Poet home attraction plans scaled back over funds

The property shown before and after recent repairs

Ambitious plans to develop a poet's former home into a visitor attraction have had to be scaled back due to funding issues.

Norman Nicholson lived in St George's Terrace in Millom, Cumbria, and a society celebrating his life and work is transforming it into museum and outreach centre.

Repairs have been carried out, but a series of funding rejections mean plans to add a three-storey rear extension have now been abandoned.

Instead, the project will focus on refurbishing the terraced Victorian property as it currently stands to transform it into a museum and hub for community activities.

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.

Norman Nicholson House Community Interest Company (CIC) succeeded in buying the Victorian terraced property, and repairs to the exterior, including a new roof, were completed earlier this year.

Norman Nicholson, who died in 1987, lived almost his entire life in the property

Charlie Lambert, chair of the CIC, said: "We always knew that our aims were ambitious and make no apology for that.

"But we also recognise the reality of the funding landscape and it's clear that our project as originally envisaged is asking too much.

"So we're now looking to concentrate on the house within its current footprint."

He added: "We will reduce the amount we're requesting from funding organisations but retain the same objectives – to create a lively museum to celebrate Nicholson's work, provide a focus for creativity, and a hub for community activities in Millom."

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