Shirley country

A good way to celebrate Charlotte Brontë's birthday anniversary is visiting some of the places that are more connected with her life. The Kirklees Community History Service thinks exactly the same and suggests a visit to Shirley Country:

Charlotte Brontë will 'time-travel' nearly two centuries to introduce a new visitors' guide that uncovers her life in and around the Spen Valley and the places that inspired her novel 'Shirley'.
At the launch of 'Shirley Country' on Friday, 19 May, she will meet up with her dear friends, Ellen Nussey of Birstall and Mary Taylor of Gomersal, as well as characters from the book which caused a sensation when it was published in 1849.

Charlotte and Ellen will arrive by horse and carriage at Oakwell Hall in Birstall, the inspiration for 'Fieldhead' in 'Shirley', to be greeted by the Mayor of Kirklees, Councillor Margaret Fearnley, and invited guests. Charlotte visited Oakwell in the 1840s when it was a young ladies boarding school and her friend, Ellen, knew the owners.

After period refreshments provided by the Friends of Oakwell and short dramatisations from 'Shirley', the friends will travel by carriage to nearby Red House Museum, where they will be welcomed by Mary Taylor who lived there in the 1830s. Charlotte Brontë was a regular visitor to Red House and featured it as 'Briarmains' and the Taylors, who were woollen cloth merchants, as the 'Yorke' family in her novel. The museum has a permanent exhibition, 'The Secret's Out', that looks at Charlotte's connections with the Spen Valley.

The invited guests will travel by coach to Red House for a reception in the 1830s period gardens and more dramatisations before going on a short guided tour of some of the places featured in the guide.

Compiled by Kirklees Tourism in conjunction with the Kirklees Community History Service, the guide features information, directions to and a map of 14 public sites that form the Spen Valley's 'Shirley Country'.

The guide also contains other local places of interest to tourists as well as a section on Brontë-linked locations that have been demolished or are part of private estates and therefore not accessible to the public.

"The Brontës are a great asset to Kirklees. We hope that this guide encourages people from around the region to discover more about the connections here and the wealth of attractions that are on offer in the area," said Helen Rowe, Senior Tourism Officer.

Twenty thousand copies of the guide have been produced for distribution Yorkshire-wide. After the launch, which has been supported by the Spen Valley Area Committee and the Batley, Birstall and Birkenshaw Area Committee, copies will also be available at Kirklees Council sites, including Oakwell Hall and Red House."

This guide traces Charlotte's links with not only with Red House and Oakwell Hall but with churches, pubs, hotels and mill sites and by using the map and the information in the guide, visitors can create their own literary trail. We are delighted to have been involved in its production and to be hosting the launch at our museums," commented Joanne Catlow of the Community History Service.

In association with the launch, the Gomersal Park Hotel, formerly Ellen Nussey's Moor Lane House, is holding a special Brontë celebration lunch featuring Yorkshire Television presenter Ian Clayton as guest speaker. Tickets, price £16.00 a head, must be booked direct from Gomersal Park Hotel, tel: 01274 869386.

A public event to mark the launch of the 'Shirley Country' guide is being held at Red House on Sunday, 21 May.

Categories: Shirley,Brontëana