I slept in Charlotte Brontë's bedroom — and you can too

Times

18 hours ago

It's long past midnight, but despite resting in an opulent room on an utterly dreamy four-poster bed I cannot sleep. The mattress is so comfortable that even the most habitual insomniac would fall into a coma once they've snuggled in — what's at fault is my own overactive imagination. My brain is adjusting to the knowledge that just over 200 years ago, all six of the Brontë children slept in this very room, giggling and whispering in bed while their parents, Patrick and Maria, slept next door.
Having devoured the works of this ingenious family — Wuthering Heights being a firm favourite — I feel very blessed that my teenage daughter (also called Brontë) and I are the first people in the world to spend a night at the newly renovated, grade II* listed Brontë Birthplace in Thornton.
Since the family left this home in 1820, 72-74 Market Street has looked like any other West Yorkshire Georgian terrace, used over the subsequent two centuries as flats and a butcher's shop. But its dark Pennine stone façade has held an incredible secret — it is the birthplace of one of the globe's most prolific set of literary siblings. Thanks to a group of dedicated individuals and investors, including the prominent journalist Christa Ackroyd and Nigel West, a direct descendant of Charlotte Brontë's widower, Arthur Bell Nicholls — the house is now under the care of Brontë Birthplace Limited, a Community Benefit Society, which has brought this historic site back to life.
The Rev Patrick, together with his wife Maria and the children Maria and Elizabeth, moved to Thornton parsonage on May 15, 1815. Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne were born between 1816 and 1820 in front of the original parlour fireplace — where visitors can now relax in a cosy café and education centre, soaking up the awe-inspiring atmosphere.
As a Brontë devotee, it feels rather overwhelming to enter the front door and tread the same stone steps as these prodigies; even holding the banister that their little hands touched feels electric. Downstairs is Curate Patrick's study where he would have greeted his flock, both well heeled and destitute. Because all the family's original furniture was removed to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth (bronte.org.uk), the Brontë Birthplace committee has diligently sourced antique pieces in keeping with the period to furnish the room.
At the back of the house is the kitchen, where to the committee's delight the local heritage builder DC Liptrot & Co discovered the original ceiling and flooring where the children would have played, possibly forming their very first stories. A secret door leads up a back staircase where the family's servant, Nancy Garrs, who ended up dying in the Bradford Workhouse, used to sleep with the youngest children.
Upstairs are three en suite bedrooms that sleep six in total and can be booked together. They're named after the three sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, and include furnishings to reflect each sister's personality. Emily's room is decorated with antique canine images in honour of her love of dogs, while Charlotte's is very opulent and romantic, with a huge four-poster bed and chaise longue. Anne's room, which is part of a Victorian extension, includes an original window where the children would stand on tippy toes looking out in excitement to watch their father ramble home from preaching at the Brontë Bell Chapel, now a ruin. There's a stunning painting by the local artist Mick Chapman of the church where the children were baptised and which is well worth a visit.
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Although guests staying at the house only have tea and coffee facilities and can't use the kitchen, there's a huge bustling community on the doorstep and the Brontë Birthplace, which was officially opened by the Queen in May, is likely to bring lots more regeneration to Thornton. Its South Square Centre, a beautifully restored Georgian square, is a hub with cafés for breakfast, art exhibitions and heritage displays. The Dickensian-style Watchmaker pub, a snug microbar, serves craft beers and natural wines, while New Manzil, a hugely popular Indian restaurant, produces delicious curries and gigantic naan breads (newmanzil.takeorders.co.uk).
Just minutes away is vibrant Bradford — 2025's City of Culture — and further afield is of course the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, surrounded by magical moorland. It was recently announced that the sweeping landscapes that inspired the Brontë sisters are being protected as one of England's biggest nature reserves — Bradford Pennine Gateway. At over 3,000 acres, this area will link eight nature sites within Bradford and the South Pennine region, protecting peat bogs, heathlands and wetlands.
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It was over this stunning landscape on April 20, 1820, that six horse-drawn carts carried the Brontë family and their furniture from Thornton to Haworth, leaving a home where Patrick later said he'd spent his happiest days. The move was followed by huge tragedy, with his wife and two eldest daughters dying in quick succession, Maria of what was believed to be cancer and the sisters, aged 11 and 10, of tuberculosis, which later took most of the younger siblings. However, this journey into the wilder parts of the county also inspired the sisters to write their astonishingly bleak, graphically compelling and distinctly expressive classic novels. It may inspire you too.Lisa Byrne was a guest of the Brontë Birthplace, which has room-only doubles from £150 (brontebirthplace.com)