Bronte sisters' birthplace up for auction

By Avril Ormsby

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - The Yorkshire house where the Bronte sisters were born is up for auction after the current owner, herself a novelist, decided to retire.

Charlotte, Emily and Anne were born in the front sitting room of the house in the hillside village of Thornton, four miles west of Bradford.

They lived there for five years before moving to nearby Haworth where Charlotte wrote "Jane Eyre", Emily penned "Wuthering Heights" and Anne saw "Agnes Grey" published.

"It would be nice to see the home purchased and used to further build the Bronte brand in Yorkshire," said Tony Webber, auctioneer for Eddisons who are handling the sale.

"But then again, how romantic would it be if a family bought it and their children went on to make an impact in the literary world?"

The Grade II listed building at 72-74 Market Street became the Bronte home in 1815 after their father Patrick was appointed curate of Thornton.

A year later, Charlotte was born, followed by Emily in 1818 and Anne in 1820.

The girls lived with their literary parents and two older sisters Maria and Elizabeth and brother Branwell in the three-bedroomed house.