A new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights has sparked a surge in visitors to the historic Yorkshire village of Haworth, reviving interest in the Brontë sisters’ home more than a century after their deaths. The period drama, directed by Emerald Fennell and released in mid‑February, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, has attracted fans eager to see the landscapes that inspired the famous Gothic masterpiece.
Staff at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, where Emily, Charlotte and Anne Brontë lived and wrote, described the fresh wave of “Brontëmania” as “mind‑blowing” — with visitors from around the world arriving in numbers not usually seen outside peak summer months. Museum digital engagement officer Mia Ferullo said attendance and interest in the sisters’ work had soared since the film’s release, with many visitors picking up Wuthering Heights for the first time and seeking deeper insight into the lives behind the literature. “I’ve never seen so many people talk about Emily Brontë and Wuthering Heights,” she said to The Independent.
Haworth’s narrow cobbled streets, historic buildings and surrounding moorland have drawn particular interest from tourists keen to trace the settings of the novel and film. One of the most popular walking routes across the moors leads to the ruined farmhouse of Top Withens, long associated with Brontë lore. The village’s main attraction is the Brontë Parsonage Museum, the former home of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, which now displays manuscripts, letters and personal belongings of the writers.
Local businesses and guides have reported a sharp increase in bookings and inquiries, reflecting a renewed cultural fascination with the story’s wild landscapes and tragic romance. “People from as far as America were coming to Haworth to try and see the place where Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre and lived,” Ferullo shared.
@sophia_walker come hike with me to Top Withens, the lonely farmhouse believed to have inspired Emily Brontës Wuthering Heights📖 #wutheringheights #booktok #haworth #yorkshire #emilybrontë ♬ Wuthering Heights – Kate Bush
The trend of seeking out locations featured in films and books is known as “set-jetting,” where audiences travel to real-world destinations associated with popular screen productions or literary works. The rugged landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and the enduring appeal of the Brontë story have turned Haworth into a popular destination for literary enthusiasts and cultural tourists, particularly visitors from North America and continental Europe.
Wuthering Heights tells the story of the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff, an orphan brought to live at Wuthering Heights, and Catherine Earnshaw, the daughter of the family that takes him in. Set on the wild moors of Yorkshire, the novel explores how their thwarted love leads to a relentless cycle of vengeance that spans two generations.
The film Wuthering Heights, based on Brontë’s 1847 novel, has grossed hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide since its release and has been widely discussed for its bold reimagining of the classic tale.
Local heritage organisations and tourism bodies have welcomed the influx as a significant economic opportunity but also stressed the importance of sustainable visitor management. Haworth and its surroundings have a long tradition of literary tourism — the Brontë Parsonage Museum attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually — and the latest surge is expected to boost that number well into the year.
As the tourism boom continues, Haworth — with its historic streets, rugged moorland and strong literary heritage — is once again drawing global attention as a little window into one of the 19th century’s most famous novels.
