A BLUE plaque could be installed on a historic house with Bronte links.

Spen Valley Civic Society is spearheading the proposal for the Grade II* listed former Red House museum, at Gomersal.

Dating back to 1660, the property and grounds are considered an important heritage asset.

They are associated with Luddite activities and the Taylor family – particularly Mary Taylor, a writer and early feminist.

And the house is revered by Bronte fans. Charlotte – a friend of Mary – was a regular guest at the property in the 1830s and gave it a starring role as Briarmains in her novel, Shirley.

Red House operated as a community museum from 1970, but falling visitor numbers and rising costs led to its closure in 2016.

Kirklees Council ­– which owns the currently-empty building – lodged plans a year ago to convert the house into holiday accommodation and a venue for small wedding ceremonies, but the application remains undecided.

Now Spen Valley Civic Society has applied for listed building consent to honour Mary Taylor.

In its application, the society details how Mary was born at Red House in 1817 into a family of prosperous textile merchants. She was educated at Roe Head School in Mirfield, where she met the young Charlotte Bronte.

Erica Amende – from the society – said the organisation supported Red House as an important site of historical textile production, home of the Taylor family and its connection to Charlotte Bronte.

She said: "We feel Mary’s achievements have not been recognised. We’ve wanted to put up a plaque to her for some time and are pleased that Kirklees Council is supporting us. The plaque will be manufactured locally and we hope to be unveiling it before next summer.

"As a pioneering feminist and champion of women’s rights, Mary challenged the restrictions on middle-class women’s lives. She wrote a novel and many articles for periodicals, she worked in Europe as a teacher, travelled widely and emigrated to New Zealand and ran a business there. Mary’s lifelong friendship with Charlotte Bronte was crucial to Charlotte’s success."

The heritage statement adds: "Mary deserves to be honoured because aside from her friendship with Charlotte Bronte, she was a trailblazer and radical feminist. She refused to accept the constraints on 19th-century middle-class females."

Mary later returned to her home town. She died in 1893 and her grave is at St Mary’s churchyard, in Gomersal.