Haworth, West Yorkshire—The windswept moors surrounding the village of Haworth are bracing for an influx of visitors, spurred by the upcoming release of Emerald Fennell’s new film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights. The enduring appeal of the story, and its atmospheric setting, continues to draw fans to the landscape that inspired it.
Brontë Country Prepares for a New Wave of ‘Wuthering Heights’ Fans
The release of a new film adaptation is set to boost tourism in the Yorkshire Dales, a region already steeped in literary history.
- The new film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi is expected to draw visitors to Haworth and filming locations.
- Local residents are accustomed to tourism related to the Brontë sisters and appear unfazed by the anticipated increase.
- Several locations in the Yorkshire Dales, including East Riddlesden Hall and Ponden Hall, played a role in previous adaptations of the novel.
- Simonstone Hall, where the cast stayed during filming, is offering a “Wuthering Heights Romantic Getaway” package.
The four-mile trail from Haworth to Top Withens is well-trodden, with countless footprints marking the boggy ground—evidence of those seeking the view believed to have inspired the setting for Wuthering Heights. The landscape rolls in desolate waves of brown bracken, punctuated by a lone, stark tree. It’s a hauntingly beautiful scene.
“We’re used to crowds,” shrugs Craig Verity, the landlord at the Kings Arms, a pub at the top of Haworth’s steep cobbled Main Street, just steps from the parsonage where the Brontës were raised. The pub itself reflects the area’s literary connection, with a board promoting Bridgehouse cask ales named Charlotte, Anne, Emily, and Branwell—the lesser-known Brontë brother.
The Brontë connection is visible throughout the surrounding streets, with establishments like the Brontë Hotel and the Brontë Bar and Restaurant. Even the local curry house gets in on the act, somewhat tenuously, as Brontë Balti.
The Brontë Parsonage, where the sisters lived, wrote, and—in Emily and Charlotte’s case—died, is now a museum housing artifacts, personal items, and manuscripts. It hosts events such as workshops, talks, and screenings of adaptations. The museum draws around 75,000 visitors annually, a number expected to rise this year, with a screening of the 1992 film Wuthering Heights already sold out as of February 12.
Previous adaptations have also utilized the Yorkshire Dales as a backdrop. Scenes from the 1992 version, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliet Binoche, were filmed at East Riddlesden Hall, about five miles from Haworth. The 17th-century National Trust property also appeared in the 2009 mini-series and a now-lost 1920 silent version.
Interestingly, the 1939 film starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon was shot in California and on set in Hollywood.
“We only know about the use of the property because of a January 1921 article in the Shipley Times and Express,” said Sophie Fawcett, a senior marketing and communications officer with the National Trust.
To coincide with the new film, East Riddlesden Hall will host a “Lights, Camera, Brontë” exhibition, showcasing items like the “vast oak dresser” thought to have inspired the one described in the opening pages of the book. The dresser originally came from Ponden Hall—about an hour’s walk from Haworth and now a bed and breakfast—which the sisters frequented.
Ponden Hall features a room with a box bed and window, believed to have inspired the scene where the ghost of Cathy appears to Lockwood.
The cast of Fennell’s new film stayed at Simonstone Hall, a country house hotel in Yorkshire Dales, a 20-minute drive from Swaledale, where many scenes were shot. “They were lovely people, and brilliantly undemanding,” said owner Jake Dinsdale, adding that Margot Robbie has since returned for a stay with her husband. “Although they’d booked out all 20 rooms, our restaurant was still open to the public, and the cast enjoyed being around the firepit to toast s’mores, or sitting down to a roast dinner or afternoon tea.”
Dinsdale isn’t concerned about potential over-commercialization. “I don’t know what the film will do,” he said. “It could all be a flash in the pan, and that’s fine. If it sticks, that’s also great. What I do know is that I won’t be renaming any rooms as ‘The Jacob Elordi Room’ or ‘The Heathcliff Room.’ Commercial naffness isn’t for us—I’ll just be happy if guests understand why so many people love the Yorkshire Dales.”
Simonstone Hall is currently offering a “Wuthering Heights Romantic Getaway” package until March 13: two nights for £738 per couple, including champagne, candlelit dinners, brandy and truffles, breakfast, and late checkout. Copies of the novel are also available in the gift shop.
Tony Watson, head of economy and tourism for North Yorkshire council, noted the area’s experience with film tourism. “Post-Covid, we were already seeing more younger people getting outdoors and exploring the county, and this demographic will doubtless grow as the film showcases the area’s beauty and authenticity.” He added that they’ll monitor for any iconic locations that visitors might try to replicate, and ensure safety measures are in place.
Back at The Kings Arms, Jack Greatrex, a local resident, is optimistic. “The Brontë sisters shaped this village for future generations, and for lovers of landscape and literature,” he said. “This film could mean that they continue to do so.”
Watson concluded, “I’m the luckiest head of tourism imaginable—the film is going to do my job for me.”
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