As we have been publishing these last few weeks, the London Children's Ballet premieres today, May 15, a new production based on Jane Eyre (originally premiered by the London Children's Ballet in 1994, with an original score by composer Julia Gomelskaya and choreography by Polyanna Buckingham.). The new choreography is by Nicole Tongue.London Children's BalletDance UK interviews Nicole Tongue:
Jane Eyre
15-18 May 2008
Peacock Theatre
Portugal Street, Holborn
WC2
Premiere Performance: Thu 15 at 7pm
Public Performances: Fri 16 at 7.30pm, Sat 17 at 2pm & 5.30pm, Sun 18 1pm & 4.30pm
from £14 (book via Sadler’s Wells Ticket Office)
The London Children’s Ballet has adapted Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre to thrill boys and girls of all ages.
The ballet opens with the forgotten chapter of the young Jane living with her cruel Aunt who banishes her to a bleak life at Lowood Charity School where she stays until her appointment as governess at Thornfield Hall. There Jane finds a world of parties, Mr Rochester and a web of mystery leading to the fateful night of the great fire…
The young dancers of Jane Eyre will learn a great deal working with you and each other. For some this will be the first professional experience of their young careers. What will you take with you from this production and how does this affect the next one?Categories: Dance, Jane Eyre
Nicole Tongue in rehearsal with the dancers of London Childrens Ballet, Photography Pedro FerrerI always leave a children’s production with an immense sense of awe regarding their achievement. Mainly because I’ve aimed dangerously high and the children have risen to the challenge. Time is always an issue because you are at the mercy of the children’s learning speed. For Jane Eyre we only come together once a week on a Sunday so the lack of continuity has been a noticeable challenge. This combined with being a perfectionist has certainly increased the stress levels. However my ballet mistress has encouraged me keep moving forward, even when it’s felt like the bare bones of the ballet are barely there, and sure enough it’s now complete and in the process of being cleaned and the cleaning process is slow.
I shall most likely leave this production moved and inspired by the children’s personal stories and journeys; but also mindful of realistic outcomes, the need to be in the moment, not driven by time, and the importance of refilling my energy tank. (Anja Schall)
Last Spring's performances of the ballet Jane Eyre by the London Children's Ballet have appeared recently on DVD:Jane Eyre - The London Children's Ballet (DVD)A youtube video can be found here.
Choreographer: Nicole Tongue
Music: Julia Gomelskaya
Costumes: Aya Murayama
# Studio: LCB Productions
# DVD Release Date: 31 Jul 2008
# Run Time: 97 minutes
Filmed live at the Peacock Theatre in London in 2008, this 97 minute children's ballet, based Charlotte Brontë's famous novel, tells the story of Jane Eyre's hard life which finally ends in happiness when she marries the Byronic Mr. Rochester.
London Children's Ballet has adapted Jane Eyre to appeal to a young audience. The story starts with Jane aged 10 living with her cruel cousins and follows her through her years at Lowood Charity School and on to her life as a Governess at Thornfield Hall. Aspiring young dancers will be captivated by the beautiful costumes of the ball and thrilled and amazed by the dramatic great fire scene.
The 50 dancers of the London Children's Ballet are all aged between 9 and 16 years; choreography is by Nicole Tongue, and the original music by Julia Gomelskaya.
Johnson said he believed e-book retailers had largely failed because they had primarily focused on popular literature rather than niche audiences.One of the joys of Jane Eyre is that it allows for beach-reading as well as for brainy library-reading. And we don't think the readers of Jane Eyre are so casual either.
"Everyone had focused on the casual reader that read John Grisham or Jane Eyre on the beach," he said. (Stephanie M. Lee)
There was a constant supply of the latest children’s books – Stig of the Dump, Catweazel, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, the Narnia books – but nothing for teenagers, Frances says. “I think I read a lot of adult books too young – the Brontës, Thomas Hardy. It was a huge jump. Now there’s Jacqueline Wilson.”
The Guardian alerts us to a very special forthcoming ballet based on Jane Eyre. Very special, we say, because the dancers are children: The London Children's Ballet, specifically.We've had Jane Eyre as a book, a film, a television series and an opera - and now there is Jane Eyre the ballet. The London Children's Ballet has turned Charlotte Brontë's novel into a ballet for 52 young dancers aged 9-15, and will be performing the work for the first time in May at London's Peacock Theatre. For the choreographer Nicole Tongue, ballet is the ideal medium through which to tell the story. "It has always been regarded as a very grown-up story, but there is a lot for children to identify with, whether it is bullying, isolation, or the frustration that Jane feels when she is younger," says Tongue. "She's a very modern role model in that she stands firm for what she believes in." (Francesca Martin) (Picture source)The production will be on stage at London's Peacock Theatre from May 15 to May 18, 2008, although tickets aren't for sale yet.
The Offer:Click here to know how to get your tickets.
The London Children's Ballet present Jane Eyre at the Peacock Theatre. Get 50% off all tickets for Friday 16 May.
The London Children’s Ballet has adapted Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre to thrill boys and girls of all ages.
The ballet opens with the forgotten chapter of the young Jane living with her cruel Aunt who banishes her to a bleak life at Lowood Charity School where she stays until her appointment as governess at Thornfield Hall. There Jane finds a world of parties, Mr Rochester and a web of mystery leading to the fateful night of the great fire…
"The LCB's production is nothing short of awesome ... a firework display of talent." Emma Thompson.
At least "The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë" (Overlook: 380 pp., $24.95) -- Laura Joh Rowland's first stand-alone novel after a slew of mysteries featuring 16th century Japanese detective Sano Ichino -- delivers almost exactly what its title promises. Flush from the success of "Jane Eyre" but battling writer's block, as well as the envy of her younger sisters, Charlotte takes an impulsive trip to London to clear up a case of literary misunderstanding and soon finds herself a witness to the murder of a fetching maid with ties to a conspiracy that would bring down the British monarchy. The plot spins out of control merrily enough and in suitably thrilling fashion, and it's great fun to watch sparks fly between Charlotte and the handsome spyman Mr. Spade, but poor, consumptive Emily gets a bad rap as a vindictive shrew who cares little for others, except on rare occasions.We don't know exactly which are these facts referred to by the reviewer. If the novel had been more faithful to the actual events, it wouldn't have been an adventure novel!
