Having enjoyed the fantastic seaside town so much on our last visit, we were delighted to be asked back to Scarborough by cozy bookshop Wardle & Jones on Bar Street on 5th September – this time to talk specifically about Anne Brontë, the youngest in the family, and the only one to be buried separately from her family. Her father Patrick and mother Maria, along with her siblings Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Branwell and Emily, were all laid to rest in the Brontë crypt under St. Michael’s church in Haworth.
Last time we were there, we placed a little pot of lavender next to her grave, and it was lovely to see that, while not so vividly coloured any more, it was still there!
I thought I’d take a wander up and round the castle walls – something I’d failed to do on the previous visit. It was utterly fantastic, and, while the day was a little cold (there were still proper Yorkshire people swimming in the sea, mind!) the views were still superb.
On my way, I came across a play area that made me question whether or not I cared what people would think about a grown woman playing on wooden battlements.
And on returning to the town, I came across Darth Vader, who was busy challenging children to lightsabre battles. Pick on someone your own size, Vader!
I had a fantastic time at Wardle & Jones, particularly because at least one member of the audience went on to buy a copy of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall from the shop immediately after the reading! I was made to feel really at home, and very much enjoyed one of their glorious brownies (seriously, you need to try those things!) I’ll definitely be visiting them again when I’m back in Scarborough on 1st October, when I’ll be taking the readings to the local library!
Artistic Director Caroline was just returning from a lovely holiday and fully intended to give the low-down on our fab event at Wardle & Jones bookshop in Scarborough when disaster struck. Her trusty communicator/recording device/life-source, made by a company christened after a fruit that will remain nameless, broke. For the third time. So no lovely pictures or Palme d’Or winning videos quite yet, but they are soon to come. Watch this space. Suffice for now to say that the event went very well, and numerous people left newly intrigued about the life of Anne Brontë, and determined to read her work. The shop itself is a gorgeous, cozy little place on Bar Street that sells brownies so delicious they bring a tear to the eye. Highly recommended. Again, further details to come when we can do them justice with still and moving visuals!
Of course, with all this running around the North, there was no way we’d miss out the familiar Brontë staple – their lifelong home, Haworth!
Our friends at Ponden Hall, an old haunt of the Brontës, reputedly the model for numerous elements of Emily’s Wuthering Heights and many other works by the family, are hosting us for not one but TWO fantastic events.
The first is our Brontë Readings, taking place on 24th September at 6pm to mark the 167th anniversary of the death of the only male Brontë sibling, Branwell. Hear excerpts of beautiful poetry and vivid storytelling interspersed with discussion about the famous family’s lives, enjoy some truly excellent food (We’ve sampled it. It’s gorgeous.) and experience a tour around the ancient house where you might learn some of its many secrets!
We’re back at Ponden on Halloween night at 7pm for an evening of some of the more spine-tingling excerpts from the Brontë canon. You can enjoy a sumptuous Halloween feast, hear creepy stories from Ponden’s long history, take a tour (see THAT box-bed and window) then sit around the crackling fire to share your own eerie tales. You are welcome to bring your own wine!
Booking in advance is vital. Call 01535 648608 or email talks@ponden.force9.co.uk for further details and to book for either or both of the events.
On Tuesday 22nd September, we’ll be at York Explore Libraryat 6pm,discussing the Brontës’ connection with the town and the ill-fated employment taken up by Anne and Branwell in nearby Little Ouseburn, which was to mark the beginning of the end for the family.
Booking in advance is vital. Get your tickets for free here!
We’ll soon be taking a much-needed holiday, but not before we’ve returned to Scarborough for a special poetry-and-prose reading honouring Anne, the “forgotten” Brontë sister. We’ll be at Wardle & Jonesbookshop on Bar Street from 2pm – 3pm this coming Saturday 5th September!
After this, on Tuesday 22nd September, we’re over at York Explore Libraryat 6pm,discussing the Brontës’ connection with the town and the ill-fated employment taken up by Anne and Branwell in nearby Little Ouseburn, which was to mark the beginning of the end for the family. Expect poignancy and scandal in equal measure!
We’re heading to Ponden Hall in Haworth on Thursday 24th at 6pm, to mark the 167th anniversary of Branwell’s death. Take a tour around the astonishing ancient family home, see the bedrooms, views and library that inspired the young Brontës and tuck in to some gorgeous traditional fare. Call 01535 648608 for further details.
