Bradford birthplace of Brontë sisters goes up for sale

The birthplace of the famous Brontë sisters has gone up for sale, with campaigners saying they hope to take it into community ownership.

A crowdfunding drive has been launched to buy the Grade II*-listed building in Thornton, near Bradford.

The aim was to turn the site into a cultural and educational centre, campaigners said.

Since launching on 9 October, the Brontë Birthplace Committee's appeal has already raised nearly £20,000.

People have been encouraged to buy shares to help fund the committee's plans to restore the house in Market Street and "create a lasting tribute".

Campaigners said it was a chance "to own your own piece of Brontë history".

According to the committee, an additional £280,000 would be needed to purchase the stone-built terraced house where the sisters once lived before moving to the better known Parsonage in Haworth in 1821.

To sympathetically renovate the building would cost an estimated additional £300,000, members said.

Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, as well as their brother Branwell, were all born in the house's parlour in Market Street, in front of the fireplace which still remains in place.

The siblings later went on to write poetry and novels, with the women originally writing under pen names.

Some of their most famous works include Emily's Wuthering Heights, Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Brontë Birthplace Committee vice-chair Steve Stanworth said: "Three world famous authors were born in this property. It should be preserved and remembered that the Brontë story started in this house."

He added: "For any Brontë fan - any literature fan - it's a key stop-off place."

Since the Brontë family left the village to move to Haworth, the building has changed ownership frequently and has served as a butchers, a small museum and a cafe.

The committee said it now hoped to raise enough funds to convert it into a cultural and educational centre, holiday lets and a cafe.

It has already been awarded £10,000 from the Architectural Heritage Fund and £9,000 from Bradford Council. The committee said it had also received financial support from Bradford City of Culture 2025.

Campaigners said the site would complement Thornton's Brontë Bell Chapel, where Patrick Brontë gave his sermons, and St James Church, where the sisters were baptised.

Mr Stanworth said: "I run the Brontë Bell Chapel site and I always felt that the campaign needed to include the house.

"At the moment, it is all about raising the funds, we need to get the message out there: you can own your own piece of Brontë history."

Once bought, it was hoped the building would be open by 2025, when Bradford celebrates being the UK City of Culture, the committee said.

Rebecca Yorke, director of The Brontë Society and Brontë Parsonage Museum, said they "fully supported" the campaign.

Ms Yorke told the BBC: "The former parsonage at Thornton, where the famous Brontë siblings were born, played a significant part in the family's story.

"The house is currently inaccessible to admirers of the Brontës and the general public alike.

"It feels important that it should be preserved and play a part in celebrating the legacy of the extraordinary Brontë family."

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for healthy people and places, said: "The Bronte Birthplace has brilliant potential and the council, along with the ward councillors in Thornton, have offered as much support and advice as possible to the team.

"We are pleased that recently Bronte Birthplace Ltd received a grant from the Bradford 2025 Cultural Capital Fund.

"Unfortunately, the council is not in a position to buy this site itself, nor run it as a museum. Every council across the country is currently under severe financial constraints and having to restrict spending.

"We will continue to work with and support the initiative as much as we can."

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