John Clare Cottage
Cottage in Helpston, Cambridgeshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Clare Cottage is a cottage and literary museum in Helpston, Peterborough, United Kingdom. The cottage was the birthplace of English poet John Clare (1793–1864).
| John Clare Cottage | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of the John Clare Cottage area | |
| General information | |
| Location | 12 Woodgate, Helpston |
| Coordinates | 52.6342°N 0.3446°W |
| Named for | John Clare |
| Owner | John Clare Trust |
| Website | |
| http://www.clarecottage.org/ | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Clare Cottage |
| Designated | 15 December 1955 |
| Reference no. | 1331603 |
The thatched Grade II* cottage[1] at 12 Woodgate, Helpston, originally consisted of five smaller tenement buildings, which were joined into a single structure at a later date.[2]
The cottage was bought by the John Clare Trust in 2005.[3] In May 2007, the Trust gained £1.27 million of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund[4] and commissioned Jefferson Sheard Architects to create a new landscape design and Visitor Centre, including a café, shop and exhibition space. The cottage was restored using traditional building methods and is open to the public.
In 2013 the John Clare Trust received a further grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help preserve the building[5] and provide educational activities for young people visiting the cottage.[6]
The garden behind the cottage is maintained by volunteers, and planted with varieties that would have been seen in Clare's time.[3]
The John Clare Cottage forms part of the Fens Museum Partnership, along with Peterborough Museum and Flag Fen.[7]
Clare Cottage in 2018
Statue of John Clare
Cottage gardens
Plaque erected by the Peterborough Museum Society 1921
