More on the plans for a windfarm on the Brontë country moors in BBC News: A consultation on plans to build a large wind farm on moorland associated with the Brontë sisters has fallen "well short of standard", Bradford Council has said. Calderdale Energy Park (CEP) wants to install 34 turbines on Walshaw Moor, between Hebden Bridge and Haworth. Although the site lies within Calderdale, councillors said the impact on neighbouring Bradford would be "significant". Developers say the scheme could generate enough low‑carbon electricity to power about 198,000 homes a year. In its response to CEP the council said it had effectively been consulted "on an abstract concept rather than a transparent, scientifically robust infrastructure design". The South Pennine moors and the Pennine Way are closely associated with writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, who were raised at the Haworth parsonage, now a museum, in the 1840s. CEP originally proposed up to 65 turbines on the land near Haworth, reducing the number to 41 in April 2025 and then to 34 in February 2026 after saying it had listened to residents' concerns. The plans have faced opposition from campaigners, including Josh Fenton-Glynn, Labour MP for Calder Valley, who fear damage to peatland habitats and the loss of moorland used by bird species. Bradford Council said it had not been adequately involved in the consultation, raising concerns about both environmental information and engagement. It argued that key details remained unclear, including proposals for a cabling corridor that could pass through Bradford if the project goes ahead. Councillors also criticised what they described as flaws in the assessment of the "globally significant" Brontë cultural landscape, warning of potential impacts on tourism, biodiversity and historic villages. The authority added it had not been included in meetings or technical working groups linked to the environmental impact assessment. CEP has previously said the turbines would not deter visitors to the moors. A spokesperson said the company had followed all legal requirements and extended the consultation period to encourage engagement, adding it remained committed to "constructive and ongoing engagement" with the council and other stakeholders. (John Greenwood and Andrew Barton)
It may not deter visitors at first, but it would certainly and immediately alter their experiences of the place, which now feels timeless, and with giant turbines it would not. And then, perhaps slowly, people would stop looking at a landscape that no longer looks like the one that inspired the Brontës. It's that simple, although we know that longsightedness is not a common or interesting quality these days.
Still in Yorkshire, although in much more pleasant news, The Yorkshire Post features the current National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep. “Instead of people coming to the National Gallery, the National Gallery is coming to the people and reminding them of their national collections because this is a public collection,” explains Dr Janine Sykes, Kirklees Council’s curator (Visual Arts). “Our gallery in Kirklees, the Huddersfield Art Gallery, closed in 2020 as part of a huge regeneration project, Our Cultural Heart, and won’t open until 2030, it is a whole generation without a gallery, so I responded to the National Gallery’s call-out. I immediately thought about Oakwell Hall because I know there are so many amazing stories and the history here – it is the oldest property in Kirklees Museums and Galleries.” To Janine’s delight, Oakwell Hall was selected as one of the destinations for the exhibition which has been curated to encapsulate links to the Bröntes (sic), through Caspar David Friedrich’s ‘Winter Landscape’ 1811, the hall and to Birstall, birthplace of the scientist and founder of Oxygen, Joseph Priestley. Interestingly, one of the paintings located here features the work of Joseph Wright’s ‘of Derby’ ‘An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump’ 1768 which, Janine explains, links perfectly with Priestley. “As we know Joseph Priestley discovered Oxygen and carbonated water and they knew each other through the Learned Society where they would meet to swap ideas on science, so it allows us to talk about the history of Birstall,” says Janine. “The Winter Landscape by Caspar David Friedrich was from the German Romantic Movement where nature was considered very powerful. All the Brönte [sic] siblings were artistic and their novels were all part of the literary British Romantic genre. I thought wouldn’t it be amazing to somehow link this place-based history to an exhibition with The National Gallery.” [...] “What is very distinct about ‘Art On Your Doorstep’ in Kirklees is I like people to hear different voices in interpretation. It reminds us that it is our collection and for us to enjoy, and it helps to raise awareness of the public collection.” Near the old railway bridge where trains once trundled along the Leeds New Line linking Birstall to Leeds and London before its closure during the Beeching era, is Joseph Mallord William Turner’s ‘Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway’ 1844. Janine says it encourages viewers to imagine Birstall in the industrial era. “There was a lot of wealth here. When you look at Oakwell Hall it was connected to wealth. A lot of Charlotte Brontë’s friends were middle class from textiles and industry. The wider industrial connection was the railway. There was a lot of freight, whether textiles or coal, and it reminds us of the industrial past. [...] Special events planned over the summer include fun science sessions for children, a family art club and, on July 25, Janine and Programme Officer, Samuel Harrison from the Brönte (sic) Society & Brontë Parsonage Museum, will host a special tour. “There is something for everyone. Whether you are interested in engineering, there is the industrial past, there are national and global literary connections with the Bröntes (sic), there are some amazing role models. There are different stories and we are making it part of the paintings and about the place,” says Janine. (Sally Clifford)
 The first episode of the fourth season of the Behind the Glass podcast is already available:
Welcome to series 4 of the Brontë Parsonage Museum's podcast Behind The Glass!
