BESTSELLING crime novelist Elly Griffiths will visit Haworth as part of celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Patrick Bronte.

Elly, who created the Dr Ruth Galloway series of novels, will be at the West Lane Baptist Centre to discuss her latest book The Stone Circle.

Elly was born in London and worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer, and popular series featuring the forensic archaeologist asset in Norfolk.

The series has won the CWA Dagger in the Library Award, and has been shortlisted three times for the Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year.

Her Stephens and Mephisto series is based in 1950s Brighton. She lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband and children.

Elly’s appearance is one of a series of events throughout 2019 to mark the 200th anniversary of Patrick Bronte being invited to become minister in Haworth.

While in the village his daughters Charlotte, Emily and Anne wrote their famous novels Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and the Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The Brontë Parsonage Museum will host the Celebrating Patrick day on March 17, which is both St Patrick’s Day and Patrick Brontë’s birthday.

The Bronte Society Spring Walk will be the same day at St James’s Church, Thornton, where Patrick served before moving to Haworth.

The Bronte Society is teaming up with Bradford Fair Trade for the nine-mile walk from Thornton to Haworth, where there will be a welcome of tea and birthday cake for walkers in the Old School Room.

The School Room will also be open to visitors from noon till 4pm, for the launch of a project to bring the history of Haworth to life at the time when Patrick was its perpetual curate. People are invited to go along to find out how they can get involved.

There will also be guests including Zaffar Kunial, the Bronte Parsonage Museum’s writer-in-residence, who will read from his new collection Us and talk about his plans for the residency.

The Bronte Parsonage will host its monthly Brontë Treasures session on March 29 at 2pm, when a curator will offer unique access to treasures from the museum’s collection.

The same day will see the latest Parsonage Unwrapped event at 7.30pm, entitled Breaking The Mould, focusing on the unconventional streak manifested in the lives of Patrick, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne.

A spokesman said: “When the Bronte novels were first published, their work was viewed as accomplished, ground-breaking and quite frequently controversial.”

Visit bronte.org.uk/whats-on or call 01535 640192 for further information.