iMovie: Thornton - The Brontë Sisters' Birthplace



The fireplace at 72-74 Market Street, Thornton in front of which Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë were born



The Brontë sisters lived and wrote all their novels in Haworth, but none of them were born there. Their father Patrick worked as a curate 1815 - 1820 at Thornton, another village within the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, seven miles south-west from Haworth, and it is here at Thornton where Charlotte, Emily, Anne and their brother Branwell Brontë were born and where they spent the first years of their lives.

The movie consists of videos clips taken over a few visits I paid to Thornton. The house in which the Brontës were born by the dining room fireplace, 72-74 Market Street, has been a cafe called "Emily's" in recent times. However, it has sadly been closed to the public for the last couple of years, so for this video I have had to use the photos of the interior I took back in 2017 when I was there for Charlotte's  birthday.

All the places and streets I have included in the video existed at the time the Brontës lived at Thornton with the exception of St. James's church, which was built in 1871 opposite the ruins of The Old Bell Chapel where Patrick preached. The new church houses some artefacts from The Old Bell Chapel, notably its bell, Patrick's vestry desk and the baptismal font used for christening the Brontë children.

The beautiful Thornfield Hall which lies behind The Old Bell Chapel, and was one of the possible models for Thornfield Hall in Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" is a private house now; I was lucky to gain access and permission to film outside the property. 

The Brontë Stones were created by writer Michael Stewart. There are four engraved stones placed in different places between Thornton and Haworth; two of them are in Thornton and are both featured in the video: Charlotte Brontë Stone is on the wall of the birthplace next to the entrance, and Brontë Stone, a tribute to all three sisters, is in Thornton cemetery. Anne Brontë Stone lies in the corner of Parson's Field behind the Brontë Parsonage and Emily Stone high up on the moor at Ogden Kirk.

Thornton is an attractive village; it is full of charm and interest. I recommend a visit to anyone and not just Brontë fans. 



 













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