For our first episode, Programme Officer Sam and Digital Engagement Officer Mia are joined by writer and scholar Deborah Lutz, to celebrate the publication of her new biography This Dark Night: The Life of Emily Brontë.
Listen in as Deborah tells us about her research process and trying to unpick some mysteries behind one of the greatest and fiercest writers...
The Herald does a roundup of recently-released books including This Dark Night: The Life of Emily Brontë, Deborah Lutz Bloomsbury, £20 The first comprehensive biography of Emily Brontë in over two decades, by an expert in Victorian literature. From its Proustian opening sentence, to her subject’s death bed at the age of 30, this is a captivating, feeling account of the most enigmatic of the Brontë family. By putting Emily and Wuthering Heights into a historical and political context and drawing closely on her writing, Deborah Lutz illuminates her intriguing personality and wildfire imagination. As Lutz tells us, it took Emily two years to write her masterpiece, and a further 100 for the world to begin to fathom it. That process continues with this biography. (Rosemary Goring)
MRC film chiefs Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman mention Wuthering Heights 2026 in an interview for Variety. MRC has established itself as a champion of innovative filmmakers like Edgar Wright, Emerald Fennell and Chloe Domont. But the movies these auteurs deliver defy categorization and that presents its own challenges. “A lot of the movies we make don’t have a lot of obvious comps so they tend to be very difficult for the marketplace to properly evaluate,” admits Brye Adler, MRC’s co-president of film. “Something like ‘Wuthering Heights‘ is an R-rated period romantic drama, but describing it like that doesn’t reflect its potential to be distinctive, which is why it worked. Or you can’t put ‘Cruel Intentions’ and ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley in the same category, but that’s what ‘Saltburn’ is. The system does not compute what we make.” (Brent Lang)
A new production of Jordi Mand's Brontë: The World Without opens today, June 19, in Brockville, Eastern Ontario, Canada. Why a very ugly AI-created poster is used is beyond us.
Presented by Youth Opportunities for the Arts by Jordi Mand Fri Jun19, 700pn Sat June 20, 2pm Sun June 21, 2pm St. John's United Church & Brockville Arts Hub, 32 Park St, Brockville, ON K6V 1B3, Canada
Proudly presented by Youth Opportunities for the Arts, Jori Mand’s, Brontë: The World Without is a haunting, emotionally layered stage play that imagines the inner lives and shared creative spirit of the famous Brontë siblings—Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë—as they navigate grief, isolation, and the fierce need to create. Set within the confines of the Brontë family home on the Yorkshire moors, the play moves fluidly between reality and imagination. The sisters, along with their brother Branwell Brontë, conjure vivid fantasy worlds as both escape and expression—worlds that begin to blur with their lived experiences. Their stories and characters seep into their daily lives, reflecting their desires, frustrations, and unspoken fears. As illness and loss encroach, the siblings confront the fragility of their ambitions and the limits imposed on them by society and circumstance. The “world without” becomes a poignant metaphor—suggesting both the external world they long to explore and the internal worlds they risk losing. Through poetic dialogue and shifting timelines, the play explores themes of artistic legacy, sibling bonds, and the cost of imagination. It ultimately asks what remains when the creators are gone—and whether the worlds they built can outlive them.
Further information in Brockville Daily. An alert from the Brontë Birthplace in Thornton for today, June 19: Friday 19th June 2026, 6:30pm Brontë Birthplace Tearoom, 72-74 Market Street, Thornton, BD13 3HF
Step into the candlelit quiet of the Brontë Birthplace for an evening that blends creativity, history, and a touch of old-world intrigue. In this special Verse & Sip workshop, guests are invited into the intimate world of historic correspondence. Beginning with an introduction to letterlocking, a centuries-old practice of folding and securing letters before the use of envelopes, guests will discover how messages were once carefully constructed, protected, and imbued with meaning through folding techniques and wax seals. We’ll explore historic examples, including the method famously used by Mary, Queen of Scots for her final letter, before arriving at Victorian-era practices, such as those used by the Brontës.
Guests will then enjoy a hands‑on session of writing, folding, and sealing their own letters, guided in the very rooms where the Brontë siblings first opened their eyes to the world. The atmospheric setting of their birthplace adds a unique depth to the experience, inviting visitors to slow down, savour the moment, and rediscover the pleasure of written correspondence.
Verse & Sip is a celebration of slow correspondence, a space where creativity and connection meet. Through events, workshops, and a monthly snail mail club, we invite you to rediscover the beauty of sending and receiving meaningful post. Verse & Sip is open to individuals from all backgrounds. We are committed to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and welcoming environment where everyone feels encouraged to create and share. In a digital age, we believe there is still something powerful about paper and ink. We’re so glad you’re here to be part of it!
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