A famous Bront' shrine is ready for this year's tourist invasion following a £20,000 restoration project. Extensive work to strengthen the ruins of Top Withens, the farmhouse which reputedly inspired Emily Bront''s Wuthering Heights, is now complete.

The remote moorland site is visited by thousands of people every year. Work began last October to stabilise the ruins, which had become increasingly dilapidated due to the combined effects of the weather and souvenir hunters.

Bob Baxter, conservation and recreation officer with Yorkshire Water which owns the site, says: "It is partly due to the gradual erosion of the farmhouse by inquisitive literary enthusiasts and partly due to its exposure to the elements that we decided to take action to prevent it deteriorating further.

"We liaised closely with the Bront' Society Heritage and Conservation Committee as well as consulting with individuals and organisations. There was a strong feeling it would be wrong to try and recreate Top Withens in its entirety, so we came up with an intricate scheme to prevent it deteriorating any further without altering its appearance."

Holes were drilled in the walls of the main farmhouse building so steel rods could be inserted. The rods were then filled with concrete so they would expand and strengthen the structure.

Concrete beams and buttresses used to stabilise the walls were all stone-faced to blend in with the rest of the building. The project was carried out by specialist building company, MPI Airedale Ltd.

The scheme also included the restoration - financed by Bradford council - of the adjoining bothy, which offers year-round shelter to visitors and walkers on the Pennine Way skirting the site.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.