John Higgs has an article up at Big Issue on efforts by volunteers to save William Blake's cottage on the Sussex coast in England.
"In the village of Felpham on the Sussex coast, a 17th century cottage has come perilously close to falling into ruin. It was in this building, between 1800 and 1803, that the poet William Blake shaped England’s vision of itself," John explains.
"It might be expected that such a nationally important building as this would automatically be preserved by the nation, and it seems symbolic of the current state of the country that it has fallen into such a state. Yet it is also fitting, in a way, for it to be saved by volunteers coming together, offering their skills, time and hard work, for no reward other than the confirmation that we can first imagine and then build a better way," he writes.
Indeed, it seems odd that for such a major writer, the work isn't being done by a local or national government, as I would expect in a similar situation in the U.S.
Via John's latest email newsletter, which you can read here.
No comments:
Post a Comment