Perhaps this is an instance when greater attention to the facts would have made the fiction seem more kind? (Sarah Weinman)
This, above all others, was an event where Beyoncé could succumb to her nuttiest impulses, and instead she picked out a staid, baby-pink strapless gown cut like 90 percent of the other dresses she's worn lately — and which crinkled like an accordion in the car. Rediscover your inner diva, B. Then have her return the hairdo to Jane Eyre. (Amy Odell)I Love Red posts some pictures of a recent excursion to the Brontë Falls in Haworth and Renata Cordeiro, author of a Portuguese translation of Wuthering Heights, talks about the contemporary reception of Emily Brontë's novel (in Portuguese).
The London Children's Ballet is set to bring Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece, Jane Eyre, to London's West End. This adaptation, performed by 54 rising stars between the ages of nine and 15, follows the young orphan Jane's bittersweet journey from her bleak time at the charity school, Lowood, through to her tender relationship with Mr Rochester.The more we read the more it sounds like a really unique take on the novel. Very worth it, we think, if you are in the area between May 15 and 18.
The new choreography, by Nicole Tongue, is set to a score composed by Julia Gomelskaya for the company's original production in 1997. It looks to be the latest success from the company, renowned for past performances such as The Scarlet Pimpernel.
A ballerina trained at London's Royal Ballet School, Tongue was commissioned to re-choreograph the work to suit a contemporary audience. "Jane Eyre is the story of one person's journey of self-discovery: as a young girl she learns to temper her anger and sense of injustice; as a woman she finds the courage to remain steadfast in her desires, and as an educated woman she finds the happiness that she is worthy of," says Tongue. "I hope the adults and the kids get a flavour of that through the show."
Turning to choreography was "a natural step" for Tongue, who started dancing aged three. She has choreographed for Birmingham Royal Ballet and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
For Jane Eyre, she auditioned 600 children and selected 52. "We want to give talented young dancers the chance to be part of a professional West End production. For the majority, this experience confirms their dreams. It is very exciting to see the children respond and pick up the steps very quickly. Jane Eyre is a dense and complex story, and when you see kids getting excited and enjoying it, it makes me excited." (Anjli Raval)
. . . a portrait of Oliver Reed in his overgrown greenhouse evokes the actor's wild, Heathcliff-esque moodiness. (Carola Long)Click here to see the portrait.
For many women, she is as forceful a literary character as Jane Eyre or Elizabeth Bennet, and destined to play as pivotal a role in our cultural history as Bridget Jones. I am talking, of course, about Carrie Bradshaw, heroine of Sex and the City. (Bryony Gordon)If you say so...
Margi Cole, the artistic director of the Chicago-based modern dance company the Dance COLEctive, looked into the world of literature for her latest production, "Written on the Body."On the Flying Monkey Arts Center's website we find some more information:
The piece, which uses images of power, strength and intimacy, is based on the lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte.
The Victorian sisters penned such classic books as "Jane Eyre" and "Wuthering Heights." But, because of the time period, the sisters wrote under male pseudonyms.
" 'Written on the Body' is an exploration of the masculine side of the sisters," Cole said.
The Dance COLEctive will present "Written on the Body" today and Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Arts Center, 2211 Seminole Drive. Tickets are $12.
The Dance COLEctive will be joined by local musician Phil Weaver. (Jon Busdeker)
Throughout the Huntsville visit, The Dance COLEctive will focus activities on Written on the Body, a work which uses the lives of the Brontë sisters as a point of departure in its exploration of gender roles and stereotypes. The hidden identities of authors Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, as well as the hardships they endured throughout their lives in Victorian England, provide the framework. Cole interprets the Brontës’ masculine and feminine personas, using images of power, strength, vulnerability and intimacy, exploring how each attribute can be related through movement.More dance news, now on the other side of the pond. The Ilford Recorder highlights that one local dancer has been chosen to participate in the upcoming (May 15th) London Children's Ballet performance of Jane Eyre:
GRACEFUL young dancer Ella Murray has been chosen from hundreds of children to dance in the London Children's Ballet's West End performance of Jane Eyre.The Independent reviews the Sheffield Crucible Studio's performances of Celebrating Linda Smith (until next April 5) and remarks on her hilarious Charlotte Brontë's sketch:
Ella, a student at Redbridge Classical Dance Studio, was one of 600 children to audition for the show, and, at nine years old, is the youngest of the 54 dancers chosen.
(...) Ella said her favourite part of the Jane Eyre ballet is the ballroom scene, because of the lovely dress she gets to wear.
As well as appearing in the ballroom sequence, Ella is one of the Lowood School orphans, and is also in the ballet's famous flame dance.
Mum Bernadette Murray, of Copthorne Avenue, Ilford, said: "She's loving it. Every Sunday when she gets on the Tube with her packed lunch, she says it's like going on a big day trip. After the five hours rehearsing, on the way home she's incredibly tired."
Ella will perform in Jane Eyre at the Peacock Theatre in London's West End from Thursday, May 15 to Sunday, May 18.
The ballet, based on Charlotte Bronte's novel, focuses on the early part of Jane Eyre's story, when as a young orphan she is brought up by her mean aunt and bullying cousins before being shipped to the grim charity school Lowood.
She was one of the few to appear on all three of the BBC's most popular comedy programmes, though something of her relaxed approach to panel banter or her adept way of making political points gets lost in translation here. But nothing could diminish the pleasure of Smith's spoof on Charlotte Brontë's diary or her ironic send-up of the rules of engagement of Anita Brookner's introspective librarians. (Lynne Walker)The sketch can be read for instance in her last book, I Think The Nurses Are Stealing My Clothes.
Anu Ogunmefun, 14, from Park Croft in Polegate, beat 500 children in October to join the London Children's Ballet for a Jane Eyre production at The Peacock Theatre.The Independent reviews Blackmoor by Edward Hogan. Say moor and a Brontë reference is waiting to surface:
The Willingdon Community School pupil has been doing ballet pirouettes since she was seven.
Anu said: 'It is really good and I am very happy about it.
'I had an audition, then further recalls, and then another audition to see if I had got in.
'I love the state of moving in ballet, it is so different to other dancing.
'Nothing else matters when you start ballet dancing, it is such a good feeling.'
Foster parents Patricia and Victor Brooker said they were proud of Anu.
Mrs Brooker said: 'We are very pleased she got in after all the hard work.'
Anu trains four days a week after school at Sussex School of Dancing in Eastbourne.
She plans to become a full time professional dancer when she leaves school.
