Environmental sustainability

Welcome to our Green Corner!

Like many organisations across the heritage sector, we want to do our part to create a cleaner, greener future. 

As a museum, we look after precious items in our care for the benefit of generations to come - and we see it as our responsibility to make sure that extends beyond our walls. The natural world is a beautiful, enriching and essential thing, and it's up to all of us to keep it safe for the future.

The Brontës and nature

The Brontë sisters were inspired by the natural world around them. To this day, many readers associate Charlotte, Emily and Anne's novels with the wild and unruly moorland surrounding their home here in Haworth.

Nature is a constant theme throughout the Brontës' work - from their stories and poems to their drawings and paintings.

It's important to us that we protect these landscapes - and the natural worlds of other communities - which so inspire creativity.

What are we doing as a museum?

All of our staff and volunteers are invited to join our regular Sustainability Group meetings, where we discuss and implement ideas to become a more sustainable organisation. We recognise that we're learning together as we look towards a greener future at the Museum.

Here are just a few of the green ideas we've put in place so far:

• Our 'wild area' - we've left a section of land by the Old School Room to become a haven for wildlife, encouraging wild flowers and grasses which benefit insects and birds.
• Composting - our Gardening Team uses our own compost, created from kitchen and gardening waste.
• Visitor facilities roof - our new visitor toilets and changing place has a wild roof! We're growing sedum on this green top - a favourite of bees.
• LED bulbs - we've switched to more sustainable LED bulbs across our offices, museum rooms and display cases.
• Packaging - as much as possible, we give used packaging a new lease of life to wrap up online shop orders.
• Recycling - we choose recyclable materials whenever we can. For example, our new interpretation boards are all made from environmentally friendly, recyclable material.

What can you do?

We hope you're inspired to make sustainable choices too! Here are a few ideas of what you can do for a green trip to the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

• Arrive by public transport - we're well connected to larger towns and cities by the Brontë Buses! Catch a train to Bradford, Keighley or Hebden Bridge and hop on a bus to the Museum. Bus ticket-holders enjoy up to £1 off Museum admission. Find out more on our 'Getting here' page.
• Hand in your Museum timelines - if you'd like to return your Museum timeline after your visit, simply leave it in the marked box and we'll reuse it.
• Put rubbish in a bin - help us keep the stunning landscapes around the Parsonage clean by binning your rubbish. If you're out in the wilderness and there's no bin in sight, pop your rubbish in your bag or pocket to take home.