Ever since choosing to study at Leeds University, West Yorkshire has always been close to my heart. It’s such a diverse and beautiful area, mirroring the county as a whole – although it has a few rivals with claims to be the best county in England (in particular Lancashire, Cornwall and Devon), it’s definitely a very strong contender! There are so many places to visit in West Yorkshire I thought I’d start writing about some of them.
Even though it’s been a while since I lived in Leeds, I have been back to Yorkshire fairly regularly over the years, yet one of the places I hadn’t visited until recently was Haworth. Best known as where the Bronte sisters wrote most of their novels, it’s a beautiful old-English village with charming shops and cafes and is perfect for a weekend or day trip. The Bronte sisters lived at the Haworth Parsonage during the 1820s-1850s as their father was the parson at the church next door – the parsonage has now been turned into a museum dedicated to the Brontes. For more information, the Bronte Society Website is an excellent resource.
The conditions in Haworth at the time were extremely poor – food was scarce and public hygiene was non-existent. The life expectancy was 24 and all 5 of the Bronte children died before the age of 40, their father Patrick outliving all of them. Several of the family members are buried in the church crypt. It is estimated that at least 40,000 people are buried in the churchyard – it was ordered to be closed by Queen Victoria in 1850 due to overcrowding and poor drainage that affected sanitation. One particularly notable grave belongs to pioneer parachutist Lily Cole who died whilst jumping at the Haworth gala in 1906.
Fast forward to 2002 and the village earned the coveted title of the World’s First Fairtrade Village. It was the 8th place overall to be awarded this status but the very first village. This is evidenced in the delightful gift shops and cafes that line the main cobbled street. We had brunch at Cobbles and Clay, a welcoming creative cafe and pottery painting studio with a great range of freshly made and healthy food options – along with great coffee! We were lucky enough to sit outside on the terrace as it was a dry, warm day and it was a real sun trap and great for people-watching!
Haworth has a real variety of intriguing shops – many of them are treasure troves, have their wares beautifully displayed and are perfect if looking for a unique gift for somebody (or just a present for yourself ;-)) My favourite shop is The Cabinet Of Curiosities – it used to be the apothecary back in the time when the Brontes lived there and has been lovingly restored and now sells all sorts of handmade lotions and potions. It’s fascinating and well worth spending a bit of time in.
Ooh La La has some great vintage clothes and accessories, Mrs Beighton’s Sweet Shop is a traditional sweet shop with everything you’d expect and more and the mouth-watering chocolate shop ‘….and chocolate of Haworth‘ draws you in for the smell alone, not to mention the fantastic flavour combinations of their chocolates. There is also a rather unusual bric and brac type shop towards the bottom of the hill, its most notable item for sale when I visited being a huge almost life-size stuffed elephant – along with a random collection of comics and all sorts of odds and ends.
There is also an interesting art gallery near the church showcasing sculptures and other works by a variety of local artists – the owner is lovely to chat to as well. One thing we didn’t have time to do which was a shame was to take a trip on one of the steam trains on the Worth Valley Railway and have a traditional cream tea! They run vintage bus trips and hold various events throughout the year – for the latest events, see their timetable.
There are a variety of options for dinner in the village. Haworth Old Hall serves a seasonal menu which consists of traditional British food with a modern twist and is one of the oldest buildings in the village, dating back to 1621. Other options include Wharenui (a bistro and wine bar with pacific-rim and mediterranean flavours), Mill Hey Fisheries (fish and chips) and Haworth Steam Brewing Company (BBQ grill and traditional British) plus a number of other pubs and a couple of curry houses.
Accommodation Suggestions
Luxury
Holdsworth House – A historic Jacobean manor and 4 star hotel on the edge of Halifax, 8 miles from Haworth.
Mid-Range
Rosebud Cottage Guest House – A cottage dating from 1752 with original features and modern luxuries in the heart of Haworth.
Budget
The Kings Head Hotel – Cosy accommodation attached to a pub close to central Keighley, 3 miles from Haworth.
