Vesna Armstrong Photography

Earlier on this month I returned to Hawkshead for a third time. This time it made so much difference as we stayed there for the duration of our short break in the Lake District which meant I was able to experience and photograph the village at different times of the day. The weather was marvellous with uninterrupted sunshine the whole time we were there. Hawkshead is said to be the prettiest village in the Lake District. It is relatively unspoilt, pedestrianized and boasts all the building and architectural features I love the most - whitewashed cottages dating from the 17th and 18th century, narrow cobbled streets, alleyways, archways, courtyards and picturesque squares. Hawkshead is steeped in history with its origins going back to medieval times when it was a prosperous market town based on wool and raw cloth trade. The village  belonged to Furness Abbey and was run by its Cistercian monks until mid 16th century. This is a typical Hawkshead scene from the heart of the vil...

My long awaited first visit to Thornton eventually happened on an ideal day - Charlotte Brontë's birthday last month. It was truly a special day for me. In 1815, Patrick Brontë, the literary sisters' father, was appointed curate at Thornton, near Bradford in West Yorkshire, so he moved with his family into the Parsonage on Market Street , an unprepossessing terraced house. They lived here for five years, before they moved to Haworth in 1820. During their time at Thornton the three famous sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne were born, as well as their brother Branwell. Today the house is privately owned, with the beautiful, rustic cafe called "Emily's" on the ground floor. This is the fireplace in the dining room in front of which all four siblings were born. It is so good and gratifying to see that the present owners made an effort to preserve the legacy left by this extraordinary Victorian family. The rest of the dining room laid out as the...