Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage is saved for the nation

The fundraising campaign to save the Dungeness home and garden of filmmaker and artist Derek Jarman has been successful, raising over £3.5 million.

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The Art Fund has announced that the crowdfunding campaign received over 7,300 donations from the public, including nearly 2,000 in the last week. The Guardian has also reported that there was a substantial personal donation from David Hockney.

We've done it!

We’re thrilled to say the £3.5m target to #SaveProspectCottage has just been reached

Together we made it happen. Thanks to 7,700+ donors Prospect Cottage has been saved for future generations

Thank you so much for supporting the campaignhttps://t.co/RcY5jTksMg pic.twitter.com/o4LAkRW8fL

— Art Fund (@artfund) March 31, 2020

Fundraising began in January and £3,559,276 has been raised so far, with seven hours left of the campaign to go. The money donated will go towards purchasing the cottage, its contents and gardens, and bringing it into public ownership.

Plans are for a residency programme to take place in the cottage, which will be open to artists, academics, writers, gardeners, filmmakers and more. Members of the public will also be able to apply to visit the cottage throughout the year.

Prospect Cottage was discovered by Jarman by chance while visiting Dungeness with his friend Tilda Swinton in 1986.

Read more on the cottage and photographer Howard Sooley’s experience of visiting his friend Derek Jarman there.