Haworth

21/12/2018

Haworth

As we are nearing towards the end of 2018 I wanted my last road trip of the year to be a special one.

Haworth is that special place.

I first visited Haworth in April last year and was blown away by how such a small village could be so beautiful.

The village is situated in West Yorkshire, 3 miles South of Keighley and 10 miles West of Bradford and is most famous for being the home of the Bronte sisters.

The Bronte’s lived at Haworth Parsonage between 1820 and 1861 after Patrick Bronte was appointed as the priest at St Michael’s and all Angels Church. It was here that Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre, Emily wrote Wuthering Heights and Anne wrote The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

The Parsonage is now the home of the Bronte Museum, owned by the Bronte society, which I had the pleasure of visiting when I came to Haworth last year. The Bronte society was founded at a public meeting and in 1895 all the relics, letters and documents relating to the Brontes were displayed in a museum above the Yorkshire Penny Bank in Haworth which attracted 260 members and 10,000 visitors in it’s first year. In 1928 Sir James Roberts bought Haworth Parsonage for £3,000 and transformed the house into a Museum which he later gave to the Bronte society.

The Museum is certainly worth a visit if you want to discover more about the history of the Bronte family. It is £8.50 entrance for an adult and is open 10-5 from November to March and 10-5.30 from April to October.

So after the hour and a half drive we had arrived in Haworth.

Unfortunately when we first arrived the weather wasn’t on our side, however as the day went on it gradually stopped raining which meant that we were able to get a much better view from the top of main street.

Main street was built around 1755, making it one of the oldest streets in Haworth and certainly the most iconic. On a clear day you can make out Penistone Hill in the distance when stood at the top of Main street. The street contains a number of pubs, including the Black Bull which was a favourite of Branwell Brontes, cafes, independent shops and the
tourist information centre.

After walking down Main street we ventured off towards the Keighley and Worth Valley railway. This is a 5 mile long heritage line which runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. The line closed in 1961, however in 1968 it was reopened and is now a major tourist attraction which carries around 100,000 passengers a year. The station at Oxenhope is also famous for being one of the filming locations for the Railway children. The Parsonage in Haworth was also used in the film as it was the location of Doctor Forrest’s surgery.

We arrived at Haworth station and immediately went inside to take shelter from the rain. The inside of the station was decorated for Christmas with a beautiful tree sitting right in the corner and tinsel all around. We then went into the gift shop which contains all things trains and gifts for people visiting Haworth itself, these gifts included mugs,
tea towels, pens, keyrings and fridge magnets. After visiting the gift shop we went out onto the platform and had a look around the picnic area and engine shed viewing area.

It was then time to grab a bite to eat.

You are spoilt for choice for places to eat in Haworth. Restaurants and cafes include: Haworth Old Hall, The Kings Arms, The Fleece Inn, Cobbles and Clay and River Street Cafe. However, after walking down Main Street we spotted a cute cafe called the Cookhouse which had a very appetising menu so we decided to eat there. After a long deliberation I decided on a ham, cheese and red onion chutney panini and it didn’t disappoint!

Soon after lunch we were on the move again so we made our way back down Main Street to explore the shops.

One particular shop caught our eye… and chocolate- Haworth’s very own chocolate shop!
The shop sells chocolates including: prosecco truffles, gin and orange blossom, coconut praline, baileys truffles, vegan and gluten free chocolate and many more. I decided to go for a divine chocolate tasting set which included dark chocolate and raspberry, white chocolate and strawberry and milk chocolate with toffee and sea salt. The shop was established in 2012 and is open 7 days a week 10-5, the only other and chocolate shop can be found in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

After visiting the shops we then went for a wander around St Michael’s and all Angels Church. A chapel has existed on the site since 1488, however it was rebuilt in the 18th century and in 2016 the church underwent £750,000 worth of much needed repairs
to the roof and tower. The church is home to the Bronte Memorial Chapel and the Bronte family tomb which includes all members of the Bronte family apart from Anne, who was buried in Scarborough.

As soon as we entered the church our attention was drawn to a large Christmas tree which contained messages from people to their loved ones who were no longer with us. We both decided to each add a message to the tree; I wrote a heartfelt message to both of
my Grandfathers and then gave a donation to the church fund.

Soon after it was time to depart and head on to our final destination- Holmfirth.

Haworth is one of my favourite places to visit in Yorkshire and once you have been it is easy to see why.

So my trip to Haworth concluded what has been a fantastic year for me. I have had the pleasure to visit so many places this year: Scarborough, Bamburgh, London, Malham, Rye and Blenheim Palace to name a few! I also went abroad for the first time in nearly 10 years back in September which was a fantastic experience! Hopefully 2019 is as good as, if not better, than this year!
Merry Christmas and a happy new year,
Natasha