A BLUE plaque marking the birthplace of the Bronte sisters has been unveiled.

The Bradford Civic Society plaque at the siblings’ Thornton birthplace was commissioned by Mark and Michelle De Luca, who run Emily’s Cafe at the property, and was funded by a donation from the Bradford-based Morrisons Foundation.

Patrick and Maria Bronte moved to the Market Street house in 1815, with their two infant children, Maria and Elizabeth. The family soon expanded, with Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne all born in the house. They moved to Haworth Parsonage in 1820.

The Thornton birthplace was a museum for several years and in 2013 it was bought by Mark and Michelle, who sensitively restored it to reveal a number of original features.

Also unveiled was a miniature blue plaque dedicated to the ‘Bronte bats’ at Thornton’s South Square arts centre.

The three bats – named Charlotte, Emily and Anne – were found living in the roof of the centre during restoration work and the South Square team worked with ecologists on creating a special home for them, a mini replica of the Bronte birthplace. Visitors to the centre can now see the Bronte Bat Box.

Accompanying the unveiling of the plaques was the launch of a new book about places that inspired the Brontes. Walking the Invisible, by Michael Stewart, follows a series of inspiring walks through the lives and landscapes of the famous literary family, investigating geographical and social features that shaped their work. Michael gave a talk and signed copies in the newly-landscaped garden of South Square.

“I’ve been captivated by the Brontes since I was a child and have travelled all over the north of England in search of their lives and landscapes,” said Michael, an award-winning author and head of creative writing at the University of Huddersfield.

“My book invites the reader into the world as the Brontes would have seen it, following in their footsteps across meadow and moor, through village and town.

“This is a literary study of both the social and natural history that has inspired writers and walkers, and the writings of a family that have touched readers for generations.

“Finally we get to understand the ‘wild, windy moors’ that Kate Bush sang about in Wuthering Heights, see the imposing halls that may have inspired Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre, and learn about Bramwell’s affair with a real-life Mrs Robinson while treading the same landscapes.”

South Square, a collection of 19th-century Grade II workers’ cottages, was renovated as a community arts and heritage centre in 1982 and is now home to ten studios for artists, an art gallery, community spaces, archive, fine art framers, bar and cafe.