Holiday stays and weddings at Bronte-linked Red House

Kirklees Council, which owns the former Red House museum building in Gomersal, has been given approval to go ahead with its plans for the site.

Submitted over a year ago, they include a £600,000 investment to completely refurbish Red House and to bring it back into use, celebrating its Bronte connections.

Dating back to the 1660s, Grade II*-listed Red House was home to Mary Taylor, a writer, early feminist and friend of Charlotte Bronte.

Charlotte was a regular guest at the house and based the house Briarmains and the Yorke family in her novel, Shirley, on Red House and the Taylor family, with whom she had stayed.

Charlotte Bronte

Prior to its closure in 2016, Red House operated as a community museum, but visitor numbers and increasing costs made the site unviable. It has been predominantly vacant since.

The plans themselves include changing the use of the main house and a detached single-storey former cart shed into short-term holiday stays, and the Council wants to license the main reception hall for small weddings.

The main building would offer five bedrooms and would be let to one party at a time, and the cart shed would be split into four one-bedroom flats for holiday let.

In a report by planning officers, who approved the change of use and listed building consent under delegated powers, it states that the Council’s own conservation and design department believe the plans will provide a sustainable use for the heritage asset.

Amanda Tyas finishing the traditional Christmas decorations at Red House Museum for the final time in 2016 before its closure

“The building has been vacant for several years and the proposal is for the change of use from its former use as a museum to short term holiday accommodation.

“As such, the proposed change of use would provide a sustainable use for this important heritage asset, helping to secure funding for its future upkeep and preservation. The same goes for the associated cart shed which is to be developed.

Earlier this year, Councillor Paul Davies, cabinet member for corporate, told the Telegraph & Argus that the Council’s cabinet had approved a £600,000 investment to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Red House, to bring it back into use as a luxury holiday home, “unique in its Bronte connections”.

“At a time when there is increasing pressure on council finances, the income generated by holiday stays is a financially astute way of retaining the property in public ownership, and means that we can continue to offer managed community access to a site which we know is much-loved by local people.”