Back to Scarborough for the 1st October, where we’ll be at the Library at 6pm in anticipation of National Poetry Day! Hear the work of a family that inspired and intrigued generations of future writers and artists.
Finally, we’ll be back to Pondenin Haworth for Halloween With The Brontës, where you can hear chilling excerpts from the family’s writings as well as ghastly tales from local folklore and enjoy a lovely autumnal meal. This event is available via pre-booking only. Call 01535 648608 to reserve your place.
After a month with no readings, it seemed only right to get the ball rolling again with a trip to gloriously sunny Scarborough, a standout gem of Yorkshire where they do tea the proper way!
Tea from Cafe and Bistro on the Corner! Full English also recommended, especially after a long train journey!
Of course, my joy at the appearance of actual real sunshine and the partaking of good strong tea was tempered by certain sober facts. Scarborough was the favourite holiday destination of the Robinson family, who employed first Anne Brontë, then Branwell too, as tutors for their children between 1840 and 1845, and took the two siblings with them on their trips, probably exposing them to more affluence than they had seen in their entire lives! It is very likely that the Robinsons made use of the highly fashionable Spa complex whilst visiting Scarborough, especially because of its strong connections to the world of music hall.
Part of the Spa. Tres poshe.
(Lydia Robinson Jr later eloped with a comedian. Music hall became slightly less popular with the family after that!)
Branwell allegedly conducted an extra-marital affair with Lydia Robinson Sr, which was discovered just before he was due to join the family on a holiday, and his contract was terminated. Anne left the Robisons’ employment at around the same time – something that has never been fully explained but that many suggest was down to a powerful sense of shame. However, the seaside at Scarborough was always a very special place for her.
Four years later, after the death of her brother and older sister Emily, Anne became consumptive and was accompanied back to her favourite town by her oldest sister Charlotte and Charlotte’s friend, Ellen, for rest and recuperation. However, Anne’s health had suffered a critical blow and she died at the age of 29 in a house which once stood where the Grand Hotel is now located on St Nicholas’ Cliffs. Her final words to her sister were supposedly “Take courage, Charlotte. Take courage.”
Before her passing, Anne expressed a wish to be buried in Scarborough. As a result, she is the only member of the family not interred in the Brontë crypt in the church of St Michael and All Angels at Haworth. Her beautiful grave stands on the hillside to this day, alongside a new plaque provided by the Brontë Society:
Lavender courtesy of DTK!
After a lovely walk along the beach and becoming slightly overexcited by an original Victorian tram:
I arrived at Taylor’s Cafe and Books, a gorgeous independent venue on the beautiful hide-away Bar Street.
The readings went down brilliantly, but even more exciting were the lovely people I got the chance to meet. Among my friendly and receptive audience members was Julie Noble, an author of young adult fiction who wrote the astonishing Talli’s Secret – the story of a young girl suffering from dyslexia and dyspraxia with an inspired link to the Brontës. I am already two-thirds of the way through it and I cannot put it down! Please do read it if you get the chance, especially any parents with children that might be affected by these particular issues.
Also with us were the brilliant Melissa (8) and Leon (7). Melissa volunteered to read one of the poems herself, and presented Charlotte Brontë’s Life with panache and great skill despite some very tough vocabulary. She also gave me this beautiful drawing of a ballerina, complete with ringlets and voluminous tutu for you to admire:
Meanwhile, skilled photographer Leon captured these images of me hard at work! Leon did a superb job, and I’m extremely pleased with the pictures. Here they are!
Leon also provided me with two fine examples of pen-drawing:
The first is a dramatic and very relevant image of a factory, smoke billowing from its chimney – just how the industrial buildings of Yorkshire might have looked in Victorian times. The second is a more domestic scene – a lovely house.
Well done, Melissa and Leon! You should be very proud of your work today 🙂
It was wonderful to meet my lovely Scarborough group this evening, and the staff of Taylor’s Cafe and Books were helpful, enthusiastic and generally really lovely to be around. I’d strongly recommend a visit. Also, huge thanks to Wardle & Jones Books and Scarborough Library for their help in promoting the event! I’ll be at the Library on 1st October in anticipation of National Poetry Day, so get that in your diaries! Also, keep you eyes peeled for more news about Dangerous To Know in Scarborough!
Not simply content with one reading in Scarborough (come along to Taylor’s Café and Books on 8th August at 6pm!) we have just confirmed a second event in anticipation of National Poetry Day!
