Happy 90th Birthday Brontë House!

Brontë House School opened its’ doors on 5th May, 1934, on a bright and breezy spring afternoon. Staff and pupils had moved into Brontë the week before opening, although the newly appointed Master-in-Charge, Mr. F.C. Pritchard, had not yet arrived. After a performance of the hymn “We build our school on Thee, O Lord” the doors finally opened, and visitors flocked in to tour the newly decorated premises. The Grove orchestra gave a concert, and the entertainment continued with the first Brontë House drama presentation – an enactment of ‘The Pied Piper,’ which was performed by the boys “with vigour, effectiveness, and evident enjoyment.” 

Brontë House derives its’ name from the associations that, together with Woodhouse Grove School, it has with the Brontë Family. The Rev Patrick Brontë, the father of the famous sisters had become friendly with the first governor at The Grove, John Fennell. It was later that Patrick met Fennel’s niece, Maria Branwell, because of this introduction Patrick and Maria were married at Guiseley Parish Church in December 1812 and later had their four children, Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell. 

Charlotte Brontë worked as a Governess at the house which was then called Upperwood House for Mr. and Mrs. John White. John passed away in 1860 and eighteen years later Upperwood was bought and demolished by James Taylor. In 1878 Brontë as we know it now was built, however, it was then called Ashdown House. Years went on and Ashdown House had a few more owners before it was left vacant and then purchased by the Methodists in 1934 where it then became the preparatory school to Woodhouse Grove and still is 90 years later in 2024.  

Over the past week we have been celebrating this important birthday at Brontë with all the children, staff, and parents. The birthday week began with an exciting party day with birthday cake, party games, a special lunch, and bouncy castles. On Thursday 9th May, Brontë hosted the annual Founders’ Day service in the Woodhouse Grove Chapel. The afternoon was lovely with a beautiful service including some wonderful singing from the children. On Saturday night the Brontë ABA held a Birthday Ball at The Queens Hotel for staff and parents. It was a fabulous night with lots of celebrating, dancing, and laughter.  

Here at Brontë House we are so grateful to have such a large and cherished community of parents, staff, and pupils. Celebrating the history of our school has been insightful and rewarding for all members of the community and reminds us how fortunate we are to be a part of something bigger.  

In the Governors report in June 1934, the Headmaster wrote, “The work of preparation has been extremely arduous and has imposed a great strain on my wife and myself. For nearly six months it involved continual application. We are very happy, however, in the knowledge that Brontë House is now a school of remarkable beauty and attractiveness. It is a place of which Woodhouse Grove and its’ Governors can be justifiably proud and it will, in my opinion, be a tremendous asset to the mother school.” 

90 years on, Brontë’s Head, Sarah Chatterton, has this to say in response: “The ‘continual application’ referred to in the previous quote lies at the heart of Brontё House’s success. Over the years there have been many changes and developments to and within the school, but one thing has remained constant throughout; our unwavering dedication to providing the children under our care with the best possible educational experience, both inside the classroom and out of it. Day in, day out, our staff and pupils are shining examples of everything Brontё stands for – and we are indeed tremendously proud of our school and our wonderful Brontё community. Who knows what the next 90 years will bring!”