John Clare Cottage

John Clare Cottage is a cottage and literary museum in Helpston, Peterborough, United Kingdom. The cottage was the birthplace of English poet John Clare (1793–1864).

John Clare Cottage
General information
Address	12 Woodgate
Town or city	Helpston
Coordinates	52.6342°N 0.3446°W / 52.6342; -0.3446
Named for	John Clare
Owner	John Clare Trust
Website
http://www.clarecottage.org/
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name	Clare Cottage
Designated	15 December 1955
Reference no.	1331603

The thatched Grade II* cottage^[1] at 12 Woodgate, Helpston, originally consisted of five smaller tenement buildings, which were joined into a single structure at a later date.^[2]

The cottage was bought by the John Clare Trust in 2005.^[3] In May 2007, the Trust gained £1.27 million of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund^[4] and commissioned Jefferson Sheard Architects to create a new landscape design and Visitor Centre, including a cafe, shop and exhibition space. The cottage was restored using traditional building methods and is open to the public.

In 2013 the John Clare Trust received a further grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help preserve the building^[5] and provide educational activities for young people visiting the cottage.^[6]

The garden behind the cottage is maintained by volunteers, and planted with varieties that would have been seen in Clare's time.^[3]

The John Clare Cottage forms part of the Fens Museum Partnership, along with Peterborough Museum and Flag Fen.^[7]

• 
  Clare Cottage in 2018
• 
  Statue of John Clare
• 
  Cottage gardens
• 
  Plaque erected by the Peterborough Museum Society 1921