Main Street
Stanbury
West Yorkshire
BD22 0HB
01535 643332
Traditional Village Pub
The Wuthering Heights is a friendly community pub in the Pennine village of Stanbury, just a mile from Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters (photo 1). The building dates from the early 1700s and records show that by 1763 it was a pub. The pub name comes from the novel by Emily Bronte, but she would have known it as the Cross Inn. The name was changed to the Wuthering Heights in the 1980s to attract Bronte tourists. Top Withens, the moorland farmhouse that is said to have inspired Heathcliff’s residence in the novel, is less than two miles walk. The inn sign shows a portrait of Emily Bronte along with an image of Heathcliff and a quote from Catherine, the troubled lovers featured in the book (photo 4).
The pub has two rooms, a main bar (photo 2) and a smaller dining room, both with wood burning stoves. Outside, the garden at the back has splendid views of the scenic Worth Valley from a choice of seating areas. In the small field below the garden is space for three tents plus two shepherd’s huts with double beds and log burners (photo 3).
Food is served lunchtimes and evenings and is a mix of pub classics and Mediterranean dishes. The cask ales are always in good condition and the pub is a frequent winner of awards from the local Camra branch. Craven Best Yorkshire Bitter (BYB) and Moorhouse’s White Witch are the regulars with an additional two beers, usually interesting choices from across the north of England.
George Taylor of Stanbury bought the pub in 1835 (when Emily Bronte was 17) and his initials (GMT) are above the door. Above that is a carving of the coat of arms of the Taylors, added by the family in 1926 (photo 3).
I live locally and can recommend the five mile walk from Haworth via the Bronte Waterfalls to Top Withens, and then down to the Wuthering Heights for lunch and/or a pint. The bus stop back to Haworth and Keighley is right outside the pub.
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