Haworth

Immediately after Saltaire, I went once again to Haworth. I’ve been here before when I came for the 1940’s Weekend in May but I really like this place. Somehow, I find most English villages very appealing. It's probably because I've lived in big cities almost my entire life. Haworth is much quieter this time of year, with just a few tourists walking about. I walked around Main Street for a while before heading off to the side lanes and roads. There are hills around Haworth that are not very high but still offer beautiful picturesque sights of the moors. Once again, I snapped happily away with my camera. (Aren't digital cameras great?)

Many photographs later, I made my way back to Main Street with the intention of visiting the same spots I visited the last time I was here. I passed by a book store at the top of Main Street and decided to have a look. As I paid for one of James Patterson’s books, I started a very pleasant conversation with an elderly lady behind the counter about life in Haworth. Her name is Margaret and she is 71 years old. Joe, her 12 year old grandson who was helping her joined our conversation, giving his take on life in the village. I found out this bookstore used to be a post office and the counter where I was paying for my book is the exact spot the Bronte sisters posted their manuscripts to be published in the mid-1800s.

But life in Haworth is slowly changing. Neighbouring supermarkets are making business difficult for shops in the village. There's a sweets shop a few doors away from the bookstore that has been there since Margaret was a child, but according to Joe, he and his friends would rather go to Spar for their sweets as it's cheaper. When I asked him where Spar was, I was told it was in front of the train station. On the way home after saying our goodbyes, I passed by the train station and sure enough, I saw a modern convenience store called Spar opposite. Well, I guess all good things…

Haworth 1940's Weekend - 20th May

Every year around this time in spring, there is an event in the beautiful village of Haworth situated on the edge of the Pennine moors in West Yorkshire, England. It's the 1940’s Weekend, a time when everyone dresses up in 1940s clothing, British and American soldiers walk the streets (along with a few Nazis), vintage cars and buses travel along the roads, and Winston Churchill and the Queen can be seen giving speeches. Newspaper boys and scouts in 1940s uniforms walk around selling newspapers dated from that era. Songs from the 40s can be heard playing from loudspeakers on rooftops. It’s like going back in time!! Really, really awesome!

I took the steam train here on Sunday from Keighley station and spent the entire day just looking around and taking photos. I originally wanted to see the WW2 Spitfire fly past which was supposed to be held here the day before but it was cancelled due to bad weather. I then found out there will be a Veterans’ Weekend from the 30th June to 1st July in the city centre of Bradford.... and guess what plane from the Battle of Britain will be doing a fly past then? Yep, the Spitfire :)