Hogan's split time-frame is combined with multiple narrative perspectives which enable him to dig deep into his characters. He is aided by writing which is charged with a bite and passion harking back to his Northern forebears: DH Lawrence, most obviously, with a passing touch, perhaps, of Charlotte Brontë. His figurative language is neatly imaginative. When George thinks of Beth's mental state after her breakdown, he reflects, "the drugs coated her like a comorant in an oil slick". (Peter Carty)An alert from the Jabberwocky Bookshop, Newburyport, MA:
Jabberwocky Bookshop is pleased to welcome best-selling Scottish-born author Margot Livesey for a reading from her latest novel, THE HOUSE ON FORTUNE STREET.The author and the book have appeared previously on BrontëBlog.
An absorbing and provocative detective story of the heart, Livesey’s latest pays subtle homage to literary figures and works and offers multiple perspectives on the life of Dara MacLeod, a young London therapist. Her best friend, Abigail, says, "Everyone has a book or a writer who's the key to their life." Across four interweaving narratives, Livesey shows how that is true. The first section introduces readers to Sean Wyman, a Keats scholar who is Abigail’s boyfriend. The second section is set in Dara’s childhood and is narrated by her estranged father, who is fascinated by Lewis Carroll and shares his creepy fondness for young girls. The third section mirrors the plot of Jane Eyre and recounts Dara's meeting her boyfriend, Edward. The final section is reminiscent of Great Expectations and is told mainly from Abigail's college-era point of view.
Bob Dylan’s song Lily Rosemary and The Jack of Hearts is my second favorite story telling song of all time after Jay Z’s Meet The Parents. Much has been debated and discussed about Dylan’s songs’ complicated plot, but I believe the characters in the song could be partially based on Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights. Lets look at the main character first. (Read more)Categories: Alert, Books, Dance, Theatre, Wuthering Heights
The press release from Film Squared concerning the Brontë movie biopic appears today in The Star:The London Children’s Ballet commissions a new narrative ballet each year and we have a special matinee for children’s charities and the elderly. We discovered that getting to the theatre and the lack of wheelchair spaces meant that it was an ordeal to attend so we decided to take the ballet to them instead.
We look for stories with strong moral and dramatic contact. This year our production is Jane Eyre. We have adapted it and have managed to include a little humour. To make sure that there are enough roles for our 50 dancers we have created some exciting corps numbers for the company dancing as smoke and flames for the fire at Thornfield Hall. (Victoria Collinson)
The £350,000 funding gap arose when a backer pulled out due to problems with the international money markets.The paperback edition of Edward Mendelson's book The Things That Matter (reviewed on BrontëBlog here) gets a review on Gather. Concerning the Brontë topics covered:
But Nick Wild of Film Squared thinks it is a good opportunity for Yorkshire businesses to invest in the production.
"We have already had great support from some passionate local private investors and financial professionals. Now we are looking to extend that opportunity," he said."With global cinema and DVD distribution the project offers great possibilities for local brands.
"We are working with many local agencies and have a raft of opportunities - from high-level corporate sponsorship to tax-efficient investment regimes for private investors.
"We are also calling for help from companies who may be able to reduce production costs by providing support services - anything from hotels to car hire. The project is an important media project for Yorkshire that will boost the local economy and stimulate tourism." (Amy Burns)
In the section on Wuthering Heights Mendelson explores Brontë's idea of romantic childhood, tracing its roots to the romanticism of Wordsworth and Freud. His Wuthering Heights is a very different one than the one commonly studied in high school. Heathcliff and Catherine are desperate to recapture the total unity experienced as children, to merge two selves into one. Whereas the commonly held perception is of a novel of thwarted passion and cruelty, Mendelson believes Brontë deliberately led readers to this conclusion and away from her true meaning. "She disguised Wuthering Heights as a story of doomed sexual passion perhaps because she regarded her potential readers with something close to contempt "they could not understand what this book tells them." (Janelle Martin)The Independent publishes an article about Zhang Hanzhi, Chinese diplomat and Chairman Mao's English teacher:
She moved with her adoptive family to Beijing after the revolution. As a young woman she read Charlotte Brontë and dreamt of being a novelist or an actress while studying at Beijing Foreign Studies University. (Clifford Coonan)Now some blogs. frogma has read Jane Eyre and Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair: Eyre & Eyre, the perfect pair. The Brontë Parsonage Blog informs about next Sunday's broadcast in the UK of Wuthering Heights 1998 (check our TV alerts sidebar section). And lastly The Pedalogue writes about Haworth.
As we have informed previously, the London Children's Ballet is preparing a dance adaptation of Jane Eyre to be performed from 15-18 May at the Peacock Theatre (originally premiered by the London Children's Ballet in 1994, with an original score by composer Julia Gomelskaya and choreography by Polyanna Buckingham.). The Telegraph carries an article about the LCB and particularly the upcoming Jane Eyre performances:The production they are working on is Jane Eyre: a ballet created specially for the LCB, to be performed in the West End this month. Very few professional dance companies have the chutzpah to invent their own full-length narrative ballets from scratch: music, choreography, scenery, the lot. The company does it every year, commissioning up-and-coming (and already arrived) composers and choreographers to turn a classic work of literature into a stage spectacle. The Happy Prince, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Canterville Ghost, among others, have received the LCB treatment.Another review of The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey mentions Jane Eyre:
Even those of us who tremble at the reinterpretation of Brontëan prose through the medium of dance have to admire the ambition behind it. For this, the credit must go to Lucille Briance, the LCB's founder and artistic director. A former magazine editor who moved here from New York to marry a Londoner, she still carries with her the bullish energy of her native city. Not many English mothers would start a dance company out of sheer frustration. (...)
It is everything this Government, with its cultural quotas for children, its dreams of a Billy Elliot generation, its avowed faith in the voluntary sector, should be embracing; so it hardly needs saying that the LCB has never received a penny of government funding. Instead, it scrabbles together what it can from ticket sales, sponsorship and private donations.
As for me: I must declare myself a convert. Watching Mr Rochester (aka Lee Hoy) practising a pas de deux with Jane Eyre (14-year-old Frankie Ferrer), I find myself quite moved. It's not so much the beauty of their dance - although even my philistine eye can see that they are good - as the dedication behind it.
