The Brontë Parsonage Museum has to be one of the world’s greatest literary museums. It houses a vast collection of Brontë writings, artifacts and memorabilia, so much so that only a fraction can be displayed at any one time, with the remainder held in a secure storage facility secreted away in the heart of West Yorkshire. Every year they introduce new items to display, centred around a new theme. This year’s theme is entitled “The Brontës’ Web Of Childhood” and we’ll take a look at it in today’s new Brontë blog post.
The theme for 2024 is an apt one, as it was the seeds of creation sown during the Brontë childhoods that led to the outpouring of genius in their adult lives, and when we walk around the parsonage today we can easily remember that we are tracing the exact same steps once trodden by young Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne Brontë.
I was fortunate enough to visit the parsonage this year, and even more fortunate to be visiting with my wonderful fiancee Yvette, author of the Restorative Creativity series of books, who hadn’t been to the parsonage for a number of years. One thing that particularly impressed me was that throughout the building were a series of cards imagining a scenario in that room from the Brontës’ childhood years. This also tied in neatly with a storytelling exhibition in what is known as The Servants’ Room, featuring a recorded audio performance by the museum’s new storyteller-in-residence Sophia Hatfield.
There were some items I’ve never seen before, alongside some much loved old favourites. Here then are just some of the items you can see on display if you step into the web of childhood this year:
This was a wonderful exhibition, although there did seem to be less of Anne Brontë on display than ever before – in this 175th anniversary year of her death even her blood stained handkerchief is no longer displayed. I recommend it to all who can wend their way to Haworth however, there’s so much to see and enjoy – and from 20th to 22nd September the Brontë Festival of Women’s Writing returns.
Make the most of this sunny, dry weather while you can and I hope to see you next week for another new Brontë blog post.