New plans for the Brontë birthplace

We hope this is the one as, over the years, we have been reporting plans for the Brontë birthplace in Thornton which have sadly failed either from the start or at some later point. From The Telegraph and Argus (or Yorkshire Post):

One of the most significant buildings in literary history could soon be opened up to the public if new plans by a community group are given the green light.

A campaign to bring the birthplace of the Brontë sisters in Thornton into community ownership was revealed last year.

And now a new planning application has been submitted by the campaign, which, if approved, will create space for workshops, events, and visits by schools and literary groups.

It will also see the property’s bedrooms restored to what they would have looked like during the family’s time there and converted into holiday lets, allowing die-hard Bronte fans the chance to sleep in the same building the writers were born.

Income from the holiday lets will pay for the upkeep of the building to ensure its future and allow it to remain a community facility.

It is hoped the changes would turn the house from an overlooked historical footnote to one of the area’s most significant attractions. [...]

The Thornton property has been run as a small museum in the past, but it has been in private ownership for much of its recent history.

Most recently it operated as a café called Emily’s, but the property is currently for sale.

The group behind the Brontë Birthplace plans is attempting to raise enough cash to take on the property and ensure it remains a place the community can enjoy, rather than reverting to a private home.

The planning application submitted to Bradford Council this week is to create four holiday let bedrooms in the building, together with accommodation for activity workshops and outreach projects. It will also retain the existing cafe use.

It reveals that the group has raised £25,000 through crowdfunding so far, as well as receiving grants from the Architectural Heritage Fund and Bradford Council to develop the plans.

The application adds: “We are in the process of applying for various other grants from the likes of the National Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council; together with offering community shares over the coming months so that people in the local community and beyond can actually own a slice of this important part of Bronte history.”

Referring to the home’s significance, the application says: “This is an extremely significant Grade II*-listed heritage building, yet over the last 35 years it has changed hands frequently in private ownership, with multiple planning applications for changes to the building's layout and use during that time.

“If it is to gain its rightful place in the history of this unique literary family then it does now need to start enjoying the sort of stability already enjoyed by the likes of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth."

It adds: “The proposed provision of facilities to host events, workshops and outreach projects, school visits, art groups and literary groups all celebrating the Brontë legacy on the ground floor will be financed by the existing ground floor café and restaurant, and the provision of holiday lets in four bedrooms throughout the property.

“Our vision is that the Brontë Birthplace has the potential to put Thornton more prominently onto the tourist map.

“For visitors and local people it will add another dimension to the story of the Brontë family in the Bradford district, presenting their early lives and building connections between the birthplace and the Brontë Bell Chapel in Thornton and the Brontë Parsonage in Haworth.

“It is an opportune moment to activate this heritage building as Bradford readies itself to become the UK City of Culture in 2025.

“Without this passion from local people, the Brontë Birthplace is likely to spend the next 35 years as it has spent the last 35 years, lurching from one private owner to the next, and largely closed to the outside world.”

A decision on the application is expected next month. (Chris Young)

The Scarborough News announces that a local celebration of Anne Brontë will take place next month.

A celebration of Anne Brontë’s life will take place in the Sewerby Methodist Church Hall in September, organised by members of the Bridlington St Catherine’s Hospice support group.

Ann Powell will tell the story of Anne’s life interspersed by music by pianist Ann Airton.

Yorkshire woman Anne Powell is a life-long lover of the Brontes- she was a trustee of the Brontë Society and winner of the 2020 King Lear Short Story Prize. [...]

The event will then be followed by a raffle and refreshments in Sewerby Methodist Church Hall.

All proceeds will go towards St Catherine’s Hospice. Proceedings start at 2pm on Thursday September 7.

Tickets cost £5 and are available from members of the support group by telephoning 01262 673831 or 01262 604276. (Claudia Bowes)

NRC (Netherlands) gives 4 stars out of 5 to Bernard Herrmann's Suite from Wuthering Heights & Echo’s for Strings.

Maar hij schreef ook voor het concertpodium. Halfweg de jaren veertig raakte Herrmann gefascineerd door de roman Wuthering Heights van Emily Brontë. Acht jaar lang werkte hij het verhaal over de gedoemde liefde om tot opera, met een libretto van zijn vrouw Lucille Fletcher. Ruim drie decennia na voltooiing, en zeven jaar na Herrmanns dood, is pas de première.

Het Singapore Symphony Orchestra maakte de eerste opname: niet de hele opera, maar een bewerking tot een uur lange suite. Hans Sorensen zoomt in op de twee geliefden Cathy en Heathcliff, en de fascinerende klankbeelden die Herrmann schetste van de spookachtige landschappen – in Brontë’s roman een personage op zich. Sopraan Keri Fuge en bariton Roderick Williams zoeken elkaar als wanhopige minnaars in het lieflijke licht of het onheilspellende duister van Herrmanns muziek. (Joost Galema) (Translation)