On this day in 1850 Charlotte Bronte met the Duke of Wellington at the Chapel Royal London.

 

 Image: Daguerreotype of the Duke of Wellington in 1844 the quack doctor

Charlotte had a big admiration of Wellington. Her fictional characters Charles and Arthur Wellesley feature prominently in her early Angrian writings. In Brussels she wrote an essay on ‘The Death of Napoleon’, in which she praises Wellington, making his genius superior to Napoleon’s. Throughout her life she would follow her hero's progress, finally seeing him in the flesh when she visited London in 1850. 

Kleurrijk Bronte Sisters

Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellington

Exciting times for the Old School Room

Finally, good news for the Old School Room in Haworth. English Heritage has given a £15,000 grant for restoration purposes. In Keighley News:

                                      brontespirit

The money is being provided for the grade II-listed Old School Room and will fund the replacement of windows as a first step towards repairing the rest of the property. (...)

Charity group Brontë Spirit has been campaigning to have the property restored. Currently, it is only partly used as the roof is in poor condition.
Responding to the English Heritage grant, Brontë Spirit chairman Averil Kenyon said: “We’ve progressed from a position where Haworth Parish Church had to consider selling the building as a possible building development site to one of seeing the restoration project become a reality.
“Now we’re a registered charity, have a 25-year lease on the building and have been engaged in meaningful discussions with English Heritage not only about its restoration but about creating a sustainable future for it.
“We have plans to open the building to the public from mid-July until the end of August. These are exciting times for Brontë Spirit and the Old School Room and we’re now extremely hopeful that not only will we be able to restore this wonderful building to its former glory but also to find a use that will sustain it over many years to come. (...)
An English Heritage spokesman said: “The building’s rundown appearance harms the village and the impression left on its many visitors. The grant will go towards new windows for the building’s main elevation to replace those that have been ravaged by years of harsh Pennine winter weather.
“Talks have been taking place between us and Brontë Spirit about the complete restoration and future of the building, and a development grant is being considered so a wider repair project can be moved forward.” (Miran Rahman) Bronte blog

Beautiful pictures on: the old schoolroom Haworth 

Haworth all set for full Bronte

 

Look for more beautiful pictures on these websites

 

photos of churches

Yorkshire/haworth/HaworthChurch

Soeurs Bronte

 

Charles Dickens will join the Brontes next week as the subject of Haworth’s annual weekend devoted to the famous sisters.

The Bronte Society weekend will open next Friday, June 8, with the afternoon talk, Charles Dickens and the Brontes, by Michael Slater. Mr Slater, who published an acclaimed Dickens biography in 2009, will look at the incredible impact that all the writers had on national culture.

The weekend will see writers, academics and Bronte Society members visit Haworth from all over the world.

There will be a service of remembrance at the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels on June 9 at 11.15am, open to all. The address will be given by Haworth rector the Rev Peter Mayo-Smith, and will celebrate the bicentenary of Patrick and Maria Bronte’s wedding.

The same day at 8pm an event will explore themes of race and slavery in Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights.

The casting of a mixed-race Heathcliff in Andrea Arnold’s 2011 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights put issues of race into the spotlight.

The documentary A Regular Black: The Hidden Wuthering Heights examines themes of slavery and race in the book, and uncovers parallels between the fictional Earnshaws and the slave-owning families of Yorkshire. Keighley News

Following a screening of the documentary, panellists Terry Eagleton, Bonnie Greer and Caryl Phillips will talk about some of the themes.

The evening aims to present a different reading of Wuthering Heights, and the audience will be invited to join in the debate. Tickets cost £12.

All events except for the church service will take place at the West Lane Baptist Centre in Haworth. Details and booking from jenna.holmes@bronte.org.

A First American edition of Wuthering Heights under the hammer

Sale No 1431 - Fine Books, Maps & Manuscripts
May 31 2012 10:00 - Main Floor Gallery

Lot 334
1 vol.
(Brontë, Anne.) Bell, Acton.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1848.
1st American ed. 12mo, orig. dark brown cloth, spine gilt; head of spine just starting to chip, other light edge wear, 1 small blister to front joint. Scattered light foxing, faint dampstain to upper gutters of last 3rd of vol. 2pp adverts at back. Sound copy.

Estimate $500-800 Bronte blog