Bruce Dickinson emerges as the unlikely hero in the fight to save William Blake’s home
One of Britain’s most renowned heavy metal rock stars has emerged as the unlikely hero in a battle against time to save a forgotten relic of the country’s literary history, tucked away in a little-known West Sussex seaside village.
Bruce Dickinson, the 66-year-old Iron Maiden frontman, has been appointed the patron of The Blake Cottage Trust.
The Trust announced this month that it is seeking to raise ￡3 million via a JustGiving crowdfunding page to save the former abode of the celebrated poet, artist and mystic William Blake in Felpham, next door to Bognor Regis.
The Trust hopes to found a public art and education centre for the enjoyment of all, and to establish Felpham as a place of pilgrimage for Blake devotees – not unlike Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage in the Lake District, or artist Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage in Kent.
Blake wrote the poem Jerusalem (which, a century later, was set to music as a hymn by Sir Hubert Parry) while living in the thatched brick-and-flint 17th-century cottage with his wife, Catherine. Blake lived there between 1800 and 1803; it was also where he composed his epic poem Milton, and painted his vision of Jacob’s ladder. The couple used the cottage as a sanctuary in which Blake’s fertile imagination could run wild, while living a remarkably colourful and unusual life for their times.
“Away to sweet Felpham, for heaven is there,” wrote Blake of his own piece of “green and pleasant” land; “the bread of sweet thought and the wine of delight / Feed the village of Felpham by day and by night.”
Legend has it that the unorthodox poet, who radically envisioned a prelapsarian freedom from the chains of the Industrial Revolution and the human condition, was discovered sunbathing naked with Catherine in the pretty garden attached to the cottage. “Come in! It’s only Adam and Eve, you know,” Blake is alleged to have said to a visitor.
Bruce Dickinson has a personal artistic interest in preserving Blake’s legacy and in celebrating the “genius loci”, the spirit of the place. His own lyrics draw heavily on William Blake’s writings (most notably on his 1998 solo album Chemical Wedding), often playfully turning Blakeian imagery on its head. The music video of his recent solo single, Rain on the Graves, opens with a Blake quote: “A truth that’s told with bad intent / Beats all the lies you can invent” – and ends with a dramatic unveiling of a replica of Blake’s grave.
Until now, despite its cultural significance, Blake’s Cottage has been poorly maintained and largely hidden from public view (although it does have a blue plaque, visible from Blake’s Road, on which it is situated, and which leads directly to the seafront).
When the Blake Cottage Trust purchased the cottage, it was found to have structural issues. The thatched roof is in urgent need of repair, and it is currently unsafe to provide public access.
For Dickinson, helping to establish its place in the national imagination as a birthplace of Blake’s creativity is of vital importance to inspire future generations. He said: “Despite his impact on the world, there is no centre for Blake, nowhere people can visit to see the place where he lived and worked during a key part of his life. I want to change this.”
The Trust has so far received a ￡55,000 contribution from the World Monuments Trust towards its stated aim of ￡3 million, and emergency work to save the thatched roof is finally underway. The trust also hopes to highlight the overlooked contribution of Catherine to Blake’s creative output, and has released an artist’s impression of what an arts and educational centre dedicated to the Blakes, for the benefit of all, could look like (blakecottage.org).
While there is currently no public access to the cottage itself, it is still possible to embark on a Blakeian pilgrimage to Felpham, ahead of the 200th anniversary of his death in 2027.
There is an existing Big Blake Trail, taking in various local attractions such as St Mary’s Church (which has a stained glass window dedicated to Blake), the prettily maintained Old Rectory Gardens, where a traditional fête is held each year, and Hotham Park, which has a wildlife-themed mini-golf and Alice in Wonderland sculptures.
The Fox Inn, an independent pub dating back to 1790, is virtually opposite Blake’s Cottage. Blake was arrested and charged with sedition here following a fracas with a soldier; it has a beer garden and another blue plaque at the door.
The original thatched inn burnt down in 1946, but rose from the ashes in time for a grand reopening as the first permanent public house to be built in Britain after the Second World War. Today, Blake quotes adorn the walls of the traditional wooden saloon bar, which is all wrought iron, church-like pews, panelling and beams from the Goodwood Estate.
I can’t promise that you will see “the world in a grain of sand” or “heaven in a wild flower”, and “hold infinity in the palm of your hand” as Blake did on a jaunt to Felpham, but it’s worth a go.
Where to stay
The Beachcroft Hotel and Beach Hut Suites directly overlook the beach. Fish-and-chip suppers are served in gingham baskets; telescopes are provided for stargazing.
The mock-Tudor Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa and the recently reopened pub The Black Horse in nearby Climping are both part of the Historic Sussex Hotels group, which also owns The Spread Eagle Hotel & Spa in Midhurst.
The 900-year-old Amberley Castle hotel offers luxury accommodation and afternoon teas, and The Pig in the South Downs in Madehurst near Arundel opened this year with a mix of characterful rooms.
The Goodwood Hotel in the 12,000-acre Goodwood Estate is well positioned at the gateway of the South Downs.
How to donate
Visit blakecottage.org for more information about the project, and to donate directly, visit justgiving.com/blake-cottage. Every pound will be put to immediate use to restore Blake’s Cottage and then to realise The Blake Cottage Trust’s long-term vision.
