Hatchards was a part of the literary world when the Brontë sisters visited London.
For book lovers, there’s something deeply satisfying about stepping into Hatchards on Piccadilly. Established in 1797, it is London’s oldest bookshop and has been part of the city’s literary life for more than two centuries. When Charlotte and Anne Brontë traveled to London in 1848 to meet their publisher, this storied shop was already a fixture of the capital. With a new film “Wuthering Heights” shining the spotlight on Emily Brontë’s romantic classic, it’s the perfect moment to wander through London and see where Brontë lovers can still connect with their world.
If you enjoyed our Jane Austen Lover’s Guide to London, now it’s time to follow another literary thread through the city. While the windswept drama of Wuthering Heights belongs to the Yorkshire moors, London has long played its part in publishing, preserving and honoring the Brontë sisters’ work.
If you’re a devoted Brontë fan, a visit to Haworth and the Brontë Parsonage Museum in West Yorkshire is well worth planning. But if your time in London is limited, here are a few places in the capital where you can explore their story a little further.
Seeing the Brontë Sisters at the National Portrait Gallery
The Brontë Sisters (Anne Brontë; Emily Brontë; Charlotte Brontë) by Patrick Branwell Brontë, circa 1834 (© National Portrait Gallery, London)
One of the most remarkable things a Brontë lover can do in London is stand face to face with the sisters themselves. At the National Portrait Gallery, you can view the only surviving painted likenesses of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë – rare images created by their brother Branwell.
The group portrait of Anne, Emily and Charlotte Brontë has become iconic not because it is polished or grand, but because it feels intimate. There’s also a portrait of Emily Brontë that is usually on display, which is the only surviving fragment of a larger painting that once included all four siblings. These paintings, creased and imperfect from decades folded away in Ireland before their rediscovery in 1914, carry their own remarkable history.
Emily Brontë by Patrick Branwell Brontë, circa 1833 (© National Portrait Gallery, London)
For readers drawn in by a new film inspired by Wuthering Heights, encountering these portraits adds another dimension. Before the film interpretations and before their place in the literary canon was secured, there were three young women writing under pseudonyms and a brother who painted them. London is only place where you can stand before these original likenesses and see the faces behind the novels.
If you’d like a deeper look at the Brontës’ connections to London and the story behind these portraits, check out this entertaining piece from the Brontë Babe Blog.
The Brontë Memorial at Westminster Abbey
The Brontë memorial in Poets’ Corner.
From the portrait galleries, it’s a short journey to Westminster Abbey, home to Poets’ Corner, the historic space where many of Britain’s most celebrated writers are buried or commemorated. Here, in this extraordinary literary gathering place, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë are honored alongside figures whose names shaped English literature.
Their memorial was given by the Brontë Society and erected on October 9, 1939. Because of the outbreak of WWII and the difficulty of travel, it was not formally dedicated until July 19, 1947. The plaque is placed on the wall next to Shakespeare’s memorial – an extraordinary proximity for three sisters who once published under male pseudonyms. Beneath their names is the simple inscription “With courage to endure,” taken from the final line of Emily Brontë’s poem The Old Stoic.
If you’ve only encountered the Brontës through the pages of one of their books or a film adaptation, standing in Poets’ Corner is moving in a different way. There are no portraits here, only names, and yet the recognition is significant. Seeing the memorial for these three young women in Westminster Abbey is a reminder of just how far their work traveled, from a Yorkshire parsonage to one of the most revered spaces in the country.
Where to Pick Up Wuthering Heights in London
Of course, a Brontë-inspired visit to London calls for a stop at one of the city’s wonderful bookshops. Hatchards on Piccadilly is a natural starting place. Book lovers will easily get lost browsing its polished wooden shelves while searching out a copy of a Brontë classic to take home as a beautiful souvenir.
In Chelsea, John Sandoe Books offers a quieter, more intimate experience. With its narrow rooms and floor-to-ceiling shelves, it’s the kind of independent shop that makes you want to browse or sit and read in a cozy little window seat for hours.
Or if you’re drawn to the romance of older volumes, Cecil Court near Charing Cross is home to a cluster of antiquarian bookshops. Here you might find a beautifully bound copy of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, its pages worn by time – proof that the Brontës’ stories have been passed from reader to reader for generations. Something we hope will continue for centuries to come!
