Preserve the house of William Blake as a national cultural centre

William Blake, author of ‘Jerusalem’, regarded as the unofficial national anthem, is internationally revered as a Poet, Artist, and Visionary.  He lived at 17 South Molton Street in London for 17 years in two humble rooms in which he produced his most famous and influential illustrated works.

Today, the London Assembly has called for the site to become a cultural and educational hub and visitor centre, boosting the local and London economy.

Marina Ahmad AM, who proposed the motion, said:

“Preserving our heritage is vital to our cultural identity, well-being, and economic growth. William Blake—renowned poet, artist, and visionary—lived and created some of his most influential works at 17 South Molton Street. Yet, this historic home is at risk of being lost.

“We have a unique opportunity to transform Blake’s last remaining London residence into a world-class cultural and educational hub, honouring his legacy while boosting the local economy. The homes of Mozart, Rembrandt, and Burns are thriving visitor attractions - let's do the same with William Blake's house.

“I ask the mayor to meet with the William Blake Fellowship, engage with the Grosvenor Group, and rally key stakeholders to support this vision. If action is not taken now, we risk losing this opportunity forever. Let’s secure Blake’s legacy for generations to come.”

The full text of the motion is:

This Assembly recognises that preserving our heritage is important to the cultural, well-being and economic growth of our country.

William Blake, author of ‘Jerusalem’, regarded as the unofficial national anthem and sung at the 2012 Olympics and by all main political parties, is internationally revered as a Poet, Artist and Visionary.

Last year international Blake exhibitions in Los Angeles, the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge and in Europe attracted thousands of visitors. Blake is on the National Curriculum taught in UK Primary and Secondary schools.

William Blake lived in 17 South Molton Street in London for 17 years in two humble rooms in which he produced his most famous and influential illustrated works, now in 56 galleries and private collections around the world.  The home is a Georgian townhouse similar to Handel House or Charles Dickens’ houses and has been cherished as The House of William Blake even when Blake still lived there in 1803, all the way up to present day.

The building is listed with English Heritage as ‘more than of special interest’ to the nation and since the 1970’s has had a City of London blue plaque. Blake’s unique contribution to the arts and humanity should be proudly celebrated by his home city with this site becoming a cultural and educational hub and visitor centre which would boost the local and London economy.

The William Blake Fellowship has been liaising for many months with the company who owns the property. The company’s plan is to renovate it as a private residence sold on the commercial market. It is instead now the time for this property to become a cultural hub, honouring and celebrating the life and works of William Blake.

This would draw from the success of long standing historic houses in other European cities such as Mozart’s House in Vienna, Rembrandt’s House in Amsterdam, Dante’s House in Florence, nearby Handel House in London and Robert Burns’s House in Scotland, the legacy of which generates £200 million a year to the Scottish economy. The Fellowship has produced ample evidence of the social, cultural and economic value of this property being repurposed as a world class cultural visitor centre.

The House of William Blake’s proposal is supported by the Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries Justine Simons OBE, Lord Vaizey of Didcot, Rachel Blake, MP for Cities of London and Westminster, Westminster Council, Dee Corsi, Chief Executive Officer of New West End Company, a business partnership of 600 UK and international retailers, Mayfair residents and English Heritage.

The Fellowship has submitted an application for Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy funding and are soon meeting with Westminster Council to discuss its pre-app planning submission for the process of changing the use of the building from a private residence to a cultural centre.           

However, the current owners of the building, although also supportive of the proposal in principle, are continuing with their planned renovation and marketing of Blake’s home as a private residence.

The Fellowship retains the ambition to open a centre in 2027, which would mark both 200 years since Blake’s death and 270 years since his birth. If the property is continued to be developed as a luxury apartment, the opportunity to create a dedicated centre to William Blake at his last remaining London home will be lost for good.

This Assembly resolves to:

• Call on the Mayor to meet with the William Blake Fellowship to be updated on the current status of plans for the House of William Blake.
• Convey the importance and need for this venture to the Grosvenor Group and board, as well as their Chair, the Duke of Westminster, and request the pausing of the ongoing commercial renovation work so that the House of William Blake proposal can continue to the next stages of development.
• Call for Grosvenor Group to develop and work with the relevant public and private partnerships to enable the creation of the centre to go forward.
• Call a meeting with key stakeholders (listed above) to discuss working together in the same way that the Government, councils and institutions of other major European cities have partnered to create the houses of Rembrandt, Mozart and Robert Burns as international cultural visitor attractions.
• Write to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, and the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Sir Chris Bryant MP, to convey the importance of the House of William Blake being preserved as a national cultural centre.

The meeting can be viewed via webcast or YouTube.

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