These children are not precocious, so much as fortunate: they have found something they love, and an opportunity to live out their dreams. They know how lucky they are, too. 'My friends get annoyed when I can't go out with them,' says Daisy. 'It's like, just miss a practice! And sometimes I do get fed up, but then when I'm here I think, I've got the rest of my life to go to the cinema. This is better than anything else. (Jemima Lewis)
Livesey's subtle characterizations draw the reader on, as the multiple views reveal them in unexpected ways. Each section has a literary partner — Keats, Dodgson, Bronte's "Jane Eyre," Dickens' "Great Expectations" — which enriches the story and engages the mind. Still, the strong sense of fatalism in these character's lives casts a pall over the whole. (Lynn Harnett in The Seacost)Gwyneth Paltrow is interviewed in The Toronto's Star and clarifies her 'Charlotte Brontë kind of youth':
Paltrow admits she was not familiar with the Iron Man story as she was not a comic-book fan as a child. "I was more into fairy tales and the Roald Dahl books," she recalls. "Then I went though an obsessive Nancy Drew period and then I got very into Charlotte Brontë and Jane Austen. But with any great character in fiction, whether it's a comic book or a novel, there's always a redemptive quality about them or something you can relate to or aspire to. (John Hiscock).The appearance of the French translation of the latest book by Maggie O'Farrell, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, motivates this interview in Parutions, where the author says that Jane Eyre is one of her favourite books.
Parutions.com : Pouvez-vous citer quelques romans qui ont marqué vos lectures ?Teen Book Review interviews Maryrose Wood, another Brontëite:
Maggie O’Farrell : Jane Eyre est l'un de mes livres préférés.
What book do you wish you had written?Also on the blogosphere: A Romanian blog that talks about Jane Eyre (in Romanian), Shoot for Eternity continues talking about Jane Eyre 2006.
I’ll pick three. Jane Eyre, because it’s a timeless classic. Harry Potter, because I would be rich. Feed, because it’s so cool and good. (jocelyn)
Queen Camilla officially opened the Brontë Birthplace today and was met by crowds of people lining the streets including a royal superfan with a tattoo of Queen Elizabeth II.The Royal visit formed part of the celebratations of the district’s year as City of Culture.The Brontë Birthplace in Thornton – a cottage where the famous sisters were born - is now in public ownership after a two-year campaign which attracted more than 700 investors and achieved national recognition and grants from Bradford 2025, the Community Ownership Fund, the National Lottery Fund and Rural England.Queen Camilla was met with rapturous applause as she exited her car, with people of all ages and cultures on either side of Market Street eager to meet her.She took time to speak to those who had waited patiently for her before being shown around the regenerated Brontë Birthplace as she met committee members, volunteers. and was greeted by broadcaster and journalist Christa Ackroyd.The Queen was shown the original fireplace in front of which the three sisters were born.Her Majesty also spoke to pupils from St Oswald CE Primary School in Bradford who have taken part in the ‘Be More Brontë’ project – an education programme developed to spark a love of literature and reading and also show that, just like the Brontë sisters, anything is possible with ambition and hard work.School headmistress, and education lead on the Brontë Birthplace committee, Gillian Wilson, asked the Queen if she wanted to write a postcard message.Camilla wrote “Be More Brontë” and was complimented by eight-year-old Paige Booth who said: “Nice handwriting.”The Queen smiled and said: “My very bad writing.”She later unveiled an easel plaque to commemorate the opening. (Brad Deas)
The refurbished house in Bradford where the Brontë sisters were born is now welcoming visitors, having been opened on Thursday by the queen.Nestled in a narrow street in the village of Thornton, the home where the literary dynasty spent the early years of their lives was officially opened by Queen Camilla during her visit to Bradford, this year’s City of Culture, with King Charles.This follows 18 months of hard-fought campaigning and fundraising to purchase the historic building and transform it into a museum, educational centre and overnight accommodation.The modest house is where the Brontë sisters Charlotte, Anne and Emily were born and lived with their church minister father Patrick and their brother Branwell. The family, including their mother Maria and two older children, Maria and Elizabeth, moved to the now-famous parsonage in Haworth in April 1820, when Charlotte was four, Wuthering Heights author Emily, two, and Anne, who went on to write The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, just three months old. Maria died not long after the move, aged 38, and the two older sisters both died in 1825, aged 11 and 10.The building at 72-74 Market Street, Thornton, Grade II* listed since 1952, has had various uses since they left, including housing several butchers and most recently a cafe, which closed down during the Covid-19 pandemic.A team of campaigners including Bradford-born TV presenter Christa Ackroyd and Nigel West, a volunteer fundraiser who has family links to the Brontës, have worked tirelessly to first buy the building, which went on sale for £300,000, and then raise money to renovate it.Thanks to a £250,000 grant from the Bradford City of Culture fund and a huge crowdfunding appeal, they hit their £650,000 target. The house will now act as a museum and an educational centre for visiting school groups.Almost a million visitors travel to Haworth every year, many of them for the Brontë links. The team behind the project is now hoping a good chunk of them will also visit Thornton, six miles away.From July the house’s bedrooms will be open for overnight stays. The biggest has been called Charlotte’s Room, dominated by a four-poster bed, but in reality it would have been where all six Brontë children slept, with Patrick and Maria next door in what is now known as Emily’s Room. A third, named for Anne, is actually in a part of the building that was added to long after the family left.West said: “This will be the only place in the world where you can sleep in the same room that the Brontës slept in. Downstairs, in what is now the cafe, they were born on the floor right in front of the fireplace.” (David Barnett)
It’s not often a senior member of Britain’s royal family opens a cultural centre with extensive Irish connections, but that’s exactly what Queen Camilla did yesterday – and the Brontës were the reason.Those three sisters produced an exceptional body of work which includes Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, jewels in the English literary canon, but they have strong Irish ties through their father.He was born Patrick Brunty and grew up in the parish of Drumballyroney in Co Down. In time, he became vicar of Haworth, the Yorkshire village where he gave his children free rein in his library and encouraged their creativity.Patrick had ambitions to be an author himself, and although he never achieved the success of his daughters, he was published.Sophie White: How and why to avoid advice, plus three simple rules to live byCatherine Prasifka: What the election of Pope Leo XIV has in common with Taylor Swift’s Eras tourOliver Callan: I felt like Hemingway of the hydrangeas after my latest intrepid gardening scrapeA key element of the family’s story is centred on a Grade II* (grade two-star ) listed building in Thornton, near Bradford, where Queen Camilla met volunteers and Brontë enthusiasts yesterday. It has been designated the Brontë Birthplace, Thornton, but when Patrick arrived to take up residence it was a parsonage. With him was his wife Maria and their two young children: a time of hope and promise.It was mid-May 1815 – 210 years ago, almost to the day – and although Patrick is closely bracketed with the parsonage in nearby Haworth, where they moved in 1820, he spent five productive years in Thornton. In later life, he called them his “happiest days”.In front of a fireplace in the parlour