Blake’s Cottage

William Blake lived here, in this unassuming cottage just outside Bognor Regis, during what many scholars reckon was his most productive period. The house itself is modest - brick and flint, the sort of place you'd walk past without thinking twice if not for the small plaque. Inside, though, it's intimate in a way that large museums can't quite manage. You're standing in rooms where one of England's most visionary poets actually worked, wrote, and illustrated his own books by hand.

The cottage holds manuscripts, first editions, and Blake's own engravings. It's properly absorbing if you know his work - if you don't, it might feel a touch thin. Allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're keen. Admission details are worth checking ahead, as visitor information can be sparse.

This suits literary types and anyone with real interest in Blake himself rather than casual tourists after a quick culture fix. The setting is quieter than Bognor's seaside hubbub, which counts in its favour. If you're based at one of the caravan parks near Bognor - Butlins is literally round the corner, or Rowan Park if you want something less frantic - the cottage makes for a sensible morning before heading back to beach time. Chichester Lakeside or Haven Church Farm give you the same option with slightly more breathing room from the town itself.