The birthplace of the Brontë sisters will host an event looking at its own history as part of Bradford Literature Festival. The Brontë Birthplace in Thornton re-opened last year, and on Friday Bradford-born heritage champion Steve Stanworth will share his 26‑year journey restoring and celebrating the building. The event, being held at the Thornton attraction, is part of Bradford Literature Festival, and will take place at 6.30pm on Friday. At the event, Mr Stanworth will explain how he helped to return the Brontë Birthplace on Market Street to its Regency character. He has also played a central role in restoring the Brontë Bell Chapel and, with Christa Ackroyd, created the Brontë exhibition at St James’ Church. Patrick Brontë himself wrote that his happiest years were spent in Thornton, a sentiment that underpins Steve’s lifelong dedication to preserving this remarkable heritage.
7. Helen Graham escapes her disastrous marriage to Arthur Huntingdon in which Anne Brontë novel? (Olav Bjortomt) Ara (Spain) writes about the upcoming Zoe Kazan adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden: It will be necessary to see if Kazan's adaptation maintains the epic and tragic spirit of the author, who delves into the problem of identity, betrayal, inheritance, and love without concessions, or if it creates a digestible product, as Emerald Fennell did with Wuthering Heights, which Mariana Enríquez described as a "boring and silly" film, as it turned a dark and demonic story that explores the beauty of the abyss, depression, and love for darkness into something sexy. Will the same happen with Steinbeck? We will see. (Pol Guasch) AV Group talks about the new Criterion release of David Lynch's The Elephant Man: When Merrick is revealed, the reactions from those who see him are almost uniformly panicked (though some respond with a commingling of the grotesque and erotic that wouldn’t be out of place in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights). (Jacob Oller) The Telegraph India announces the Indian streaming premiere on JioHotstar of Wuthering Heights 2026. EuroWeekly News wonders about the Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever arriving in Potsdam. Vintage Reads posts about The Invention of Charlotte Brontë by Graham Watson. Monroe County Public Library, Southwest Branch, Meeting Room A Saturday, July 11, 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Join us for our quarterly Movies vs. Books Club! Popcorn and candy will be provided during the movie. Age 18 and up. Read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, then join us to watch the 2011 film adaptation directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. You can request a copy of the book be placed on hold for you when you register to attend, or read or listen to a digital copy on Libby or Hoopla. Afterwards, we'll tackle the question: which was better—the book or the movie? Please contact Becky Craft at bcraft@mcpl.info if you have any questions about this program.
Some Bradford Literary Festival events for tomorrow, July 11:
CANCELLED Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 10:00 – 15:00 The Old Bell Chapel, Thornton Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Join Brontë Stones project creator Michael Stewart for a guided walking tour tracing the footsteps of the Brontë sisters from their birthplace in Thornton village to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth. Crossing the stunning Yorkshire landscape, the walk explores specially commissioned responses to the Brontës by celebrated writers like Carol Ann Duffy, Kate Bush, Jackie Kay and Jeanette Winterson. This nine-mile linear trek takes around five hours and includes narrow styles, uneven ground and slippery surfaces. Appropriate footwear and weatherproof clothing are essential. Participants should also bring a packed lunch and plenty of water for a picnic stop along the route.
Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 16:00 – 19:30 Cambridge House, BD5 0H
Step into the shadows of a cinematic mystery with Wuthering Heights Rediscovered, an exhibition celebrating the lost 1920 silent film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s timeless classic.
Drawing on the only surviving script and a remarkable collection of previously unseen photographs, the exhibition reconstructs and reimagines a film thought lost forever. Curated by Professor Rob Shail and Irfan Shah of Leeds Beckett University’s Early Cinema Research Group, and supported by the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth, it offers a fascinating journey into early filmmaking, literary heritage and Yorkshire’s enduring gothic landscape. A must-see for film lovers, Brontë enthusiasts and admirers of the moors alike.
Julian Pierce in The Yorkshire Post thinks that "Britain needs to rediscover the art of delivering great ideas"; The Great Exhibition of 1851 wasn’t done by halves. It wasn’t value engineered to within an inch of its life and (I’m betting) it didn’t take a month to make a simple decision. That exhibition – designed to set out what this country had and could offer the world – is still referenced in textbooks as an example of Britain leading on the world stage. It was outward looking, but confident in the country’s collective national abilities. Leading thinkers and doers of the day were there. Michael Faraday, Charlotte Brontë, Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll, Karl Marx and Alfred Tennyson were all in attendance. The perfect blend of science, philosophy and culture, under one giant glass roof of the (at the time, temporary) Crystal Palace. Queen Victoria herself allegedly visited more than 30 times.
