Wordsworth’s home set to become hotel

THE derelict former home of poet William Wordsworth has been bought by a mystery businessman hoping to turn it into a hotel.

Alfoxton Park, near Bridgwater in Somerset, was the home of the worldfamous writer and his sister, Dorothy, for a year in 1797. The Grade II listed country house is where Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge created their joint masterpiece, Lyrical Ballads.

It was sold at auction in 2017 before being put up for sale again in November 2018 with a guide price of £2million.

Though the 18th-century property has stood empty for the last few years, a “high net-worth individual” has now bought it with the intention to run it as a business – either as a hotel or separate lodges. The house stands on 50 acres of land and looks out across the Bristol Channel to Wales.

The sale has given locals hope it will receive a fresh lease of life and help Wordsworth’s memory live on.

Liz Fuller, from the campaign group

Save, said it was promising news as the house had “deteriorated quite a lot” and was in “poor condition”.

“This is a remarkable house with a rich history and clearly needs urgent help to prevent it from standing empty any longer,” she told The Guardian.

“It has been on the market for a while now, so this new development is encouraging. We very much hope that the prospective purchasers will bring the house back to its former beauty and find a viable use for it whether as a hotel or otherwise.”