- Ponden Hall
Ponden Hall is a
manor house nearStanbury inWest Yorkshire ,England . It is famous for reputedly being the inspiration for Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Linton family inEmily Brontë 's novel "Wuthering Heights ". However, it does not match the description given in the novel and is closer in size and appearance to the farmhouse of Wuthering Heights itself.The "old house" was built in 1634 by Robert Heaton (1587-1641) for his son Michael Anno Domini Heaton (1609-1643). The old house was demolished in 1956. The "old porch and peat house" was later built by Michael's son Robert (1642-1704) and in 1801 the hall was re-built by "his" great grandson, Robert (1757-1817). [Bradford Archives]
In the early 1800s Ponden Hall held what was reputedly the largest private library in Yorkshire, which saw regular visits from the young Emily Bronte as she and the Heaton children would play together as well. There are two entwined withered pear trees on the property, said to be planted there by one of the boys, Robert as he longed for Emily's heart (was not meant to be as she was a little older). In the 1800s the Heaton family were textile manufacturers - particularly wool. With the death of Robert in 1898, the last surviving Heaton male, the Hall was sold.
References
External links
* [http://www.wuthering-heights.co.uk/locations/pondenhall.htm "Reader's Guide to Wuthering Heights - Ponden Hall"] , Information on the house by the present owners
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