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The Reader's Guide to Wuthering Heights

The Entrance to Wuthering Heights

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First Floor plan    
Garret plan  

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Before passing the threshold, I paused to admire a quantity of grotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about the principal door; above which, among a wilderness of crumbling griffins and shameless little boys, I detected the date '1500', and the name 'Hareton Earnshaw'. I would have made a few comments, and requested a short history of the place from the surly owner; but his attitude at the door appeared to demand my speedy entrance, or complete departure, and I had no desire to aggravate his impatience previous to inspecting the penetralium.

Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones.

Chapter 1

Lockwood does not mention a porch although there is likely to have been one as the door faced the prevailing winds. It was probably not excessively large. Many people have compared the "griffins and shameless little boys" to the decorations on the entrance to High Sunderland Hall. That entrance only has a couple of figures so to add griffins as well would have made elaborate carvings which would have been out of place on a farmhouse. I made them bas relief carvings for my model.

The windows need to be too narrow to get through apart from the one in Catherine's room (Cathy and Ellen could not escape from any other window in chapter 27). The width between the mullions in my model is about one foot (30 cm).