Caroline will be at Scarborough Library from 6pm on 1st October, reading a special selection of work by the Brontë family. The event will last for roughly an hour, and there will be refreshments available.
Scarborough is, of course, the resting place of Anne Brontë, the youngest member of the family, who died at the age of 29 in 1849. Her literary legacy is vastly underrated; Agnes Grey, her first novel, speaks out with understated sensitivity about the torturous trials and damage to self-respect suffered by governesses, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall tackles readily the stigma attached to women who flee domestic abuse, and the moral dilemmas faced when raising a son or daughter in a society all too ready to dictate how it must be done.
Anne, who worked as a governess with the Robinson family of Little Ouseburn near York for a lengthy period of her adult life, often accompanied her employers on their holidays to Scarborough. Her brother Branwell, who entered the Robinson’s employment a little later, would also join them. Branwell was later fired – strong evidence points to an affair with Mrs Robinson – and Anne left her position too, apparently out of shame.
When her sister’s health began to fail due to tuberculosis, a condition the whole family seemed susceptible to, Charlotte Brontë escorted Anne to the seaside town once more. Anne loved the ocean, and it was thought that the sea air might assist in her recuperation, but sadly the young woman died in her hotel room with her sister and a close friend, Ellen Nussey, by her side. In her final hours, Anne voiced a wish to be buried in Scarborough. Her last words to Charlotte were “Take courage, Charlotte. Take courage.”
Anne’s pretty grave can still be visited today. She is the only member of her family not to be buried in the Brontë crypt under Haworth church in West Yorkshire.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be in Scarborough on 8th August at 6pm, reading a little more of the beautiful work by the Brontë family, and chatting about their intriguing lives and (in some cases) scandalous relationships!
Original pieces will also be brought to the stand, and audience members are welcome to donate a short piece of work for this purpose. Simply email dtkmanchester@gmail.com!
If you’d like a little more information about the event…
Dangerous To Know is a currently self-funded Northern theatre company, which will always be grateful of support. Our upcoming production, The Dissolution of Percy, an original piece about the final few years in the life of Branwell Brontë, will be staged in Greater Manchester and Yorkshire this coming November. For more information, and to watch a trailer for the production…
After the success of our big campaign in June, in which AD Caroline Lamb walked 130 miles in one week, stopping off to deliver readings of poetry, prose and letters by the Brontë family, we thought we’d crack the little black folder out a second time for a few of the important Brontë-related sites we’ve not yet covered* (the walking boots are staying at home this time!)
While dates are still being confirmed, we are pleased to announce that our intimate, enlightening, fun and slightly scandalous event will soon be delivered in Scarborough, Ambleside and York during August and September. Other sites may yet be added!
Having stayed the night in Leeds thanks to the kindness of my sister, I set off for Thornton after a welcome lie-in, considering the 12-and-a-half mile walk was one of the shortest of my journey!
I must, however, have been slightly befuddled in the earlier part of the day, as I became convinced that the walk was still shorter.
However, after my initial confusion wore off, I enjoyed a sunny and leisurely walk from Leeds, through Bradford and on to Thornton. The shorter distance allowed me to take regular breaks and look around at the landmarks scattered throughout West Yorkshire – each a homage to rich industrial history.
Got to love a “dark, satanic mill”!
I arrived in Thornton hours ahead of schedule and used the time to have a good look around the lovely village.
Naturally, we had to drop in on the Brontë birthplace (pictured top), now a superb coffee shop called Emily’s, which is decorated to retain the rustic feel of the place and displays artwork inspired by the family. A lovely touch is that graffiti is not only permitted but encouraged on the loo wall. A previous occupier had chosen a quote that I, in particular, appreciated:
Emily’s also boasts THE fireplace before which Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne were born:
After an utterly fabulous pot of Desi Masala tea and an Italian-inspired Ploughman’s lunch, we headed down to the old ruined chapel where Patrick once preached, and in which the four younger Brontës were christened.
Finally, we made our way up to the extremely accommodating New Inn. The pub had a great feel and is well laid-out for events. They were setting up for a big event on Saturday, which will feature local ales, live music and family activities, but the staff still gave up their time to help arrange the room and make us feel at home.
The readings went extremely well, and it was great to have the buzz of a busy bar accompanying them. All in all, a really lovely day!
We’re down to our last few events, though do watch this space for anything that may pop up in the future! Please do watch our trailer and check out further details here:
On my way, I came across a play area that made me question whether or not I cared what people would think about a grown woman playing on wooden battlements.
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Dangerous To Know 