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Thrushcross Grange
The most important building in the neighbourhood.
The home of the Lintons and, later on, owned by Heathcliff.
He rented it out and the leasing of it by Mr Lockwood begins the
book.
| Position | Rooms | Inspirations |
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PositionEmily Brontë does not describe Thrushcross Grange with the same detail that she applies to Wuthering Heights. Thrushcross Grange lies within a large park, with a two-mile (three kilometer) walk from the main house to the porter's lodge by the entrance. It is a four mile (six and a half kilometer) walk to Wuthering Heights which lies to the north. Wuthering Heights cannot be seen from the Grange although Penistone Crags beyond can. The park is unusally large for an untitled family like the Lintons: Cathy rarely leaves it for the first thirteen years of her life. To see an enlarged view of the the map left, see The Moors page. The photograph left shows the kind of location that the Grange would occupy. Click on the picture to see a larger image. The building has numerous projecting sections and surrounds a courtyard that has a high wall around it. In front of the house are the formal gardens. |
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Rooms
Some of the rooms mentioned are:
A drawing room where the young Heathcliff and Catherine first see the Lintons which has crimson carpets, chairs and tables, a white ceiling bordered with gold, and glass-droplet chandeliers
A parlour where Heathcliff meets them on his return which looks out on the garden, the park and the valley of Gimmerton. The moor is in the distance and Wuthering Heights (the hill) can be seen although Wuthering Heights (the house) is hidden on the other side. It is on the first floor and a window on the opposite side also overlooks the courtyard.
The kitchen is part of a wing and the rear of the building is used when the Grange is not occupied except by servants. The kitchen leads directly into the entrance hall and has a door into the yard.
There is also the hall, the library (which may be another name for the parlour), Edgar and Catherine's bedroom, Isabella's room, Ellen's room.
Upstairs, there is a study with a fire (which is used by Lockwood) as well as the main bedrooms used by the family in residence.
Inspirations
The Thrushcross Grange that Emily describes is rather unusual. It sits within an enormous park , two miles (3.2 km) from the porter's lodge to the house itself. By comparison, the park at Chatsworth (the home of the Duke of Devonshire) is over two miles (3.2 km) long but, as the house sits near the middle, it is no more than a mile and a half (2.4 km) from the lodge to the house. Considering that Edgar Linton apparently did not even have a title, it seems rather odd. There is no building close to Haworth which has a park anywhere near this size but a few houses which might have inspired some elements. Shibden Hall (see below) has several features which match the descriptions in the novel:
...the moon looked over the high wall of the court, causing undefined shadows to lurk in the corners of the numerous projecting portions of the building.
It also has gardens which are passed to reach the road.
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Ponden Hall, near Stanbury, is often cited as the model for Thrushcross Grange. It was the home of the Heaton family and had an extensive library which may well have been seen by the Brontës who visited it regularly. The main body of the house was built in 1634 and extensively rebuilt in 1801. It is about two kilometers from Top Withens (see Wuthering Heights) at OS reference SD 9910 3707 (altitude 275 meters). However, it is far less grand than Thrushcross, more similar in size and shape to Wuthering Heights itself (as noted on the Wuthering Heights page), and does not sit in any sort of park. A location map of Ponden Hall is here.
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Ponden Hall in the 1920s |
Ponden Hall entrance |
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Shibden Hall near Halifax (OS reference SE 1064 2573, altitude 185 meters), as mentioned above, is much closer to the sort of grand house imagined. Emily would probably have visited it while teaching at Law Hill near the town. A Victorian map showing Shibden Hall can be seen by clicking here. A location map of Shibden is here.
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Shibden Hall exterior |
Shibden Hall interior |
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A GoogleMap showing Wuthering Heights and Emily Brontë locations can be seen by clicking on the image left or here. |