The future looks bright for Blake's Cottage as support finally added to long-endangered roof

The supports, which are designed to maintain and preserve the integrity of the cottage’s thatched roof, were installed earlier this Summer, after Blake’s Cottage Trust Chairman Doug Nicholls described his fear of a disastrous roof collapse: ““To say I have had sleepless nights about an imminent collapse of the roof is an understatement,” he said. “This was particularly the case on July 16th when I was awoken at 3.00am by the rain storm. I expected to find a huge hole in the roof the following day. Thankfully I did not. We now have quotes in for a new thatch and new roof timbers to start the restoration project.”

The addition of the supports comes amid a range of positive changes for the romantic poet’s former abode. The Trust, which manages the building’s interest, legacy and future, has recently updated its statement of intent and values to reflect a renewed interest in making the cottage open and accessible to the public in the future. Among the new values is a stated desire to reflect Blake’s belief in ‘collaborative, open, transparent and inclusive ways of working’ in its internal and external relations, as well as its developmental decisions.

Part of this includes a pledge to open the cottage to the public by 2027 – the 200th anniversary of the poet’s death. “The Trust will work with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to achieve this objective, and to create on the site and within the wider Bognor area where appropriate, facilities that reach out to the broadest and most diverse audiences possible to create opportunities for entertainment, learning, inspiration, knowledge exchange and artistic creation based on the words, images and philosophy of William Blake,” the new value statement says.

To find out more about the Trust’s work, and donate to its efforts to repair and reopen the building, visit The Blake’s Cottage Trust website. Since the fundraiser started earlier this year, donations have come pouring in from all over the world, with many benefactors thanking Trust members for their hard work and dedication to the poet’s legacy.