Coleridge home in Highgate up for sale

THE Highgate house where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the novelist J.B. Priestley both lived is for sale. The grade II* listed property which William Blake built in 1688 in The Grove, is steeped in Highgate's literary and architectural heritage an

THE Highgate house where the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the novelist J.B. Priestley both lived is for sale. The grade II* listed property which William Blake built in 1688 in The Grove, is steeped in Highgate's literary and architectural heritage and has gone on the market for just under �9million.

It was there that Coleridge, the English poet and one of the founders of the Romantic Movement, retreated to in 1823 until his death in 1834, when he moved in with his friend and doctor James Gillman.

Coleridge, best known for The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, would write in his bedroom which had spectacular views of the Heath. In the 20th Century the four-storey house was occupied by the celebrated author, JB Priestley.

The prospect of such a treasured building being on the open market has caused unease among some Highgate conservationists.

Gordon Forbes, an architect and member of the Highgate Society, said: "People would be very concerned indeed to ensure that whoever takes on this house understands its importance and significance. Coleridge is an extremely important figure in the history and heritage of Highgate."

Chairman of the Society's environment committee, Michael Hammerson, said: "The building has one of the strongest literary and historical associations in Highgate so we are interested in its future. It's also one of London's best early 17th century homes and is a grade II* listed building."

Annie Lennox, Sting and one the greatest violinist's of the 20th century Yehudi Menuhin have all lived there.