Save the Brontë Birthplace

The Brontë Birthplace Community is, as we have reported before, trying to buy the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton. Now they're trying to raise some money:

OUR OBJECTIVE - SAVE THE BRONT BIRTHPLACE

Our aim is to raise the funds to buy the humble house where the three Brontë sisters were

born in Thornton on the outskirts of Bradford in West Yorkshire. There we will create a cultural and educational centre, a community café and holiday accommodation. We aim to inspire and educate all who visit, from schoolchildren to arts and literature enthusiasts, in celebration of the world’s most famous literary family whose message of inclusivity in terms of gender, class and race is as relevant today as when the three ambitious Bradford girls took the literary world by storm.  (...)

CURRENT SITUATION

The Brontë Birthplace, a Blue Plaque property is currently up for sale. It  has had a chequered recent history, with ownership frequently changing hands and it has an uncertain future. The current owner has moved out and intends to sell it. The risk is that it will end up again as a private home with no public access. Securing its future for the benefit of the local community will complete the “jigsaw” of the Brontë’s lives in Bradford from the date of their birth in Thornton, prior to their move to their more recognised later home in Haworth.

 "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. The Brontë Society, who run the Brontë Parsonage Museum, fully support this project to save the Brontë Birthplace for the community." (Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator, Brontë Parsonage Museum)