Ponden Hall
Encyclopedia
Ponden Hall is a farm house near Stanbury
in West Yorkshire
, England
. It is famous for reputedly being the inspiration for Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Linton family, Edgar
, Isabella
, and Cathy
in Emily Brontë
's novel Wuthering Heights
. However, it does not match the description given in the novel and is closer in size and appearance to the farmhouse of Wuthering Heights itself.
The Brontё biographer Winifred Gerin believed that Ponden Hall was the original of Wildfell Hall, the old mansion, where protagonist of Anne Brontë
's novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Helen Graham fled from her husband. Ponden shares certain architectural details with Wildfell: latticed windows, a central portico and date plaque above.
The "old house" was built in 1634 by Robert Heaton (1587–1641) for his son Michael Anno Domini Heaton (1609–1643). The old house was demolished in 1956. The "old porch and peat house" was later built by Michael's son Robert (1642–1704) and in 1801 the hall was re-built by his great grandson, Robert (1757–1817).
In the early 19th century Ponden Hall held what was reputedly the largest private library in Yorkshire, which saw regular visits from Brontё children as they and the Heaton children would play together as well. There are two entwined withered pear trees on the property, said to be planted there by one of the boys, Robert as he longed for Emily's heart (was not meant to be as she was a little older). In the 19th century the Heaton family were textile manufacturers - particularly wool. With the death of Robert in 1898, the last surviving Heaton male, the Hall was sold.
Stanbury
Stanbury is a small village in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, west of Haworth, close to the Pennine Way, and on the River Worth. It is approximately 4 miles from the town of Keighley. The surrounding countryside is mainly moors and farmland, but the...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is famous for reputedly being the inspiration for Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Linton family, Edgar
Edgar Linton
Edgar Linton is a character in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights. His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw's husband. He resides at Thrushcross Grange and falls prey to Heathcliff's schemes for revenge against his family....
, Isabella
Isabella Linton
Isabella Linton is a female character in Emily Brontë's only novel Wuthering Heights. She is the sister of Edgar Linton and the wife of Heathcliff.- Story :...
, and Cathy
Catherine Linton
Catherine Linton is a character in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights...
in Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
's novel Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
. However, it does not match the description given in the novel and is closer in size and appearance to the farmhouse of Wuthering Heights itself.
The Brontё biographer Winifred Gerin believed that Ponden Hall was the original of Wildfell Hall, the old mansion, where protagonist of Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë
Anne Brontë was a British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family.The daughter of a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England, Anne Brontë lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. For a couple of years she went to a...
's novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the second and final novel by English author Anne Brontë, published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell...
Helen Graham fled from her husband. Ponden shares certain architectural details with Wildfell: latticed windows, a central portico and date plaque above.
The "old house" was built in 1634 by Robert Heaton (1587–1641) for his son Michael Anno Domini Heaton (1609–1643). The old house was demolished in 1956. The "old porch and peat house" was later built by Michael's son Robert (1642–1704) and in 1801 the hall was re-built by his great grandson, Robert (1757–1817).
In the early 19th century Ponden Hall held what was reputedly the largest private library in Yorkshire, which saw regular visits from Brontё children as they and the Heaton children would play together as well. There are two entwined withered pear trees on the property, said to be planted there by one of the boys, Robert as he longed for Emily's heart (was not meant to be as she was a little older). In the 19th century the Heaton family were textile manufacturers - particularly wool. With the death of Robert in 1898, the last surviving Heaton male, the Hall was sold.
External links
- Reader's Guide to Wuthering Heights - Ponden Hall, Information on the house by the present owners