The Olympics and the summer’s bad weather are being blamed for a drop in visitor numbers last year at one of the district’s top tourist attractions.

Haworth’s Bronte Parsonage Museum welcomed 73,408 people through its doors, down about three per cent on 2011.

Acting director Ann Dinsdale said: “Clearly I would have preferred numbers to remain up, but considering it was such a wet summer and we had the London Olympics to contend with – which definitely affected our figures – we did pretty well. I’m not too despondent.”

She added that the year ahead looked positive.

The parsonage is currently undergoing a redecoration, which will result in a decor unprecedented in its resemblance to how the house would have looked in the days when it was home to the famous literary sisters. The museum will re-open to the public on Saturday, February 9.