SMART NEWS

William Blake’s Cottage Will Be Saved—and Transformed Into a New Museum

The 18th-century poet wrote some of his most renowned works in the house in southern England, which has since fallen into disrepair

Julia Binswanger

Daily Correspondent

August 26, 2024

A dilapidated English cottage rented by William Blake, the lauded 18th-century Romantic poet, is about to get a much-needed makeover. Eventually, after crews finish restoring the structure, it will open as a public museum.

Located in the quaint village of Felpham in West Sussex, the cottage has fallen into disrepair in the last decade, with issues ranging from rotting rafters to crumbling walls. Three charitable organizations—the World Monuments Fund, the Foyle Foundation and Foulerton Charitable Trust—have helped raise emergency funds to save and protect the roof.

“William Blake remains one of the most influential poets, philosophers, artists and printers in the world,” Doug Nicholls, chair of the Blake Cottage Trust, tells the Art Newspaper’s Alexander Morrison. “He inspires tens of thousands still.”

Blake wasn’t widely celebrated during his lifetime. But after his death in 1827, his unique style, marked by vivid imagery, became a cornerstone of Romantic literature. He is perhaps best known for his poetry collection, Songs of Innocence and Experience. In fact, earlier this summer, a rare copy of the collection that Blake illustrated and printed with his wife, Catherine Boucher, sold for a record-breaking $4.3 million.

The next stage of renovation—replacing the rotting rafters and thatched roof—will cost more than $230,000, according to Artnet’s Jo Lawson-Tancred. “You can see that the roof and ceiling are in a state of, well, near collapse, really,” says Nicholls in a video. “The rafters across are being eaten by beetles, and many of them have snapped.”

Blake and Boucher lived in the cottage for three years beginning in 1800. During this time, the poet started writing an epic poem about John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. In the preface, Blake included a poem called “And did those feet in ancient time,” which is now known as the hymn “Jerusalem” and considered England’s unofficial national anthem.

Indeed, Blake was inspired by the countryside around him as he penned lines such as, “And did those feet in ancient time / Walk upon England’s mountains green: / And was the holy Lamb of God, / On England’s pleasant pastures seen!”

Together, the organizations have raised more than $72,000 to preserve the house and turn it into a public space. However, there is still a long road ahead. According to the Telegraph’s Dalya Alberge, the project has an estimated total cost of over $5 million.

Once the building is structurally sound, crews will restore it to look just as it did when Blake and Boucher lived in it more than 200 years ago—with one notable exception. It will have a new life as a hub for the public to learn about Blake’s literary legacy.

Nicholls tells the Telegraph that the museum will feature a replica of Blake’s printing press, and it may even use virtual reality technology to create a “hologram of Blake and Catherine” or other digital displays.

“We aim to preserve his remaining cottage in Felpham and transform it into an inspirational center that celebrates all of his art forms and thoughts and encourages students and artists to create more motivational work,” Nicholls tells the Art Newspaper.

He adds, “We want the cottage to mean something powerful for the full spectrum [of visitors]—from primary school students to acclaimed international artists and literary figures.”