The cobbled streets of Haworth, the West Yorkshire village where famous siblings the Brontë sisters penned their famous works in the 19th century, have been particularly quiet this month.
An enforced closure of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, on the very spot where the sisters worked their words of wisdom, has temporarily left locals without their long-loved literary landmark.
They're in on the plan, the changes were shaped by residents via a series of consultations to decide precisely how to use a £50,000 grant awarded last June by a Heritage Lottery Fund enticed by "fantastic" proposals to re-imagine and update the ancient attraction.
Open evenings and day tours have resulted in a museum full of new interpretations, casing and displays when it re-opens on Monday, including a mahogany artist box and geometry set belonging to Emily Brontë, bought at auction in London.
The Museum is based at the Haworth parsonage the sisters once lived in
A pair of microscopic poetry manuscripts – written by Charlotte – will be revealed for the first time, and a number of "intriguing" items have surfaced following a public appeal for items with possible Brontë links.
Part of an ambitious two-year project, the new-look display follows an exhaustive effort by staff to make the Museum and Library database entirely searchable online.
Director Andrew McCarthy said he was "delighted" with the improvements, which would "enhance the experience" for visitors.
"The new casing and displays are allowing us to show more of the treasures of the Museum's collection and more of the collection that relates to the Haworth community in which the Brontës lived," he explained.
"It's wonderful to be able to exhibit new items which have come to us through the generosity of local people.
"We've also tried to create the new displays in such a way as to make the Parsonage feel even more like a domestic home and so we hope people will come along and see the new look and enjoy some of the wonderful new displays."
Visit the online database to search the collection.
