Poet home visitor attraction repair boost

Damaged brickwork has been repaired and the windows replaced

Plans to convert a poet's former home into a visitor attraction have taken a "massive step forward".

Norman Nicholson, who died in 1987, lived almost his entire life in St George's Terrace in Millom, Cumbria.

A society celebrating his life and work are transforming the property into a museum, cafe and outreach centre.

Vital repairs to the damaged exterior have now been completed, which will enable the Norman Nicholson Society to move forward and seek further funding for inside.

Nicholson wrote poetry, plays and prose books from his home, which earned him an international reputation, an OBE and the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

The 140-year-old property was suffering badly from damp, missing slates and damaged timber and brickwork.

Funded by Copeland GDF Community Partnership and Cumberland Council, the £99,000 repair project included a new slate roof, drainpipes and gutters.

The woodwork was also painted pink as a nod to Millom's past as the site of one of the world's richest seams of haematite, something frequently referenced in his poetry.

Norman Nicholson was born in Millom in 1914

Charlie Lambert, chair of the Nicholson House project, said: "This is a massive step on the way towards fully reopening the house as a cafe, a place for small-scale community events, a Nicholson exhibition, and accommodation for a writer in residence and general tourists.

"Our aims are to celebrate Norman Nicholson's outstanding writing and to make a genuine contribution to Millom and the surrounding area."