There are only really a few ways to prevent old buildings from going to ruin. You can turn it into something contemporary and useful, like luxury flats or a Wetherspoons, you can put it on AirBnB for £500 a night, or, if you’re a real lover of culture, you can make it a museum. The latter is what is to become of the West Sussex cottage formerly belonging to poet William Blake, thanks to three charities chipping in to save it from destruction.
Blake was alive in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and wrote several of his most celebrated works, including the poem that would eventually become ‘Jerusalem’, in the now derelict home. It was bought a couple of years ago by the appropriately named Blake Cottage Trust, who aim to turn it into a museum by 2027, the bicentenary of the writer’s death. According to the Telegraph this would be a recreation of the cottage as Blake experienced it, including props and a potential hologram. Exciting things are happening.
Those who have already donated money towards the effort include the Foulerton Charitable Trust, the Foyle Foundation, and the World Monuments Fund Britain, the latter of which described the house as, ‘a site of literary memory, of national and international significance.’
In total, a few hundred thousand pounds is needed to complete the renovations, including installing a brand new roof as the original one is at risk of collapse which would, according to the World Monuments Fund, ‘[cause] potentially irremediable loss of the cottage’s historic fabric and significance.’ They need quite a bit more than they have at present, so if you want to support the cause send some cash their way here.
Museum mad
There are loads of places you can visit while you wait for Blake. We’ve got rankings of all of our favourite museums in the UK, as well as the best immersive museums, and some pretty spectacular sculpture parks across the country.
Did you see that more than 45 museums in Scotland could close in the next year?
Plus: Two UK universities are in the top 10 best in the world.
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