Clare.fm interviews the artist Marcus Vallboehmer:
From painting the walls of his family home as a child in Germany to creating eye-catching public murals here in west Clare, artist Marcus Vallboehmer has turned a lifelong passion for colour into a successful career. Now living in Farrihy, near Doonbeg, Marcus is the artist behind the striking new mural of Charlotte Brontë on the White Walls in Kilkee, celebrating the famous novelist’s connection to the seaside town.
Summer is also the time for adventure, whether that’s white water rafting or Finnegans Wake. You have energy, Vitamin D and oceans of time. Plus, sun and heat are the enemy of the screen. You can’t doomscroll on a beach. I remember exactly where I was when I first read Wuthering Heights (on a beach in Brittany), Catch-22 (a beach in southern Italy) and The Beach (a pool in Ibiza). Also, the frustration of not being able to escape completely into Emma Cline’s The Girls on a beach in Kerry when my kids were small. And many more.
WWD discusses the Ashi Studio Fall 2026 Couture: Before the show, Ashi said he leaned further into the “Wuthering Heights” feeling of his spring effort and thought back to the Surrealist Ball given by Baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild in 1972, a soirée with the likes of Salvador Dalí, Princess Grace of Monaco and Audrey Hepburn in attendance. (Lily Templeton) Varsity wonders about the possible benefits of the upcoming East of Eden adaptation for John Steinbeck's knowledge: The question of adapting brilliant literature is not newly raised by this forthcoming limited series. Modern films have proven time and time again that renewed audience interest in their source texts can arise from the adaptive process. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, for example, saw viewers picking up copies of Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece, while Emerald Fennell’s interpretation of Wuthering Heights brought Brontë’s text back off the shelf, be it through inspiration or outrage. The texts didn’t need a spotlight shone on them, but their filmic twins formed a fruitful relationship of engagement between the different media. (Dan Porritt) Today on BBC Four, a new chance to watch Jane Eyre 1944 (23:50 GMT). The Ada News publishes a extense summary of Wuthering Heights. A couple of alerts for tomorrow, July 10, both part of the Bradford Literary Festival:
10/07/2026 at 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Bradford-born heritage champion Steve Stanworth shares his remarkable 26‑year journey restoring and celebrating Thornton’s extraordinary Brontë legacy. From transforming the Old Bell Chapel, where Patrick Brontë served as perpetual curate from 1815 to 1820, to creating the St James’ Church Brontë exhibition, which includes the font at which all the Brontë children, except Maria, were baptised. Stanworth explains how he helped to return the Brontë Birthplace on Market Street to its Regency character, Steve brings together the story of three landmark Brontë projects and the passion that has driven them. Patrick Brontë himself wrote that his happiest years were spent in Thornton, a sentiment that underpins Steve’s lifelong dedication to preserving this remarkable heritage.
Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 09:00 – 17:00 The Midland Hotel, BD1 4HU
Bradford Literature Festival’s much-loved Brontë tour returns for another unforgettable journey into the lives and legacy of one of literature’s most celebrated families. Led by broadcaster and Brontë enthusiast Christa Ackroyd, this specially curated experience includes travel by vintage coach to the Brontës’ childhood home in Thornton village and lunch at Branwell Brontë’s favourite haunt, The Lord Nelson pub. Journey through the dramatic Yorkshire moors that inspired Wuthering Heights while uncovering fascinating stories from your expert guide. The tour also includes entry to the Brontë Parsonage Museum and an exclusive talk from museum staff exploring the enduring brilliance of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë.
CrimeReads has an article by writer Isabella Valeri. In trying to explore the nuances of narrative theory I naturally gravitated to Joseph Campbell’s 1949 work The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and the concept of the “monomyth”, a template for the “Hero’s Journey” in dramatic writing, a critical structure that has been applied to works as varied as the Epic of Gilgamesh, potentially the oldest surviving written epic, to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, to Star Wars. Great British Life recommends some weekend stays in Yorkshire for summer breaks including this one: Brontë Wilds is perfectly positioned close to Haworth, where the Brontë sisters lived and wrote their famous books. The stylish lakefront lodges – one with three bedrooms and the other with two – offer a serene haven with stunning views. Step out onto the private deck, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and soak in the tranquillity of the surrounding countryside. You can also watch steam trains pass by from the nearby Keighley and Worth Valley Railway – made famous by The Railway Children film. Haworth, with its charming cobbles and Brontë history, is nearby. A 20-minute drive away in Thornton is the fascinating Brontë Birthplace, where the sisters and their brother Branwell were born. Brontë Wilds, near Haworth.
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