BRONTË enthusiasts from around the world last weekend made their annual pilgrimage to the village where the famous novels were written.

The Brontë Parsonage Museum hosted its annual weekend in Haworth for members of the Brontë Society.

They were offered a packed programme of entertainment and education in addition to the chance to simply wander the village and moors.

Special guests included leading poet Andrew McMillan, playwright Blake Morrison, singer-songwriter Nat Johnson and historian Eleanor Houghton.

The weekend came as the Brontës continued to enjoy a resurgence in popularity thanks to the ongoing celebrations of the literary siblings’ 200th anniversaries.

Last year’s bicentenary of Charlotte Brontë’s birth was celebrated by a host of events, and a similar spotlight is being shone this year on brother Branwell.

Kitty Wright, executive director of the museum, said she was delighted to have the chance to spend time with members over the weekend.

She said: “I enjoyed hearing how pleased they were about the success currently being enjoyed by the museum and Brontë Society.

“It made me feel very proud to have members endorsing our work and being appreciative of how staff are making the most of the opportunities presented by the bicentennaries.”

The weekend was built around the Brontë Society’s annual general meeting, chaired by John Thirlwell.

Mr Thirlwell this week described the meeting as “very successful and productive” – a far cry from previous years which had seen resignations and arguments over the future direction of the society.

A spokesman said members this year voted overwhelmingly in favour of updating the society’s articles of association, which mostly govern intricate administrative matters.

She said: “This will enable us to meet the challenge of running a successful museum in the 21st century. The articles were written more than 100 years ago.”

Trustees will now work on the articles line-by-line with solicitors and charity experts then present recommendations to members in the autumn for comment, followed by a vote at next year’s annual general meeting.

The weekend began on Friday with a talk by dress historian Eleanor Houghton about the blue and white delaine dress that Charlotte Brontë reputedly wore to a dinner at the home of William Makepeace Thackeray in June 1850.

The dress was recently displayed at the Morgan Library in New York.

Yorkshire-born poet and playwright Blake Morrison gave the annual Brontë Society lecture, entitled The Brontë Family and Other Attachments, exploring the complex family dynamic that resulted in some of the greatest novels in the English language.

Amongst his dramas was a reworking of Chekhov’s classic The Three Sisters as a play about the Brontës.

Responses To The Brontës was a Saturday concert featuring poet Andrew McMillan and singer-songwriter Nat Johnson.

The pair were commissioned by three literary festivals to celebrate the Brontë legacy through the production of new work inspired by the creative siblings.

Also during the weekend, Jane Eyre stage director Sally Cookson and playwright Judith Adams discussed the challenges of adapting a novel for the stage.