The home of the Brontë sisters in Haworth, Yorkshire, has topped a list of must-see sites for British book lovers – which also includes Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and his birthplace home.
And the top 35 iconic literary locations also include places made famous within author’s stories – such as Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest, and 221B Baker Street in London, home to fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.
Other places to feature on the list include the Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford – a regular meeting place for authors JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis, who created the mystical realms of Middle Earth and Narnia.
And younger readers can enjoy a game of ‘Pooh Sticks’ on Pooh Sticks Bridge in East Sussex, associated with Winnie The Pooh author A.A. Milne.
The study of 2,000 British book buffs was commissioned by Amazon to launch the Kindle Storyteller Award, celebrating the best self-published stories.
Darren Hardy, author and editorial programmes manager at Amazon, said: “It is such an exciting time to be in the independent publishing space.
“Iconic locations such as Shakespeare’s Globe and the home of the Brontë sisters hold such cultural importance, and it’s great to see them feature so prominently in our research.”
Professor Elleke Boehmer, a leading figure in the field of English Literature at the University of Oxford, added: “The British Isles are rich in vital literary traditions that extend across time, from the medieval period onwards, and across space, ramifying throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“In Britain, you almost get the sense in some literary places of the land, trees and surroundings pregnant, still, with the writer’s presence, or a sense of how they have interacted with the context – like Coleridge’s Quantock hills.
“The walks that he made through those hills still exist today, and as we walk them we can imagine him pacing out the lines of his poetry – like “The Ancient Mariner”, looking out onto the Bristol Channel at the passing ships from around the world.
“Some of my favourite literary sites, like Coleridge’s Nether Stowey, the Brontës’ Haworth, or DH Lawrence’s Eastwood, also feature truly wonderful and significant houses where the rooms in which the writers were born, or wrote some of their key works, are preserved for all generations.”
The study also revealed the nation’s favourite British writers – with Charles Dickens, who can count “Oliver Twist” and “A Christmas Carol” among his works, coming out on top.
He was followed by Charlotte Brontë and George Orwell – while Emily Brontë and Virginia Woolf, legendary female novelists who paved the way with their literary classics including “Wuthering Heights” and “Mrs Dalloway”, were just behind.
(Image: English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
On average, Brits read nine books a year, with story fans reading for an average of 39 minutes per day – although 53% wish they could bury themselves in a book for even longer.
Being immersed in another world (51%), developing the mind (48%), and boosting knowledge (45%), were among the main reasons for enjoying reading.
When it comes to favourite genres, crime (30%) ranked above drama (28%), autobiographies (26%), and action (21%).
And the study, carried out via OnePoll, found book lovers are also keen writers too.
More than a third (34%) enjoy writing as a hobby, with 61% of those writing for pleasure at least twice a week.
Darren Hardy, from Amazon, added: “Not only are we a proud nation of booklovers with a rich literary history which spans across the UK, we’re also highly inspired by the writing we come into contact with.
“It’s amazing that so many people have been inspired to take up writing themselves after reading books, and it shows writing is an accessible hobby for everyone.
“We are bringing more authors than ever before to readers, and we are looking forward to seeing what stories are submitted for this year’s Kindle Storyteller Award – perhaps some will have been inspired by some of our iconic literary landmarks, and the authors connected to them.”
The Kindle Storyteller Award is open for entries until 31st August 2022.
TOP 35 LITERARY LOCATIONS – AS VOTED BY READERS:
- Haworth – home of the Brontë sisters, Emily, Charlotte and Anne
- Shakespeare’s Globe, London
- Jane Austen’s Chawton cottage
- 221B Baker Street – home of Sherlock Holmes and the Sherlock Holmes museum
- The Eagle and Child pub in Oxford, regularly visited by JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis
- Sherwood Forest
- Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
- Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon
- British Library, London
- Dove Cottage in Grasmere, Lake District – home of William Wordsworth
- Hilltop House in Near Sawrey, Lake District – home of Beatrix Potter
- Whitby – setting for Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula
- Pooh Sticks Bridge, Buckhurst Park Estate, East Sussex – associated with A.A. Milne
- Anne Hathaway’s cottage, Stratford-upon-Avon
- Chatsworth House, named in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
- Charles Dickens’ birthplace museum, Portsmouth
- The Jane Eyre trail, Peak District
- Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey
- Greenway, Agatha Christie’s Devon retreat
- Roald Dahl’s Gipsy House, Great Missenden
- Keats’ House, London
- Thomas Hardy’s birthplace, and Max Gate House, Dorset
- Sedbergh book town, Lake District
- Abbotsford, near Selkirk, Scotland, made famous by Walter Scott
- Dylan Thomas boathouse, Laugharne, Wales
- John Rylands library, Manchester
- 48 Doughty Street, Charles Dickens’ home
- John Milton’s cottage, Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire
- D.H. Lawrence birthplace and Hagg’s Farm, Nottingham
- Elizabeth Gaskell’s house, Manchester
- Lamb House, Rye, East Sussex – associated with Henry James
- Bateman’s, East Sussex, home of Rudyard Kipling
- Shelley Lodge, Marlow, home of Mary Shelley
- Woolwich, and central London, famously associated with Bernardine Evaristo
- Coleridge Cottage, Nether Stowey, home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge