News July 2024

31st July 2024

There was a wonderful visit to the cottage today from committee members of The Felpham Conservation Society. The Society will help our Trust make a success of the September 19th Public Meeting and take our project forward. Doug Nicholls, Blake Cottage Trust chairperson commented: “It was a real privilege to hear the passion and commitment of the committee members for all aspects of their community including our plans to work collaboratively to make Blake’s Cottage an internationally renowned attraction.”

26th July 2024

Susan Wightman director of Libanus press, authority on book typography and design, and producer of the Tate catalogue of its collection of Blake’s works visited the cottage.

25th July 2024

25th July

24th July 2024

Kevin Short video cl

22nd July 2024

The "tin hat" is now up and protecting the cottage roof from the worst of the weather.  The team got the scaffolding up and the protective covering in place above and around the cottage in less than a week.  Now that the rain can't penetrate the old thatch we hope that dip in the roof that had been getting progressively worse over the last few months will be stabilised and it will give us breathing space to raise the funds - possibly as much as £250,00 - that we need to repair the roof beams and rafters and cover the building in new, weatherproof thatch.  Our Chair Doug Nicholls said: "We want do this as quickly as possible and it will give us the starting point for the major restoration work to follow."

5th July 2024

The leading art critic and arts television presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon has visited Blake's Cottage with our Chair Doug Nicholls. He said he was excited to see a building that has an important place in English cultural history.  Speaking about the Blake Cottage Trust's plans to restore the building and create a Blake centre he said: “I can’t think of a building anywhere in this country that I want more to see something done with and to see it really thriving and prospering and to have something made of it.”