William Blake is getting a new gravestone after enthusiasts work out exactly where he is buried He is one of the nation’s most celebrated creatives but for many years the final resting place of William Blake […]

He is one of the nation’s most celebrated creatives but for many years the final resting place of William Blake was lost in the pages of history.

His burial at Bunhill Fields cemetery in central London was for years only acknowledged with a simple stone saying he lay “near by” after the poet and painter died in obscurity in 1827.

But thanks to the efforts of a small team of Blake enthusiasts, all that is about to change.

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Unveiling ceremony

Not content with simply locating the artist’s grave back in 2006, the Blake Society is now preparing to unveil a brand new memorial to mark the exact spot he is buried.

The unveiling next month will mark the culmination of a £30,000 fundraising drive and countless hours of hard work to give Blake the recognition the society feels he truly deserves.

As well as Blake’s name, the new stone will also feature a quotation from one of his works – though exactly which one is being kept under wraps.

“It is perhaps one which would be well known to Blake’s fans but not necessarily one of the lines that ordinary members of the public would immediately associate with him,” explains Blake Society trustee Gareth Sturdy.

“It’s a couple of lines that really sum up the effect that William Blake has on people. We are trying to keep it a bit secret which is proving a bit difficult!”

It is now more than ten years since two members took it upon themselves to pinpoint exactly where Blake was buried by pouring through archives and heading into the cemetery with tape measures.

‘Blake means a lot to people’

Finding the grave was “truly wonderful”, says Mr Sturdy, “because Blake means an awful lot of things to an awful lot of people.

“There are seven people in there because when he died, he died in poverty and lay in an unmarked spot. Subsequently other people were just put in on top of him.

“It was very moving to find where his remains are and begin the long process of being able to acknowledge one of Britain’s most important poets.”

Donations large and small have helped the group raise the necessary funds, with eminent stone-cutter Lida Cardozo drafted in to craft the memorial.

The Blake Society has also set aside 100 chips from the gravestone for any enthusiasts who are willing to part with £45 to possess their very own piece of history.

The stone itself will be unveiled in a special ceremony on 12 August, the 191st anniversary of Blake’s death, with a performance of a choral setting of the memorial words adorning it.

There will also be speeches from prominent Blakeans such as author Philip Pullman and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

Attendees will each be invited to place a single rose on the grave, while a vigil – in which 191 candles will be placed there – will follow at sunset.

‘Blake is just really important’

It will be an emotional moment for everyone involved, including Mr Sturdy. “Without being schmaltzy, it does absolutely put a tear in my eye,” he says.

“The fact that I am part of the team that is going to be able to definitively mark his grave with this beautiful stone honestly is one of the highlights of my life. It’s right up there with when my children were born and when I got married because Blake is just really important.

“I started studying him at 17 and he’s gone right through my life. At a number of key moments in my life I have reached for the words of William Blake and he has never let me down.”

It is hoped the stone will also inspire future generations with a love of Blake, whose works range from poems such as “The Tyger” and “A Poison Tree” to iconic images such as “The Ancient of Days”.

“I think his impact is growing and growing as the years go by,” says Mr Sturdy.

“When he was put into the grave in Bunhill Fields he was largely unknown across British society apart from a few artists.

“Now his line ‘green and pleasant land’ almost becomes the defining words of certainly England, if not Britain.”

‘Point of pilgrimage’

Nick Duncan, a fellow of the trust, added: “It matters that we recognise those who have contributed to our cultural heritage, and no creative genius has influenced people to the extraordinary extent as William Blake.

“Yet almost two centuries after his death, Blake’s grave is unmarked. People walk unknowingly over it, dropping litter and thinking of other things.

“At last the grave will be correctly identified for future generations. We are inviting all of those who have been moved by Blake to come to Bunhill Fields on 12 August to honour his life and achievement and give him the wake he never had.

“The gravestone will provide the intimacy of contact with Blake that no text or guidebook can offer.

“At last, lovers of Blake from all over the world will have a point of pilgrimage.”

:: The gravestone will be unveiled in a ceremony on Sunday 12 August at 3pm at Bunhill Fields cemetery. Anyone is welcome to attend. For more information, visit the Blake Society website.