Red House was once owned by a friend of Brontë’s to go to auction

A date has been set for when a Grade II listed former museum with Brontë connections will be auctioned.

Kirklees Council said the Red House, a Georgian townhouse in Gomersal, would be put up for sale with Pugh Auctions on December 3, with a guide price of more than £650,000.

The property, which was once the home of Charlotte Brontë’s friend Mary Taylor, was previously a museum which closed in 2016 and a plan to turn it into holiday accommodation and wedding venue fell through.

Kirklees Council announced last year it would divest several assets to tackle a £47 million deficit. The Red House Yorkshire Heritage Trust, set up to save the site in 2019, said they were “deeply saddened” by the decision to sell it.