Anne Bronte's funeral service location, Scarborough

Anne's funeral service was held at Christ Church which was just off what is now Vernon Road off the town's main shopping precinct. The service couldn't be held at St Mary's where she's buried as it was undergoing repairs. Christ Church was demolished in 1979 due to inferior stone and sadly there's nothing left to see. The land is now taken up with (at the front) Wackers Cafe and an Iceland store and (at the back) a MacDonald's. There's an alley way that goes down the side of Iceland so you can see where the church once stood. I stood on a low-level wall and saw a parcel of waste land in the middle. At the front the upstairs offices are headed "Christchurch House" which seems to be the only reference to the past.

Before her death Anne wanted to visit Christ Church but Charlotte resisted saying she was too weak. She'd worshipped here before with the Robinson family for which she'd been governess for five years. They'd spent summer holidays at Scarborough for a few weeks each year and Anne had grown to love the town. The hastily-arranged funeral service was held two days after Anne's death attended by Charlotte and Ellen Nussey. Charlotte had written home the day before the funeral to relay the bad news to dad and dissuade him from travelling.