The lovely, quaint village of Haworth is a bit of an anomaly. For one, it is a small, rural town that would hardly garner a notice from somebody who isn't particularly discerning about England's many cozy towns. West Yorkshire is home to far larger and more prominent towns and Haworth seems to get left by the wayside every now and then when talk arises about the major players in the county. In spite of this, though, Haworth has a thriving tourist economy that brings in people not just from all over the country but from all over the world!
The reason Haworth commands such popularity is due to the fact that the famed Bronte sisters wrote much of their work right in Haworth. These three sisters are among the most lauded in the history of literature and each has at least one phenomenal work that has stood the test of time for centuries. Emily Bronte is best known for the masterpiece "Wuthering Heights" and the beautiful moors that she describes in the novel are actually derived from the natural landscape that she saw while living in Haworth. To this day nobody has matched the gorgeous description that she has given this area of England. Charlotte Bronte is arguably the most notable of the sisters and "Jane Eyre" is her defining work. "Agnes Gray" is the brainchild of Anne Bronte and of course these three sisters wrote many other terrific works as well. At any rate, all three of them used the natural beauty of Haworth to help them shape their masterworks. The home they lived in is known as the Haworth Parsonage and it was wisely preserved and is now a museum that is open to the public. The Bronte Society runs and operates the museum and it is a wonderful learning experience for anybody fascinated by the great works of the English language.
Because of the town's incredible beauty, there are many lovely walking paths scattered throughout Haworth that allow visitors and residents alike to take in the sheer magnitude of the natural landscape. Keeping with the Bronte tradition, the most popular walk leads strollers to the famed Bronte Waterfalls, the Bronte Stone Chair, and the Bronte Bridge. Top Withens, the inspiration for the home in Wuthering Heights, is also accessible via a pathway and it is highly recommended that anybody who has read the book visit this lovely locale. Haworth also has a tremendous arts festival held each year that often brings in vast amounts of people from all over. It is truly refreshing to see a town that is dedicated to the arts in every shape and form from music to literature to natural scenery. Though it is a small town Haworth has at its disposal the largest things in life and it is a shame that more towns don't adhere to the greatness of creativity in the way that Haworth does. Rare is the city that uses its natural beauty to create great works wrought by the hand of man and this is the essence of Haworth.
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