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Video: Treasures throw new light on Brontë story
GENERATIONS have passed since their deaths, but were the Brontë sisters able to return to their childhoood home, they would surely recognise some of their favourite treasures which are now helping to tell the story of their lives.
A new host of artefacts has gone on public display for the first time at the Bront Parsonage Museum in Haworth which has reopened following a Lottery-funded redevelopment.
Among the items on view are Emily Bront's mahogany artist's box and her geometry set which were recently bought at auction in London. The box contains ceramic mixing dishes, remnants of paint, quill nibs, a paint tray, sealing wax with miniature envelopes and a glass bottle.
The museum has also purchased a special miniature poetry manuscript by Charlotte Bront. The two microscopic poems written in 1829 are
signed "U. T", meaning "us two", which suggests they were jointly produced with another Bront sibling, possibly Branwell. Neither have been on public display before.
The former parsonage, which was home to the Bront family for more than 40 years, is where Charlotte, Emily and Anne's novels were written. Its redevelopment, launched with 50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, continues a major programme of works and began with a consultation with local people to ask for their ideas on how the building and its collections might be improved.
The result is a new interpretation of the literary family's story which emphasises their place in Haworth and the social-historical context in which they lived.
As part of the scheme, the museum also appealed to local people to get in touch if they believed they had items that may once have been owned by the family.
Several intriguing items came to light which also feature in the new displays, including a hymn sheet from Haworth church dating from the Bront period.
The director of the Bront Parsonage Museum, Andrew McCarthy, said: "We're delighted with the improvements to the Parsonage and sure that these will enhance the experience of visiting."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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