there, the four youngest children were born – the only four out of six to reach adulthood. They were Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne, and it’s not hard to imagine their laughter ringing through the rooms.Moves are afoot to twin Thornton with Banagher, another link with Ireland, because the Co Offaly town was an important stop on Charlotte’s month-long Irish honeymoon. It was home to Arthur Bell Nicholls, her husband and Patrick’s curate in Haworth.Underlining that shared history and those meaningful bonds across the Irish Sea, Banagher Brontë Group representatives travelled to Thornton for the official opening.Present were James Scully, its chairperson, and Nicola Daly, its secretary and owner of Hill House in Banagher, now Charlotte’s Way guesthouse.Arthur retreated to Hill House after Charlotte’s death, followed by Patrick’s, and lived there for 45 years until 1906.With him, he carried priceless Brontë artefacts, including Charlotte’s wedding dress, first editions and a painting of his sisters by Branwell, eventually left to the National Portrait Gallery in London. Many of those “relics” are now in the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth.The Thornton addition to Brontë heritage is part cultural centre, part historic site, part “immersive experience” as it describes itself.A former butcher’s shop, it is in public ownership for the first time in more than 200 years. This birthplace is a significant site in the Brontë story and played a role in their literary evolution.While there, Patrick was writing and had novellas and other work published, and his children saw books by him on the shelves.He had considerably less ability – his work is uneven, heavy-handed in its religious and sometimes political allegory. However, writing was not only in the Brontë blood, through Patrick, but demonstrably an achievable goal.In 2012, the Brontë Birthplace Trust was established to buy the property, by now in poor condition. Crowdfunding has been important, along with support from quarters including Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, and a share offer which raised cash from 770 members.It was bought in April last year, brought into community ownership, and renovations began. Today, it is furnished to recreate the Brontës’ occupancy and visitors can stay overnight in rooms named after Charlotte, Emily and Anne.The Banagher Brontë Group and its members made several visits and donated to the project. Coincidentally, one of the key movers in the Thornton initiative has close Banagher associations. Arthur’s Offaly home, Hill House, belonged to ancestors of Nigel West, a Thornton committee member responsible for fundraisingNigel West’s father inherited Hill House in 1959 from his aunts, the Kerans, relatives of Mary and Arthur’s. The house was sold, but Nigel has an affection for it and is keen to foster links between Banagher and Thornton.He promises Irish visitors a special welcome to Thornton and said of the royal visit: “It’s a huge endorsement of the community’s hard work.”Charlotte called their love of writing “scribblemania” and Patrick had the bug too. A story by him was published while living in Thornton, promisingly called The Cottage in the Wood, or the Art of Becoming Rich and Happy; his recipe included God and education.From humble origins, he transformed his life via education, and it’s a theme in all seven novels published by his daughters.As for the Brontë Birthplace,Thornton – it’s an example of how a dedicated, determined team of volunteers can change outcomes. Self-made man Patrick would approve.
Pictures of the Brontë Birthplace appear in the latest issue of the Absolutely Yorkshire magazine.
The bond between sisters is a strong one, often yielding powerful emotions, fury, jealousy and of course, great love. As much as the great works that they created, it is the relationships between the extraordinary siblings, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne, that are explored in a fascinating and beautifully written play by Polly Teale.Opening this week at Ilkley Playhouse’s Wildman Theatre, Brontë is presented as if it were a public rehearsal.The fourth wall is broken immediately as director, Chrissie Poulter welcomes in the audience and explains some of the conventions they will be using – the ringing of a bell for example, to signify the change of scene. And then we watch as the actors put on their costumes and rehearsal clothes and start the play.Central, of course, to this piece are the sisters. Charlotte is portrayed in a stunning performance by Lottie Kingsley who captures perfectly her determination, her perseverance, her longing for adventure and escape and also her common sense and reliability.Eliza Wilson is beautifully assured as Emily, as she strives to reveal her unconventionality and rebellious streak and also her mystery. Both these actors have moments of perfect stillness when they are able to convey simply with a flicker of their eyes an emotion or a thought. Anne Bronte, the sister least confident in her abilities, is played by Victoria Bandy who manages to play the least well known writer in a manner so compelling that one is newly encouraged to seek out her works.All of the sisters have to deal with the austerity of their father, Patrick (Patrick Hebbert) and the disreputable and chaotic nature of their brother Branwell (Reuben Baldwin). Hebbert manages to imbue the bereft patriarch with a slight tenderness to soften his harsh reputation whilst Baldwin’s Branwell is every inch the infuriating louche of his renown.That said, once set against the passions and successes of his sisters, it is easy to imagine how he became so disillusioned and frustrated with his own lot in life – so many expectations are heaped on the only son.Woven into the text of this biographical piece are extracts and scenes from the works of the sisters, and are brought to life in the roles of Cathy Earnshaw and Bertha by Vickie Wooller and Emma Towning.These character vignettes serve both as reminders of the novels whilst also revealing aspects of the writers’ characters which manifest through their writing. And this is the great skill of the playwright, Polly Teale, who has delved deeply into the histories of the women and has striven to understand both their staid sufferance and confinement as well as their expansive imaginations and burgeoning successes.Painfully and tragically and of course expectedly, there is a sequence of the family’s demise, brightened only briefly by the wittily written proposal scene between Charlotte and Arthur Bell Nicholls (Eoin Howe) – reminiscent of Jane Austen’s Mr Collins.The performances alone here are enough to elicit cheers from the audience, but coupled with the superb writing and well-crafted direction it is definitely not to be missed. Grab a ticket quickly – word will get about. (Rebecca Carter)
Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre (2016) returned to Sadler’s Wells during Northern Ballet’s London tour. Set to compositions by Philip Feeney, the ballet explores Charlotte Bronte’s novel through Marston’s deeply honed signature movements and choreography. Jane Eyre retells the story through Jane’s retrospective reflection on her life; in Marston’s prologue, Jane is found by St John Rivers, after she has collapsed around the struggles that have led her to this point. Marston eloquently shapes the male corps de ballet that explores the metaphors of Jane’s conflict, a signature trait which emerges in later ballets, including San Francisco’s Snowblind (2018). Structured as a two-act ballet, the narrative unfolds as a reflection of Jane’s life as an orphan at Lowood Institution, her arrival at Thornfield, and the tragedy (a wedding that gets interrupted by Mr Rochester’s deranged wife, and the fire that destroyed Thornfield and left Rochester visually impaired).Marston is an outstanding storyteller. At the hands of this pioneering choreographer, nothing is left to chance. The dancers (as metaphors, the young women at Lowood, or guests at Thornfield) move through the choreography which is shaped with meticulous detail. Gestures have meaning, and are used to serve the narrative throughout the ballet. Props, including gravestones, miniature desks, a high-backed