Expansion of an Oakworth tea room and shop complex has seen it renamed after a famous house in the novel Jane Eyre.

Moor Lodge has been rebranded as Ferndean because its proprietors believe the building inspired Charlotte Bronte.

In Charlotte’s novel, Ferndean was the home of brooding hero Rochester where Jane went to become a governess.

Research by local man Ian Howard revealed that the 18th-Century lodge could have been the location Charlotte had in mind.

Evidence of links with the Brontes, Freemasonry and the Knights Templar are outlined on the new Ferndean website.

Moor Lodge, which comprises several buildings, is owned by Scartop Antiques whose original shop remains on the site. It lies on the Haworth-Colne road beyond Ponden Reservoir.

Siblings Mark and Maxine Lodge run their own business, the Balcony Tea Rooms, elsewhere in the complex.

The siblings recently gained permission to open a bar in the tea rooms and plan to offer evening entertainment and weekend events. They also plan to expand the attractions at Moor Lodge – using the name Ferndean – by using some of the empty rooms in the buildings.

One will house a mini-museum devoted to both the Brontes and the lodge’s history, and others will be rented to local artists to exhibit their work.

Ferndean hosted the first Haworth Storytelling Festival last weekend, and a Fairy Festival is planned for August.

A website detailing the existing amenities, ferndeanmanor.co.uk, features several articles of local history as well as work by local artists inspired by the Brontes.

Mr Howard said he stumbled upon the link while taking advertising photographs for Scartop Antiques, and photographs at Moor Lodge for his planned graphic-novel version of the Bronte story.

He realised a cross above the lodge’s entrance was identical to one at the Freemasons lodge in Mill Hey, Haworth.

Mr Howard said well-known local families who used to own the lodge were prominent in Freemasonry, and said there were references to Freemasonry in the novel Jane Eyre. He is continuing his research and will post his findings on the Ferndean website.