Brontë society slams museum closure plan

The world-renowned Brontë Society says the proposal to close Red House Museum at Gomersal is “an act of vandalism on the local tourist industry”.

The society’s former chairman, Richard Wilcocks, said: “A cut like this would cause irreparable damage, and an important part of the heritage of the Spen Valley and the whole country would be lost.

“Red House is of crucial importance not only for those dismissed in the (council’s) official impact statement as ‘Brontë enthusiasts’, a choice of words which implies that they make up a minor group in the same league as train-spotters, but for anyone who believes that the most fitting memorial to Mary Taylor, a highly significant historical figure, not only because of her lifelong friendship with Charlotte Brontë, is the museum situated in her house.

“Perhaps that should be national memorial – let’s move beyond the parochial.”

Director of the Brontë Parsonage at Haworth, Andrew McCarthy, said Red House attracted about 30,000 visitors a year, “quite good for a museum off the beaten track”.

He urged Brontë enthusiasts to write to Kirklees Council.

Councillors will discuss the budget cuts at a meeting on February 22 but members of the public can have their say at a public meeting tonight (from 7pm) at Cleckheaton Town Hall.

A council spokesman said: “Councillors have difficult decisions to make as there is a continuing need to achieve efficiencies from across the whole range of services in the three-year budget plan.

“The proposal to close Red House Museum is one of a large number of measures up for consideration which have been proposed to fill a very big gap in the council’s budget and reduce expenditure. No decision has been made yet.”

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