A ‘museum in a box’ scheme hopes to keep the memories of the Red House Museum alive.

The Gomersal museum, which closed on December 21, has inspired the Friends of Red House to create a box containing nostalgic items and information about Red House and the history of the Spen Valley.

The Grade II listed 1830s home was popular due its Bronte connections, as it was frequently visited by Charlotte Bronte and featured in her novel Shirley.

Mandy Tyas of the Red House working in the kitchen for the last public event before the museum closed in December
Mandy Tyas of the Red House working in the kitchen for the last public event before the museum closed in December

There are plans for a Red House box to join the range of around 12 boxes available from Kirklees Museums Service. Each box contains around 20 multi-sensory objects and an information pack.

The boxes are available to history groups, youth clubs, church groups, schools and families - a full list of the boxes available can be found at kirklees.gov.uk.

The Red House and Spen Valley box could include items relating to life and work in Victorian times at Red House - anyone interested in helping to compile this new box can attend a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2pm at Oakwell Hall.

The Friends of Red House group is being wound up following the closure of the museum. Chairwoman Jacqueline Ryder said: “Our thoughts are with the staff, who are facing an uncertain future as their work is re-organised and some may have to consider redundancy.’

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