A BLUE plaque marking the birthplace of the Brontes will be unveiled on what would have been Emily’s birthday.

The new heritage marker, to be revealed on July 30, is the first Bradford Civic Society blue plaque dedicated to the Bronte sisters at their Thornton birthplace. It was commissioned by Mark and Michelle De Luca, who runs Emily’s cafe at the property, and 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, and 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 De Luca, who sensitively restored it, to reveal a number of original features.

Also unveiled will be 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 plaque unveilings is 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 world famous literary family, investigating geographical and social features that shaped their work. Michael will give a talk and sign copies in the newly landscaped garden of South Square Art Centre.

“I've been captivated by the Brontës 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,” he added. “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 10 studios for artists, an art gallery, community spaces, archive, fine art framers, bar and cafe. In March 2020, South Square Centre received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a capital refurbishment and a three-year programme of heritage activities highlighting local industrial heritage and Thornton as the Bronte birthplace.