If there are any concerns regarding the sources of inspiration for the other structures, there are none for Lowood. The school is modeled after Cowan Bridge School in Lancashire, where Charlotte and her sisters were students. The couple who owned the school at that time was named William Cowan and his wife Mary. William had been a wealthy man, but lost his entire estate due to bad investments and illegal speculation. In order to keep the school open, they sold off some of their land so they could meet their expenses. The school only taught children from eight years old up until they reached the age of thirteen. After that, they would be expected to go to work and help support their family. There are still many people out there who think that Disney's infamous "black factory" was actually based on this school. However, this isn't the case at all. The black factory was designed by WED Enterprises and used as the headquarters for Walt Disney during the early days of Disneyland. Lowood has also been associated with another famous person: Lenny Bruce. Some have claimed that Bruce visited the school when it was located in New York City and that is how he came up with his comedy routine called "Horseplay". This is also not true at all.