NB. This page has affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of the products I have recommended, I may receive a small commission. This doesn’t affect the price you pay and helps keep my site running. For more information please see my affiliate disclosure 🙂
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Good article!
I am curious about where the locals go. From the pictures it seems very touisty. Which is fine, I am still excited about my visit. I have a few questions:
Is the The Hepworth Wakefield gallery in West Yorkshire a good place to visit? Are the areas on the list close together or will I need a few days. I will be in the countryside for just a day so I am trying to strategize well.
Hi! Yes, it is pretty touristy due to the Bronte connection – however, we were there on a sunny saturday, I’m sure out of season or in the week it wouldn’t be as busy.
I haven’t been to the Hepworth Gallery yet but have heard it’s well worth a visit. Wakefield is South Yorkshire so it’s probably about an hour’s drive between the two?
I hope you have a lovely trip!
I also studied at university in Leeds! Because of this, Yorkshire holds a special place in my heart. Thanks for this post. I’ll be sure to check out Haworth if I’m ever back in Yorkshire. It looks beautiful. The Cabinet of Curiosities seems especially an interesting place to check out.
Cheers
Ah did you?! It’s a great uni isn’t it! 🙂
Thanks for this post Louise, I forget that Yorkshire is so big and includes places like Leeds, beautiful villages like this one, and then my experience of the Yorkshire Dales and the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge! It’s so diverse!
This place looks amazing! Like you’ve stepped back in time. Despite having lived in London for most of my life, I have not explored Yorkshire, but I think this will have to change soon! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m a southern girl too but can highly recommend Yorkshire! 🙂
What a quaint little town! I love the different unique little shops in town and the interesting history with the Bronte Sisters.
Great article. An interesting village. I want to explore this place.
I’m so in love with this post!!! I love when someone goes in depth about a place to tell all the little details!! I loved all the beautiful photos as well!! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed it Aishwarya! 🙂
what a picturesque place! never been to england but this kind of place is my cup of tea! http://www.crayonized.com
I aspire to get more people to come and visit England so I’m glad it’s made you want to visit Patricia 🙂
What a cute little town to visit. I find visiting the smaller towns is so much more fun to explore in a reasonable time frame.
I totally agree Rose.
Really cool village. Looks like a really fun place to explore!
Oh my goodness, this is all SO charming! I can hardly handle it! 😉 It’s funny, my family and I were just talking today about visiting England sometime together in the near future. This would be just the type of place I would enjoy going!
Hi Kourtney,
That’s great – it’s my aim to get more people to come and visit England so I’m glad you enjoyed the post. And I hope you get to visit soon! 🙂
This somehow reminds me of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter! I’ll definitely visit this in the future – can’t wait to find out if the feelings it brings are the same as what Harry Potter describes or not! Thanks for recommendation – and nice pics by the way!
Thank you Thao! It’s definitely not dissimilar to Diagon Alley 😉
Haysworth does sound like a neat little village to go and visit. I know that I would love it for all of the history. But add the Bronte sisters to the mix and I would absolutely adore it. Thanks for the great info.
I am from west yorkshire and really miss home. Seeing these homes really reminded me of the area i grew up! Beautiful.
Angela Milnes
It does look a bit touristy like one comment says, but I LOVE that about it. The touristy parts / places are always my favorite!
I love that it is the first fair trade village. It would be quite an honor to receive a title like that. I would love to explore a town like this for sure!
We just recently found out that we have family in England but don’t know where. I hope to get to England from the states some day. West Yorkshire sounds like great place to visit and the shops and cafes sound all amazing as well. Thanks for sharing the information.
Wow, that’s exciting 🙂 Well if you need any inspiration, feel free to check out my Come and Visit the UK page. I hope you manage to get to the UK one day soon!
I’ve never been to Yorkshire but this post makes me wanna visit. I love little towns & villages. Great pics to go with the post!
Thanks Tee 🙂
This post is really interesting and gives the idea of how Yorkshire looks like is…I love these views,specially the buildings with beautiful architecture.Its sad you’ve missed a ride on steam train.