chair, also offer references to the context of the narrative, working around a sense of minimalist design. Patrick Kinmonth’s set and costume designs effectively capture the period and the Yorkshire hills. The combination of storytelling in the movements, together with the use of contemporary period costuming and stage design, successfully brings all the various components together. In true Marston style, the presence of an elevated platform at the back of the stage supported a spatial and framing device for the complexity of the narrative to unfold.Marston’s adaptation of the novel to the stage is easy to follow in part due to the effective collaboration between choreographer, composer and scenographer. Feeney’s compositions are an outstanding element of the collaboration – the motif of the first meeting between Jane and Rochester is truly sublime. In equal measure, the progression of the movement vocabulary as their relationship unfolds through the narrative is sublimely explored. As the relationship becomes closer, the choreography becomes more ambitious, and the composition ties up the ebb and flows of the performance. The unique gesture (hands crossed around Jane’s face) is visible in the first physical encounter and moves through their various duets until it culminates in Jane’s memories and instigates her return to Thornfield. Sarah Chun and Joseph Taylor’s performances on opening night eloquently narrated the transition between their first meeting, to the blossoming of their relationship, and finally the reunion after the tragic fire. As Jane walks into the light, Feeney’s final notes fade away and leave Jane owning her story. In our world, we have come full circle.Northern Ballet is a joy to watch; each dancer commits to their role in the storytelling that Marston has shaped. Julie Nunes as Adele, together with Harriet Marden (Aunt Reed), Gemma Coutts (Bertha), and Heather Lehan (Mrs Fairfax), have uniquely shaped vocabularies that mark out their characters and create a broad palette of steps to narrate Brontë’s story. They delivered a fine performance. Jane Eyre is a ballet which is quintessentially ‘northern’, and the company showcases its golden ‘Marston’ ballet with flair and mastery. (Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel)
There is very little dance in the book Wuthering Heights. At the Thornfield Hall, Jane observes people dancing, but she is not part of it. "There was the sound of the piano and the voice of singing; then a pause, and the stately measure of a dance." Dance is stately and performative, but neither emotional nor intelligent in Jane Eyre. Cathy Marston's ballet adaptation, therefore, is an interesting one. Brontë's book portrays a thinking and feeling woman and her inner consciousness expounded in hundreds of pages. It is no easy task to incarnate a fictional memoir so deeply pensive and extensive in words.Nonetheless, the piece has strength in storytelling. Marston great command of narrative and is clear on the direction. Young Jane, abused and overlooked growing up in an orphanage, meets Heathcliff, in whom she finds love. Through her journey, she gains strength and hope. There is certainly drama, passion and love, that is also musically persuasive. Phillip Feeney's score has both 19th-century romanticism as well as a modern, suspenseful tone, which the orchestra led by Daniel Parkinson executed near to perfection.The production enjoys some brilliant moments, especially from the corps. The pass by the orphans and D-men creates a suspenseful feeling and adds force to the narrative. Sarah Chun and Joseph Taylor were strong dancers in Jane and Heathcliffe. Some pas de deux are sweet and playful, and lifts and drags are slightly overdone. The push-and-pull chemistry is palpable. However, there could have been more character building of Jane, especially considering the ending where Jane insists on her reign on the narrative coming out of the dark stage after her reunion with Heathcliff. Throughout the work, Jane has little contemplation, time for herself, and development of her own corporeal language.The set and lighting fall flat and do little to imbue a gothic atmosphere in which the piece fails to beat the original. The overall visual design could have given more magic to the piece.There is nevertheless, a very solid attempt to recreate a convincing love story, perhaps not Jane's story as told in her narrative, but a timeless drama that is beautiful in motion. (Sam Lee)
The Ukranian composer Julia Gomelskaya (1964-2016) has died from a car accident as reported in the local press. Among her numerous chamber and symphonic compositions, she was also the author of a Jane Eyre ballet commissioned in 1997 by the London Children's Ballet (as last performed in 2008):
1997
2008News of the Jane Eyre production was this week welcomed by Ann Dinsdale, collections manager at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.Official London Theatre gives voice to Sally Cookson, director of the Jane Eyre production now at the National Theatre:
She said: “We’re absolutely thrilled about it. We have already had a meeting with some staff from Northern Ballet about the production.
“We’ve worked with them in the past, and Wuthering Heights has been touring the country this year. We’re talking with Northern Ballet about some of the Jane Eyre cast coming here.”
Ann said the Jane Eyre ballet was just one of several exciting events to mark Charlotte’s bicentenary, some already announced and some still to be revealed.
Northern Ballet,, which is based in Leeds, said Jane Eyre would be choreographed by acclaimed international dance maker Cathy Marston, with music by Philip Feeney. (...)
In Northern Ballet spokesman said: “The ultimate dramatic tale of romance, jealousy and dark secrets, Jane Eyre is the story of one woman’s indomitable spirit overcoming all boundaries.”
Sets and costumes for Jane Eyre will be designed by Patrick Kinmonth[.] (David Knights)
The starting point for this production was Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre. There are several play adaptations out there already, but I was keen to make a new version and discover with the company what gives the book its enduring power, what has kept it on the bestsellers list for the last 170 years.BBC News reports the children's literacy campaign supported by the UK Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and children's author and comedian David Walliams:
I find it thrilling to excavate a text with a company of creative theatre makers because the possibilities of what you discover are extraordinary. At the beginning of the process, before we went into rehearsals, I spent time investigating which elements of the story I wanted to emphasise.
Jane Eyre has become known as a passionate love story, which indeed it is, but that is only part of it. The voice of Jane Eyre speaks of passion, lower caste aspiration and female rage – it is a story of a young girl’s longing for fulfillment, and fulfillment on her own terms – a concept very much at odds with the dictates and confines of the Victorian society of her day. (Read more) (Kate Stanbury)
The classics of English literature should be given to England's secondary schools by leading publishers at low cost, the education secretary has said.The Yorkshire Post celebrates that Scarborough is considered a good example of heritage activity:
Nicky Morgan called for books by authors like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Emily Brontë to be made available so all pupils can enjoy them.
The government is also offering new resources to help get children reading before they start school. (Hannah Richardson)
A new Heritage Index developed by the think tank RSA and the Heritage Lottery Fund ranks for the first time which areas are making best use of their heritage assets through activities such as volunteering, the number of people visiting museums and the number of nights people spend on holiday in a local area.Bath Chronicle recommends the Lewis Noble exhibition at the Bath Contemporary Art Gallery:
While the City of London, with its huge number of heritage assets and visitors, predictably came top in the overall index, Scarborough topped the survey for heritage activity, and came third in the overall ranking. (...)
