Romantic Bradford

A survey by Hotels.com has resulted in Bradford being the fifth unromantic destination in the country. However, The Telegraph and Argus lists '10 reasons why romance isn't dead in [the] city', the first of which is

1. Bradford is the birthplace of romantic novelists the Brontës.

The Yorkshire Post also has an article on the survey.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: [...] “It’s hard to believe Bradford and Hull are listed where they are given Bradford is home to our famous Brontë country – full of wonder and romance – and Hull has just been named the UK City of Culture for 2017.”

Still on the Valentine's Day subject, YA writer Stephanie Perkins lists her top 10 most romantic books for the Guardian Children Books section.

6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
A librarian once told me that you could know everything about a person if you knew their preference – Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. I do believe there's a grain of truth to this. I'm a Jane Eyre gal. Take from that what you will.

The Huffington Post lists 'One Dozen Quotes About Love', one of which is from Wuthering Heights while Entertainment (Ireland) also includes the novel on a list of the 'Top 10 Most Romantic Reads of all time'.

Coincidentally, Fashionista looks at the latest collection by fashion designer Vera Wang and and thinks that it

may be intended for the fall, but it comprised exactly the type of darkly romantic looks that would do well for a Wuthering Heights kind of Valentine’s Day. (Eliza Brooke)

Christophe Gans has directed La Belle et la Bête, a new film on The Beauty and the Beast. Le Soir (Belgium) interviews him about it:

Cocteau se focalisait sur la Bête, vous, c’est la Belle. Pourquoi ?
En relisant les textes de Mme de Villeneuve et de Mme Leprince de Beaumont, j’y vois une histoire de femmes. Le point de vue féminin ne peut pas être évacué. Le film doit être vu à travers la psyché d’une femme qui est la compagne de son père après la mort de sa mère morte en couches et qui va découvrir l’amour avec un être surnaturel. C’est pourquoi une coscénariste a écrit les dialogues. Moi, je me suis plus occupé de la structure et de l’aspect visuel du film. Pour moi, il y a aussi un lien entre Belle et Jane Eyre, un autre de mes livres favoris.
Pour Cocteau, le film est autre chose. Il a toujours défini le poète comme le messager entre le monde des humains et le monde des dieux. Son film se déroule dans une dimension intermédiaire. C’est pourquoi, à la fin, Jean Marais et Josette Day s’élèvent vers le monde des dieux. (Fabienne Bradfer) (Translation)

Back in Yorkshire, The Telegraph and Argus reports that,

A church which will be forever linked with the Brontë family is set to receive a major upgrade to its “ancient” heating system.
The works will form part of the next phase of the ongoing renovation programme at Haworth Parish Church.
The Rev Peter Mayo-Smith, priest-in- charge at the historic church, said the current inefficient heating would be replaced in the next few months with a more effective and eco-friendly system.
“This will provide a background level of heating, so we can avoid the big swings in temperature which harm the fabric of the building,” he said. [...]
The Haworth Church Restoration Fund will receive a further boost on April 5, when the church hosts a fundraising concert staged by a top choir from North Wales.
A 25-strong group from the City of Bangor Male Voice Choir will make the trip to Haworth for the concert. The event is being arranged by the Friends of the Brontës’ Church support group.
The visiting choir will offer a mixed programme featuring well-known Welsh hymn tunes as well as some songs from England.
Jeff Chaplain, chairman of the Friends of the Brontës’ Church, said: “We’re looking forward to hearing the choir sing.
"Welsh choirs have a wonderful reputation for their music and we’re sure that the sound they produce will fill our church with wonderful harmonies and melodies.
“We’re really grateful that they are allowing us to use the money raised from the concert for the benefit of the church. That’s a wonderful gesture.”
The concert starts at 7.30pm. Entry will cost £5 for adults and £3 for children, students and senior citizens. (Miran Rahman)

Booktalk Three posts about Jane, le renard et moi. Miss Bohemia has selected several items inspired by Wuthering Heights.