Top Withins farm on Stanbury Moor, West Yorkshire, is internationally
famous as the inspiration for Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and is visited
by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world every year. Apart
from the Brontë connection, it stands on the Pennine Way and is one of the
highlights for the many who walk it each year.
As well as tracing the history of the Withins farms and their inhabitants from
1567 to the present day, this book looks at the everyday life of the farmers
who lived there. It gives a full account of the building history, farming
practices, textile production and domestic life over the years, illustrated by
Peter Brears’ splendid reconstructions of the buildings and their interiors and
of the tools and utensils used in farming, weaving and cooking.
A walk from Stanbury to Top Withins and back to Haworth is described in
detail, including the history of all the farms that are passed on the way. Many
of these are now almost forgotten, but a surprising amount of information
about them is included. The final chapter gives a full account of the life and
work of Timmy Feather, the last of the handloom weavers on these moors.