Brontë museum to open its first visitor toilets

The Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth is to offer visitor toilets for the first time in its near 100-year history.

Arts Council England has allocated £100,000 of government funding to the museum so it can build the facilities.

Rebecca Yorke, director of the museum which opened in 1928, said toilets were "difficult" to get funded despite being essential facilities.

West Yorkshire Print Workshop in Kirklees and We Are Unlimited in Wakefield have also received funding.

Ms Yorke said: "We have been here for nearly 100 years but we haven't had any visitors' toilets.

"This money is going to enable us to build facilities for our visitors, particularly those with mobility issues or those with small children who need changing.

"It is essential and it is what people expect when they visit a world-class attraction like ours, but they are actually difficult to get funding for."

Four toilets will be built, plus an accessible toilet with baby changing facilities.

The roof of the toilets will be planted to improve biodiversity by creating a habitat where insects can breed.

Pete Massey, northern director at Arts Council England, said the funding "will support cultural organisations across the region to continue to deliver amazing arts and creative activity for new and existing audiences in our communities and beyond".

He added: "I look forward to seeing the work that will be created and the benefit this will have for people in our villages, towns and cities.”

Further funding of £114,000 will be given to the West Yorkshire Print Workshop to improve its facilities and digital infrastructure across its two sites in Kirklees.

Meanwhile, We Are Unlimited in Wakefield, which commissions work by artists with disabilities, has been awarded £150,000 to improve its office space and touring equipment.

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