Haworth - West Yorkshire

About Haworth - West Yorkshire

Information about Haworth - West Yorkshire:

Haworth is a village and tourist attraction in the English ceremonial county of West Yorkshire best known for its association with the Brontë sisters.

Brontë Country:

Haworth, situated above the Worth Valley amid the bleak Pennine moors, is internationally famous for its connection with the Brontë sisters, who were born in Thornton, but wrote most of their famous novels while living at the Haworth Parsonage (which is now a museum owned and maintained by the Brontë Society), when their father was the parson at the adjacent Church of St. Michael and All Angels. In the 19th century, the town and surrounding settlements were largely industrialized, which put it at odds with the popular portrayal in Wuthering Heights, which only bore resemblance to the upper moorland that Emily Brontë was accustomed to.

Haworth is a very popular destination for Japanese tourists.

Steam railway:

Other attractions include Haworth railway station, part of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, an authentic preserved steam railway which has been used as a setting for numerous period films and TV series, including The Railway Children (starring Jenny Agutter), Yanks (starring Richard Gere and Vanessa Redgrave), and Alan Parker's film version of Pink Floyd's The Wall (starring Bob Geldof). Every year the village also hosts a very special 1940s weekend where locals and visitors don wartime attire for a host of nostalgic events.

Famous walks:

Many public footpaths lead out of the village, and there is much scope for rambling, though perhaps the most famous walk leads past Lower Laithe Reservoir, Stanbury to the picturesque (but unspectacular) Brontë waterfalls, the Brontë Bridge and the Brontë Stone Chair in which (it is said) the sisters took turns to sit and write their first stories. This path, which forms part of the 43 mile long Brontë Way, then leads out of the valley and up on the moors to Ponden Hall (reputedly Thrushcross Grange in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights) and Top Withens, a desolate ruin which was reputedly the setting for the farmstead Wuthering Heights. Top Withens can also be reached by a shorter walking route departing from the nearby village of Stanbury.

Traditions:

In Haworth itself there are many tea rooms such as 'Cobbles and Clay the Art Cafe', souvenir and antiquarian bookshops, restaurants, pubs and hotels (including the Black Bull, where Branwell Brontë's decline into alcoholism and opium addiction allegedly began). Haworth is a good base for exploring the principal attractions of Brontë Country, while still being close to the major cities of Bradford and Leeds. Further afield lies the historic city of York, and the spa towns of Harrogate and Ilkley - popular spa towns on the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park to the north.

Haworth Arts Festival:

The first festival took place in 2000 and was repeated in 2001, but then ceased to operate because of the changing circumstances of the organisers. However a new group of Haworth residents took up the baton again in 2005 and began to build a festival which would combine performing arts, visual arts, street performance and a strong community involvement. The use of many of the local professional and semi-professional musicians, artists and performers has been coupled with a larger name for each festival, providing a local stage for the likes of John Cooper-Clark and John Shuttleworth. The festival continues to expand its horizons, slowly encompassing areas of the Worth Valley outside of Haworth itself and is always held on the first weekend in September, starting on the preceding Thursday and running until the Sunday night.

Haworth Band:

The Haworth Band is one of the oldest secular musical organisations in the Keighley area and its band room is located in the heart of the Haworth Village. History records indicate that there was a brass band at Ponden, close by as far back as 1854 with a body of excellent performers. It was founded by John Heaton who lived at Ponden. The band had the job of playing at a celebration in Haworth at the conclusion of the Crimean War. Over the years the world of brass band music went from strength to strength, during which time the Haworth Band went with it. The band is now under the directorship of Charles Hindmarsh, who is also known for playing the musical saw under the name of “The Yorkshire Musical Saw Player”. As it stands today the Haworth Band is a busy and thriving organisation that is closely linked to the local community.

Location:

Haworth is located in the high Pennine moors, some 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Keighley and 10 miles (16 km) west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope. Nearby villages include Cross Roads, Stanbury and Lumbfoot.

Source Material: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haworth