The town’s literary heritage is also recognised, with plaques at the former home of the Sitwell family on The Crescent, and at the site of the favourite lodgings of Anne Brontë, where the Grand Hotel now stands. (Lindsay Pantry)
Noble's landscapes have a Brontë-esque sense of romance about them.Football365 talks about the new book by Alex Ferguson, Leading. The first paragraph is epic:
He expresses the notion of feeling submerged within the awe of nature, capturing the enormity and power of our beautiful and sometimes harsh world. (Dan Biggane)
As you may have heard, Sir Alex Ferguson has another book out. It’s not just any book either, but the book which makes him as prolific an author as the Brontë sisters combined, which I hope you’ll agree is quite something. That nugget reminded me of the wonderful piece of trivia that pop group Blue have as many Greatest Hits albums as actual albums, but I digress. (Daniel Storey)More Spanish news outlets talk about Ángeles Caso's Todo ese fuego. Like Cadena SER Málaga or Diario Sur:
La escritora, periodista e historiadora abría ayer las actividades del Ateneo con su nuevo libro bajo el brazo, ‘Todo ese fuego’ (Planeta), el relato de la vida de las hermanas Brontë, precisamente «un ejemplo del ansia de libertad». «Se rebelaron contra las condiciones de encierro intelectual, vital y moral al que la sociedad victoriana sometía a las mujeres. Era una rebelión total aunque silenciosa», detalló. (...)The Almanac tells the story of a future college student with cerebral palsy, her dog and her passion for books, including the Brontës:
En ‘Todo ese fuego’, hay otra gran reivindicación de la que Ángeles Caso hace bandera: ser mujer y escritora. Las hermanas Brontë dieron una lección de valentía publicando a escondidas, incluso, de su círculo más cercano. (Regina Sotorrío) (Translation)
The many spacious bookshelves in her bedroom are populated with a lot of fantasy and science fiction, including works by George R.R. Martin and Brandon Sanderson, but Jane Austen is also there, and Charlotte is quick to point out how much she likes works by the Brontë sisters, particularly "Jane Eyre," by Charlotte Brontë. (Dave Boyce)Education Week Teacher gives advice to prepare the SAT exams:
1) Revisiting the Classics and Text ComplexityRudolph Giuliani is interviewed by Baylor Lariat and makes an interesting point when he says
One of the hallmarks of the test is its increased emphasis on text complexity. All of the SAT reading passages are from previously published high-quality sources. Just to name drop a few authors who appear on the released practice tests: Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Martin Luther King, Jr. No lightweights here! Their diction and syntax alone can prove challenging. Asking students to decipher these authors’ meanings and messages takes guided instruction with lots of practice. This revelation triggered our reevaluation of content in our English courses to allow students sufficient preparation in wrestling with these types of texts. (Kim McCready)
What would your advice be today to students who want to pursue a legal career?Image Magazine (Ireland) asks which literary lady are you?
Well, it would be to get the broadest possible education at the university level. I’m not a big believer in starting to be specialized very early. I think the best lawyers are the lawyers with the most knowledge and the most wisdom, which doesn’t mean just about the law. It means about the world. So I always recommend to young people who want to be lawyers, get the broadest possible education in college. Study history, study philosophy, study literature.
Analyzing literature in a good literature class is very similar to analyzing how a Supreme Court decision should be interpreted. If you’re analyzing, what did Emily Brontë mean when she wrote this, it’s not too much different than trying to analyze, what did Judge Renquist mean when he wrote this. (Helena Hunt)
Scarlett’s most striking feature is her green eyes – a killer attribute she has in common with three other leading ladies who regularly top the fiction charts: Holly Golightly, Jane Eyre and Becky Sharp. This cabal of green-eyed heroines is frequently obliged to keep their gaze downcast as a way of veiling an intelligence that would otherwise blaze forth.Once again Guillermo Del Toro mentions Jane Eyre as an inspiration behind his Crimson Peak movie. In Latin Post:
(...) Jane Eyre’s level look reduces the flinty Mr Rochester to rubble (almost literally), while Becky has the speculative regard of a professional gambler. (...) Jane’s strength is her faith, Scarlett’s her determination. Becky’s is her ambition, Holly’s her adaptability. These traits more than compensate for their lack of conventional beauty. Their singularity even manifests itself in the way they dress: for her first encounter with Rochester, Jane’s only adornment is a single pearl. (...)
The self-worth of these women is not defined by their relationships with men: each of them is fiercely independent. They are prototype feminists in a way that even Austen’s heroines are not. Jane Eyre rejects two lucrative proposals of marriage, because to accept would be to compromise her integrity. Becky uses a succession of beaux as stepping stones towards self-advancement, as does Scarlett, while Holly floats between men, “light as a scarf”.
Of the four, only one ends her story with a wedding, and when Jane finally marries Mr Rochester, it is on her terms and as his equal. The stress in that famous sentence rests firmly on the pronouns: “Reader, I married him.”
The gothic aspects in "Great Expectations" served as one of the many inspirations for "Crimson Peak," and when asked during a separate press conference what film he would like to see accompany his latest work in a double bill, del Toro listed two movies. One was "Jane Eyre" with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine and the other, which he noted would be "aiming too high," was David Lean's famous "Great Expectations." (David Salazar)South Carolina Morning News on Mia Wasikowska performance as Jane Eyre in 2011:
In 2011, the talented Mia Wasikowska played the heroine Jane Eyre to gothic perfection, fleshing out a character that had previously been portrayed on screen as too dark or too remote to be real[.] (Laurie Crosswell)We wonder exactly which scene from Wuthering Heights is on the author of this article's mind. From Inquisitr:
The funniest parts of the Barbie Instagram account show scenes where the doll is looking wistfully out at the shore of a beach, and quips about how she took a minute from her reverie in order to snap a photo of herself staring wistfully at the water, like some sort of scene from Wuthering Heights. (Paula Mooney)A Vietnam English visitor describes to Vietnam Express his experience:
Khi còn ngồi ghế nhà trường, tôi đã đắm mình trong các khung cảnh thơ mộng của miền Bắc nước Anh, miền Yorkshire… quê hương của gia đình Brontë: Emily Brontë, Charlotte Bronte, tác giả của các tác phẩm văn học Anh nổi tiếng Đồi gió hú; Jane Eyre... Tôi hình dung mình như Catherine và Heathcliff chạy trên các đồng cỏ hoang vu, lên những mỏn đá … (Lê Thị Tố Uyên) (Translation)Le Monde (France) covers the London Fashion Week:
Certains détails paraissent lourds ou hors sujet (des sandales grillagées, quelques minirobes en tricot et dentelle) mais l’ensemble est évocateur. On pense tour à tour aux personnages torturés des Hauts de Hurlevent, aux mystérieuses filles de la famille Bellefleur du roman de Joyce Carol Oates ou encore aux âmes sombres de « Penny Dreadful », série télé à succès qui rassemble les créatures de la littérature et des bas-fonds victoriens. (Carine Bizet) (Translation)Same as BBC Culture:
Erdem Moriaglu also knows his ‘girl’. She’s a pioneer woman on a prairie in hig.h-necked Edwardiana, awash with embroidered florals. Combine that with the vibes of a stormy English period drama – Far from the Madding Crowd or Jane Eyre perhaps – and you have yourself a mise-en-scènethat fits right into Moriaglu’s penchant for an ethereal narrative. (Susie Lau)And do not forget that today is the 167th anniversary of Branwell Brontë's death. Both the Parsonage Facebook and The Sisters' Room post about it; Twierdza Zbudowana Z Książek reviews Wuthering Heights in Polish.
