THE BRONTË Parsonage Museum looks deserted during January, the only month of the year when it is closed to the public.

But behind closed doors at the Haworth attraction the staff, from shop workers to specialist curators, have rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in.

There are general repairs, decorating and maintenance tasks, as well as checking every item in the museum and refreshing displays in readiness for reopening on February 1.

Principal curator Ann Dinsdale said there was a huge amount of work going on at the house where the Brontë sisters wrote their famous novels.

She said: “I think people imagine the winter is a quiet time for us, but it’s probably the busiest time as it’s the only time of year when we can do any conservation and maintenance work.

“Everything is cleaned and we check the entire collection for any signs of change in condition, including the furniture.”

Much of this month’s efforts are focused on preparing two major exhibitions that will run throughout 2017.

Mansions In The Sky will tie in with the major event of the year for Brontë enthusiasts: the 200th anniversary of the birth of Branwell Brontë.

The exhibition has been curated by poet Simon Armitage, the Brontë Society’s creative partner for ‘Branwell’s year’.

Simon will be in Haworth on May 13 at 2.30pm to talk about the exhibition.

The other 2017, exhibition, From Parsonage To Production, will include costumes, props and behind-the-scenes photographs from To Walk Invisible, the BBC drama about the Brontë family that was screened over the Christmas period.

To Walk Invisible costume designer Tom Pye has been booked to speak about his work on the film during a Museums At Night event on May 17.

To Walk Invisible was filmed last summer in Haworth Main Street and at a special outdoor set built on nearby Penistone Hill.

The Brontë Society this month unveiled a packed programme of activities for the first six months of the year, as part of its ongoing Brontë200 celebrations.

These include the National Theatre and Bristol Old Vic’s acclaimed new stage adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre, touring the North during the spring.

Sally Cook’s “bold and dynamic” production uncovers one woman’s fight for freedom and fulfilment as she survives poverty, injustice and bitter betrayal.

Rachel Lee will visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum on April 12, from 11am to 4pm, to lead the latest Wild Wednesday! activity for families.

The Brontës loved to invent their own fantastical worlds in miniature, so Rachel will show children how to make their own secret tiny garden.

Andrew McMillan and Nat Johnson will present an evening of poetry and song inspired by the Brontës’ work, in Haworth on June 10.

The pair were commissioned by three literary festivals last year to celebrate the Brontë legacy through the production of new work.

Over in Thornton there that will be a Bicentenary Breakfast on June 26 at Emily’s cafe and bistro, originally the birthplace of Branwell and his sisters.

Visit bronte.org.uk or call 01535 642323 for further information.