Bronte Birthplace: Open day at the Bradford home where the literary sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne were born

Last month saw volunteers in a community benefit society (CBS) take the keys to a terraced property in Thornton, Bradford where the world-famous literary sisters were born.

Now owned by the public for the first time in history, after a community share offer attracted 700 investors alongside grant s and funding, significant work is soon to begin.

But before renovations start an open day is to be held at the Market Street property tomorrow (Sunday) from 11am until 4pm, and supporters are welcome to visit. After that, the house will close for major structural works before re-opening next year as a cafe and with rooms to stay or space for events.

It is hoped it can open next year as a "beacon of ambition", sharing the Brontë sisters' literary history as well as that of their brother Patrick Branwell. He, along with Charlotte, Emily and Anne who are known for their works including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, were all born in front of the fireplace here. Their father Patrick Brontë and his wife Maria first moved to Thornton in 1815 as he took up a position as curate of now Brontë Bell Chapel.

Sarah Dixon, Chair of Brontë Birthplace Limited, said the purchase of this small house is a "monumental" achievement, sharing their legacy.

Locked and empty for years since closing as a cafe, the house is now numbered 72 to 74 Market Street. Soon visitors will be invited to walk in the sisters' footsteps, to sit in a community cafe beside their original fireplace or to stay in the bedrooms where the young girls slept. There are ambitions to launch in time for Bradford's City of Culture 2025.

A full programme is planned for schools, universities, literary enthusiasts or book clubs, artists and creatives, inviting every school age child in Bradford to walk through its doors with augmented reality to bring to life the tales of the sisters and staff.

Under a 12-strong voluntary committee, which includes the principal curator of the Brontë Parsonage Museum and Yorkshire journalist and presenter Christa Ackroyd, the house now is to be "brought back" for Bradford and Yorkshire for the first time in its 200 year history.

A community share offer attracted 700 investors from as far away as Japan or Canada, and there have been grants from Bradford 2025 and the Government's Levelling Up fund. More than £600,000 has already been raised and directors will seek further funding and arts grants - the Grade ll house may need a new roof and is certainly suffering from damp.