Haworth and Keighley, Yorkshire

Haworth is a small village in West Yorkshire, known largely for its association with the Brontës. To get there from Nottingham I got a train to Leeds, changed to a train to Keighley (pronounced Keith-lee) and walked from Keighley Railway Station to the bus station (about 10 minutes) and got on a bus from there to Haworth. There are about three buses an hour literally named Brontë Bus 1, 2 and 3 and a single costs £2.50 which you can buy on the bus via contactless. The routes vary by where in Haworth you want to be dropped off but you can check which bus will be best for you on the bus company website.

As a small place accommodation is at a premium if, like me, you want to stay on Main Street which as the name suggests is the main, very hilly, street in Haworth with the most pubs, shops, cafes etc and just round the corner from the Brontë Parsonage.

I stayed at The Fleece Inn which was really fantastic. Lovely staff, comfy room, breakfasts included and you get a discount for eating in the bar which I did every night I was there – there are other places to eat nearby of course but they can get very, very busy. The food in particular was exceptional and giant portions that I always struggled to finish.

Main Street is a very long and cobbled street and fairly steep – it is also not pedestrianised despite the cobbles so keep an ear out for traffic. I visited quite a few of the shops along here for souvenirs for myself and gifts for friends and family. One fun shop is Mrs Beighton’s Sweet Shop where I bought some biscuits. Before a sweet shop it was a chemist’s and a post office. It’s named for the original owner of the sweet shop.

Another store I popped into and bought some artwork from was the Original Bronte Stationery Store. Originally a grocers and tea merchant it sold general goods including writing paper which Charlotte Brontë bought here and copies of Jane Eyre, Shirley and Villette were sold here.

The Black Bull is (in)famous as one of the pubs in Haworth that Branwell Brontë drank in and descended into alcoholism. In 1883 Branwell was secretary of the local Freemasons’ Lodge and they used to regularly meet here which I’m sure didn’t help Branwell’s situation. They also have accommodation so you could stay here if you wanted.

One restaurant along Main Street is the Hawthorn. It was the Georgian home of a clock making family named Barraclough, a name that Emily Brontë made use of in Wuthering Heights. They apparently have some of the old grandfather clocks and watches on display inside, though I never had time to venture in myself to take a look.

Another site to look at is the Old School Room next to the Parsonage Museum. Patrick Brontë built the school for the children of Haworth and several of his children taught here. It was also the site of Charlotte’s wedding reception in 1854.

If you’re looking for a bit of greenery then you could visit Central Park which is just down the road from Main Street. I didn’t spend a lot of time here, just passed through on my way to the steam railway. It was opened in 1921 and is now Grade 2 listed. There are sports facilities for tennis and bowls, a bandstand that has regular performances and plenty of well laid out paths for a stroll. One area I did briefly visit was the Memory Garden which has a sculpture in the middle that people can put padlocks on in memory of loved ones.

Random Haworth fact: since 2005 it has been twinned with Machu Picchu in Peru.

Keighley:

I didn’t spend a lot of time in Keighley but I did take photos of some of the impressive buildings I saw walking through the town; many of the old buildings remain though not always being used for their original purpose. One exception to this is the town’s only cinema The Picture House which opened in 1913 and is one of the oldest cinemas in Britain.

This building dates from 1904 and is still used as a library today. It was the first public library in England to be endowed by the American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

Finally there was this Cycling Club building. I couldn’t find out a lot about it other than club members raised money to erect the building which opened in 1897. There was a bike shop below originally but now it appears to be a clothes shop.

And so ends my posts about Yorkshire. Up next Welshpool, Shrewsbury and London.