The John Clare Trust

Update: July 2007

For further details of the Clare Cottage project visit www.clarecottage.org.

This website is under development, while the project is moving quickly towards the construction phase. We expect the cottage to be open regularly to the public from 2009, following very well attended occasional openings such as that on Saturday 14th July 2007 as part of the John Clare Festival. We will be developing many aspects of our educational programme during this period.

EARLIER NEWS

The John Clare Trust has been awarded a ‘Stage One Pass’ from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the project to buy and restore John Clare’s Cottage in Helpston and to open it to the public for the first time. This includes an initial grant of £39,600 towards the fuller development of the scheme, and a pledge of £1,272,000 on approval of our final application. 

The lottery cash will go towards restoring the cottage using traditional building methods, fitting it out to tell the story of Clare’s life and recreating a number of rooms as they would have looked in the 18th Century.  The adjacent dovecote will be used as a reception area, shop and gallery space, and a small new building will be created to house modern amenities. The core project supported by the HLF will also cover the costs of a Manager and Education Officer for a period of five years.

The restored cottage will bring the poet’s past to life through a wide range of interpretation, from telling the story of 18th Century rural life and traditional folk tales to environmental seminars, literacy programmes and creative writing workshops. 

The HLF require match funding, so we do still need donations to unlock their grant. We will be very grateful for any contributions - please click on 'Donations' at the top of this page for details. Please direct suggestions or enquiries to help@johnclaretrust.org. We would be particularly glad to hear from volunteers to help in our work in the cottage and garden, or with the development of teaching and learning materials.

Paul Chirico, Chair of the John Clare Trust, comments: ‘We are delighted by this crucial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  Alongside the contributions of many generous supporters, this grant will transform John Clare’s cottage into a truly dynamic centre for the celebration of Clare’s life and legacies.  Clare’s story can be an inspiration for visitors of all ages, and his passion for his environment will engage new generations with today’s urgent issues.’

Barry Sheerman MP, project champion and Chair of the House of Commons Select Committee on Education and Skills, adds: ‘This project will safeguard the birthplace of our most important poet of nature and create a wonderful new centre for exploring our relation to the environment in Clare’s time and our own.’

BACKGROUND

The cottage in Helpston in which John Clare was born, lived and worked was temporarily secured in early October by the National Environment and Educational Trust. The aim, in close partnership with the new John Clare Trust, the John Clare Society and other organisations, is to conserve the cottage and to establish a dynamic centre for writing, education and environmental activities celebrating Clare’s legacy.

Inspired by the life and work of John Clare (1793-1864), and by his home in one corner of this beautiful cottage in a rural corner of England, our mission will be to inspire and educate new generations about the natural world. The cottage will also become a major resource for all those interested in the literary, social, natural and cultural history of Britain in the early nineteenth century.

We need your help and support in order to repay the temporary loan which has enabled the purchase of the cottage and to secure sufficient further funds to put our plans into action. We are in the process of applying to large public and private organizations and are also appealing to individual supporters across the world. All major donors will of course be formally acknowledged in the cottage itself which – as a unique educational and environmental resource – will celebrate the generous spirit of Clare’s global community.

Early responses have been most encouraging, with generous donations and offers of support in kind from many individuals and organisations. This broad enthusiasm, along with that of the project’s many institutional partners, is very heartening and will materially help our chances of securing major public funds. Please keep up the support. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the project or contributing to our funds please do get in touch. We are very keen to receive suggestions about the future uses of the cottage, either through the suggestions page on this website or simply by email to help@johnclaretrust.org. Our donations page gives full details for those who wish to make contributions. 

This website will be regularly updated with the latest details about the project and fundraising initiatives. If you are interested in finding out more about Clare himself please visit the John Clare Page or the John Clare Society website.

      The old house stooped just like a cave
          Thatched o'er with mosses green
       Winter around the walls would rave
          But all was calm within
       The trees they were as green agen
          Where bees the flowers would kiss
       But flowers and trees seemed sweeter then
          —My early home was this—