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Help shape the future of Blake Cottage
William Blake, Milton: a Poem (detail). Source: William Blake Archive →
Preserving a home. Sharing a living legacy.
Preserving a home. Sharing a living legacy.
The Blake Cottage Trust was formed in 2014 and registered as a charity in 2015. An anonymous donation enabled the purchase of the cottage in November 2015, securing it for a public future.
“What is now proved was once, only imagin’d.”
“What is now proved was once, only imagin’d.”
William Blake · The Marriage of Heaven and Hell · Proverbs of Hell
A new board established in 2024 leads the urgent rescue of the building and its future conservation.
Our mission
Our mission
We exist to conserve William and Catherine Blake’s cottage and open it to the public as a place of cultural heritage. We hope to begin limited public opening in time for the bicentenary of William Blake’s death in August 2027. Arrangements have not yet been decided and will depend on conservation progress.
Our longer-term ambition is a permanent cultural project inspired by the Blakes: a place for learning, research, inspiration, entertainment, knowledge exchange and artistic creation. We seek the highest standards of museum design, innovative education and thoughtful use of digital technology, with sustainability central to our plans.
We will connect Blake-related activities locally, nationally and internationally, working with partners across Felpham, the wider Bognor area and beyond. The project should welcome all ages and communities and reach the widest and most diverse audiences possible.
Watch: The full story of the cottage’s rescue
Watch: The full story of the cottage’s rescue
In Bringing Blake’s Cottage back to life, Chair Doug Nicholls explains the campaign to save the cottage, what the restoration has revealed, and the work still ahead.
Blake Society talk · 8 April 2026
Our values
Our values
Blake’s work as an artist, poet and printer challenged social, intellectual and economic constraints. His vision of solidarity, equality, expanded perception and creative endeavour in harmony with the natural world inspires our work.
We will act inclusively, openly, transparently, democratically and with integrity. These principles guide our relationships, partnerships, programme, commercial decisions and the development of the cottage.
Collaboration and the nurturing of skills, crafts and creative activity are central to our approach. We will work with local and national craftspeople, artists and suppliers, and care for the cottage and its environment responsibly for future generations.
The people behind the project
The people behind the project
Chair Doug Nicholls leads a volunteer board bringing experience in culture, education, scholarship, media and public service. Trustees serve without remuneration. Our patron Bruce Dickinson and ambassadors including John Higgs, Jeremy Deller, Tacita Dean and Billy Bragg reflect Blake’s continuing influence across literature, art and music. An American advisory board helps build support in the United States.Meet the trustees → · Meet our ambassadors → · Meet the US advisers →
With thanks to our funders and founders
With thanks to our funders and founders
Grants, individual gifts and the work of our founding supporters have made the rescue possible.
We also recognise the local campaigners, early trustees, Blake Society members and supporters whose efforts made the original purchase possible.Read our funder and founder acknowledgements →
Contact and charity information
Contact and charity information
General enquiries, volunteering and partnerships: info@blakecottage.org
Chair: chairperson@blakecottage.org
The Blake Cottage Trust, 1 Blakes Road, Felpham, West Sussex, PO22 7EB.
Registered charity in England and Wales: 1160716.Privacy policy →
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