(Visit Yorkshire)
(Gretchen Kelly)
Now that Mia Wasikowska (of “Alice in Wonderland”, 2010-edition fame) is breathing life back in Jane Eyre for a new generation of movie-goers, Brontë Country in Yorkshire, England, is hot again. Ready to give Jane Austen a run for her money, Yorkshire Tourism is hoping that the film and a subsequent remake of Wuthering Heights rumored for release later in the year will lure romantic lit lovers back to the home country. Is it time for an Austen / Brontë smackdown?
Brontë’s hometown of Haworth with its Brontë Parsonage Museum, the local Church and the famous surrounding Moors are a short (under 2 hours) scenic drive through the Yorkshire Dales from the northern city of Leeds. We recommend spending the weekend at one of Haworth’s many charming inns and B&Bs as many of the local shops run a weekend-only business. The The Fleece Inn on the high street is clean, friendly and inexpensive. It claims to be one of the pubs where Brontë brother Branwell used to frequent and some say his ghost still haunts the hallways searching for a pint.
Although the town and its close connections with the Brontës is easy to walk and tour on your own, local guide and Michael-Caine-doppelganger Johnnie Briggs offers Passionate Brontë Tours with wit, charm and lots Brontë family secrets. The tour takes you into the village church where the Brontës are buried, the picturesque churchyard and the famed Brontë Parsonage Museum. The Museum is Graceland for Brontë fans. You’ll find Charlotte’s best dress and parasol, original copies of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and paintings by Brontë brother Branwell, whose drunken exploits are still famous in town (the local apothecary on the high street where he bought his opium is still in operation).
Dining options in town are surprisingly good. The Weavers is a family run restaurant with a small but perfectly prepared menu including local Yorkshire lamb. The restaurant is said to host the ghost of Emily Brontë once a year. Finally, no visit to Brontë Country would be complete without a walk on the Moors. You can take the well-marked back roads from the Parsonage and Church for a walk to the local moorland or you can drive out to the area locals say inspired Wuthering Heights, Top Withens. The dramatic, windswept Moors are breathtakingly pure Brontë.
Download a free “Jane Austen” pocket movie guide here. Get more info on lodgings and surrounding attractions at www.yorkshire.com.