent than ever before.

With Emily's railway journeying in mind, our Director, Professor Ann Sumner, together with railway historian David Pearson, boarded the 12.10pm steam train from Keighley to Haworth, with a carriage full of excursioners, who were treated to talks on the history of the railway and the Brontës all the way there.

With them travelled 'Emily' herself - costume historian Lyn Cunliffe, pictured - who was happy to pose for pictures with fellow excursioners, and talk about her genuine Victorian dress. Then, once in Haworth, everyone piled on to the vintage bus trip up Main Street, grabbed a quick lunch in a local cafe, then arrived at the Parsonage to begin an afternoon of special tours.

There was a chance to see close up genuine manuscripts by Emily and her sisters in our library - along with other remarkable Brontë treasures, and a talk by Collections Manager Ann Dinsdale.

There was a guided talk on the meadow and garden by our gardener Jenny Whitehead - who happily pointed out where the family once hung their washing to dry!

Finally, there was a guided walk up on to Penistone Hill with our Education Officer Sue Newby, who was able to point out the paths the Brontës walked, before the vintage bus picked up everyone to return them to Keighley via Brontë-walk landmarks en route.

In the evening the garden was the venue for a special Birthday Garden Party - and the first meeting of our new West Yorkshire branch of the Brontë Society. We were delighted to welcome among our guests Sir James and Lady Aykroyd - Sir James is the grandson of Sir James Roberts, who first gifted the Parsonage to the Society when he bought it from the Church of England in 1928 for the then princely sum of £3,000!