THE PARSONAGE’S first ever Poetry Festival took place early this month, and was a great success, despite a rather wet and windy start.

Gazebos were taking flight on Saturday morning, but were eventually tethered in place, and the sun finally appeared to make for a beautiful summer’s weekend.

Poets and visitors mingled in the Parsonage garden and various venues dotted around Haworth, enjoying stumbling upon a real mish-mash of poetic styles, whilst some chose to hone their skills in poetry workshops at the museum.

We hope to repeat the festival next year and build on its success.

Another first for the museum this month was Tracy Chevalier’s Twitter tour of our Charlotte Great and Small exhibition, which was a brilliant way of letting far-flung devotees of the Brontes see what’s going on in the museum this year.

Who ever thought the Brontes would be trending on Twitter!

Our regular events continue to be a success: our next Parsonage Unwrapped event is on Friday July 29, when a member of the collections team will be discussing Emily Bronte and her relationship with Charlotte.

These Friday evenings are a lovely way to treat yourself after a busy week at work (or home!).

The evening begins with a welcoming glass of wine, and visitors then enjoy a talk in the intimacy of the library, usually off-limits during opening hours, and are then able to explore the museum if they wish.

And if you want to immerse yourself fully in Emily that weekend, you can celebrate Emily’s birthday on the afternoon of July 30 by joining our learning officer Sue on a walk up Penistone Hill.

Our free Tuesday talks are becoming increasingly popular. Last week we struggled to fit everyone in the cellar – it was standing room only for some!

The next one is on Tuesday August 2 and explores Charlotte and her friendships. Arrive before 2pm to ensure you squeeze in the cellar.

The school holidays are about to start and so we’re looking forward to welcoming families to the museum. It’s lovely seeing little ones dashing in and out of the rooms, excited about how things were ‘in the olden days’, and asking questions about the bells in the kitchen, and quill pens.

We have a busy programme lined up for the holidays. Every Wednesday we’ll be offering drop-in arts and craft sessions, with something different to do each week, from making a little print on a Bronte theme, to making a miniature garden.

There will also be a series of short talks and guided walks, museum trails and ‘hands-on history’ sessions.

And you may even stumble across some of Charlotte’s friends when you visit this summer; we’re expecting her oldest friend Ellen Nussey to pay a visit, as well as her fellow author friend Elizabeth Gaskell, who’ll be popping over from Manchester.

Tabby, the Bronte’s loyal servant, will be sharing a bit of Haworth gossip in the kitchen, whilst the local sexton John Brown, Branwell’s drinking buddy, may be passing, on his way to The Black Bull!