Literary scholar Watson explores in his vivid debut biography the mystery and sensation that surrounded Charlotte Brontë. He begins with an account of how literary London was gripped by the publication of Jane Eyre—Brontë released the book under the male pseudonym Currer Bell, but those in the know, including novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, were privy to rumors that Bell was a woman. Watson details how Gaskell ferreted out Bell’s real identity through mutual contacts and arranged a meeting with Brontë, beginning a yearslong correspondence that would prove foundational in the creation of the Brontë mystique. Piecing together letters collected from Brontë’s friends, family, and publishers, Watson deftly shows how the painfully introverted Brontë manipulated anecdotes from her “comfortless childhood” into “a story of self-justification and self-glorification honed over years.” Brontë died during a difficult pregnancy in 1855, just five years after she and Gaskell met. Her death led to a scramble among her friends to profit from their proximity to her and touched off conflicts over how best to shape the narrative of her life. Watson masterfully covers the contentious biography Gaskell wrote, which she had to rewrite twice to placate those upset about their portrayal. This fast-moving account of literary fame satisfies.
Contemporary choreography and imaginative sets make the Northern Ballet’s Jane Eyre a compelling retelling of the classic love story.The ballet still feels fresh nearly a decade after it was first performed by the company in 2016.This captivating adaptation of the famous Charlotte Brontë novel combines elements of gothic mystery with romance and passion.The prologue throws the audience straight into the narrative with Jane tormented by figments of her imagination – represented by male dancers – before collapsing and being discovered by St. John Rivers.The story then takes us through Jane’s life, from her unhappy upbringing as an orphan in her wealthy aunt’s household and later as a schoolgirl enduring the rigid regime at Lowood Institution.At the end of the first act, Jane has taken a position as governess at Thornfield Hall where she meets and falls in love with her employer, Mr Rochester.The second act develops the love story between the couple – but Jane’s happiness turns to heartbreak when Mr Rochester’s wife, a mad woman who he tries to keep hidden – appears on their wedding day.In her despair, Jane flees the house and – taking the audience in full circle to the opening – she runs across the desolate moors until collapsing and being rescued by St. John Rivers.As with the novel, Jane and Mr Rochester are happily reunited in the final act.Music performed live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia - along with special effects, lighting and masterful choreography by Cathy Marston - helps the dancers to skilfully convey the story’s complex emotions. (Derin Clark)
Members of the Banagher Brontë Group were in exalted company last week when they met Queen Camilla in Yorkshire, England.James Scully and Nicola Daly of the Group travelled over for the official opening of the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton, a duty which was performed by the Queen.“Thornton is a village between Haworth and Bradford in Yorkshire,” explained James, when speaking afterwards with the Tribune. “Both Myself and Nicola were invited to attend the ceremonies (at short notice due to security surrounding the event) but we were allowed to meet the monarch at close quarters, chat with her and give a resumé of the strong association between Banagher and the Brontë family. Queen Camilla is a very keen Brontë admirer and was surprised at the detail and strength of the link between the Bells of Banagher and the Brontës of Haworth.”At the end of the official proceedings, James and Nicola presented a small sculpture to be displayed in the birthplace. The piece was designed by Helen Conneely of Celtic Roots Studio, Ballinahown, and is in bog oak depicting the ancient Irish legend of the Salmon of Knowledge.Moves are afoot to foster exchange visits between groups from Banagher and Thornton. Nigel West, a leading member of the Thornton project, has a direct genealogical link with the Bell family of Hill House in Banagher (now Charlotte’s Way B&B, run by Nicola). Nigel has been pivotal to all that has happened to date bringing the two towns closer together.The official opening took place last Thursday, May 15, 210 years after the Brontë family moved to Thornton in May 1815. The Brontë Birthplace is the house where Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne Brontë were born.The Queen was greeted at the old butcher’s shop entrance, where she was gifted a poem and posy by two children volunteers and was welcomed by current and former committee members, patrons and supporters.In the scullery, the Queen joined local school children taking part in an educational activity inspired by the “Be More Brontë” initiative. The children shared their interpretations of what it means to Be More Brontë — from being bold and creative to pushing through life’s challenges with resilience and imagination.Upstairs in “Charlotte’s Room,” which is now used as one of the building's overnight stay bedrooms, the Queen was warmly greeted by Nigel West, along with James and Nicola.Chair of the Brontë Birthplace committee, Katharine Barnett, said the house is no longer “just a place of literary history — it is a living, breathing space filled with creativity, education, and community pride.” The General Manager of the Brontë Birthplace said the committee and volunteers had “worked tirelessly to restore and reimagine the house”, and it was special to share it with the Queen, the local community and Brontë lovers. She said the historic day was made possible thanks to the generous support of Bradford City of Culture 2025, the Community Ownership Fund, the Rural England Prosperity Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund and “the passion of over 700 community shareholders, volunteers, and friends.” (Derek Fanning)
Michael Dirda recently wrote the Ten Commandments of Book Giving for The Washington Post, the second one being:2. A classic is always welcome, especially in a pretty edition.To which Marjorie Kehe, from The Christian Science Monitor, added:
I’d be only too happy if, with the gift of what Dirda calls “a pretty edition” someone gave me the excuse to reconnect with Charles Dickens or Charlotte Bronte in coming new year.Well, at BrontëBlog we have taken that very seriously this Christmas. We know most of our readers are permanently connected to the Brontës, but as Michael Dirda says, a pretty edition is always welcome.
Unless explicitly said
