Grade II-listed Yorkshire house where the Bronte sisters were born to become cafe, events space and holiday let after community steps in

The property went up for sale after the current owner, surveyor Mark de Luca, who bought it in 2013, decided it was unviable to re-open the Bronte-themed coffee bar, Emily’s, that he had been running from the building after the business suffered losses during Covid.

Bronte Birthplace Ltd supporters had tried to buy it before the de Lucas moved in, but they have now had a £300,000 offer accepted on the terraced house that was built in 1802 in the village of Thornton, near Bradford.

The Bronte family moved in in 1815, when the sisters’ father, Patrick, took a job as curate of the local church, St James. Charlotte, Emily, Anne and their brother Branwell were all born in front of the fireplace in the parlour before they left in 1820, when the Reverend Patrick Bronte was appointed curate at Haworth and given the village parsonage.

The hearth still exists, as do several other original features such as the staircases, and all will be preserved as part of Bronte Birthplace Ltd’s vision for the building, which will become an education centre for visitors with an events space, a cafe and three letting rooms to generate revenue.

When the site opens to the public in 2024, it will be the first time in its history that it has been run on a not-for-profit basis for the community. It has had many commercial uses over the years – including as a restaurant and a butcher’s shop – and although the crime novelist Barbara Whitehead restored the property and ran a small museum in the 1990s, she sold up in 2007 and died four years later.

Among the committee members passionate about bringing the Market Street cottage into the public sphere are former BBC Look North presenter Christa Ackroyd, an architect, a Shell executive and the senior curator of the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth.

Also involved in Steve Stanworth, an engineer who also co-ordinates the volunteer action group at the Bell Chapel, the remains of the church where the Reverend Bronte preached before it was replaced with a new building in the 1870s.

"We tried to buy the Bronte birthplace at auction back in 2012, but we ran out of time. Mark de Luca has been trying to sell it for a few years, so we thought we’d have another go. We set up a Community Benefit Society so we could apply for funding, and have got a generous grant from Bradford 2025.”

Now, the group of dedicated Bronte enthusiasts have launched a Crowdfunder campaign to raise an additional £355,000 in ‘pledged’ donations that will go towards the costs of renovating the building.

"Our vision is that every schoolchild in Bradford will visit and stand in front of the fireplace where these famous writers were born. We’d like to open next September, but we need to fully rewire the house, repair the roof and fit new fire safety systems for the letting rooms. It needs extensive work. It’s Grade II-listed, and even restoring each original sash window will cost around £4,000."

The seven-year plan includes tendering the contract to run the cafe on a franchise basis and appointing a business manager to run the events space and guest accommodation. Links will be forged with the Haworth Parsonage Museum, with plans for a walking trail between the two attractions.

"We’ve got a lot of experienced people on the committee who add value to the business, and most of them live in Thornton. It will be a real community-based asset. We had two visitors from Australia last week asking why they couldn’t go inside – there is interest in the Brontes from all over the world.”

So far, the Crowdfunder has generated £34,000, with a further £10,000 contributed from fundraising events.

"We’re targeting local businesses who might want to become patrons now. Fundraising for renovations is always a harder sell than for actually buying the property!”

To donate, visit the Crowdfunder here.