The former Mayfair home of poet and artist William Blake could be turned into a "national cultural centre" under new plans.
Blake lived in two rooms at 17 Molton Street for 17 years, creating some of his best known works here. The building is already adorned with a City of London blue plaque making the Jerusalem writer's time there. Now, the London Assembly is calling for the building to be made into a "cultural and educational hub and visitor centre", under the name The House of William Blake.
What this would look like is unclear, but it has been likened to the former London townhouse homes of Charles Dickens and George Frideric Handel, both of which have been turned into museums.
There are no guarantees the plans will go ahead. At this time, they take the form of a motion put forward by London Assembly member Marina Ahmad AM, who asked the Mayor of London to meet with the William Blake Fellowship and consider the plans. She said:
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.
The building is currently owned by commercial property company the Grosvenor Group, who "although also supportive of the proposal in principle, are continuing with their planned renovation and marketing of Blake’s home as a private residence".
That said, the William Blake Fellowship is hopeful that the centre could open in 2027, which will be 270 years since Blake's birth, and the bicentenary of his death. In the meantime, there are several other locations around London where you can pay tribute to Blake, including his grave at Bunhill Fields and the nearby mural to his poem The Tyger, a plaque at another of his former homes on Hercules Road in Waterloo, and mosaics inspired by some of his works in Lambeth.
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