The Millom-based Norman Nicholson House project has notched up its second major achievement this year.
The project has been awarded a grant of £63,741 by South Copeland GDF Community Partnership which will enable it to start long-awaited repair work on the home of the 20th century poet Norman Nicholson.
The grant is part of the Partnership’s Community Investment Funding which supports projects that are sustainable and leave a lasting legacy in the community.
The money will enable essential repairs to the exterior of the building.
Chair of the Nicholson House project Charlie Lambert said: ‘This is wonderful news and means we can really get started on the work that we want to do to make Norman’s old home a place that not only celebrates his writing but also makes a real contribution to Millom. We want to see this place buzzing with all sorts of activities being based here so that the town can be proud of it.’
Norman Nicholson, who died in 1987, lived his whole life in the Victorian terraced house in Millom’s St George’s Terrace. From here he wrote poetry, plays and prose books which earned him an international reputation, the OBE, and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. He was admired by T.S.Eliot, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney and many other great names from the world of literature.
The Nicholson House project was launched in 2016 by the Norman Nicholson Society. In 2020 the Society set up a community interest company to drive it forward. In February this year the company achieved a landmark success by completing the purchase of the house which in turn paved the way for this successful application to the Community Partnership.
Charlie Lambert added: ‘South Copeland GDF Community Partnership’s support is a massive boost. They understand what we want to do and they want to do something constructive to make it happen.’
The work on the exterior of the building is Phase One of the overall plan. The project will now seek funding to follow up with a complete refurbishment of the interior to include a coffee shop, space for small group events, accommodation for tourists and a writer in residence, and an immersive display celebrating Norman Nicholson and his work.
