Today in our poetry news round-up we have articles about the former home of William Wordsworth which is up for sale, the Byron ring which sold at auction and the Scottish Haiku poet Alan Spence.

Former Home of William Wordsworth Goes Up for Sale

If you have a spare £2 million hanging around, then this Somerset manor house could be just what you are looking for. Alfoxton Park Hotel and Estate which is located in Holford, Somerset is a Grade II listed country house boasting extensive grounds.

The house itself, which has been a hotel for a number of years, has a rather rich history. It was previously owned by the St Albyn family and during World War II it was home to many American troops.

It was also the house where the poet William Wordsworth resided during his friendship with fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In fact, the estate is thought to have been the inspiration behind the English romantic movement. The first reading of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the longest poem ever written by Coleridge took place in the library.

The property if being marketed as a freehold interest with an estimated guide price of £2 million.

Rare Ring Sells at Auction

A rare 18 carat gold enamel ring that was created in the memory of the poet Lord Byron after he died in 1824 has sold at auction for £9,200.

The ring – one of just three known to exis -t is thought to have come from Newstead Abbey, Byron’s Nottinghamshire home. The ring as estimated before the auction to fetch between £3000 and £5000 but there was a lot of interest before the auction date and the final price that it fetched reflected that.

The ring was purchased by a buyer in the UK.

Aside from the one we’ve mentioned, the alternative two rings that are known to exist one is located in the Pforzheimer Collection, which is sited in New York’s Public Library. The other which contained a lock of the poet’s hair was sold in 2013 at auction and it is unknown exactly where it is.

Scottish Poet Wins Prestigious Honour

Spring this year saw the announcing of the names of the 2018 recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun. Those awarded the honour included the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Kazuo Ishiguro the Nobel laureate and Alan Spence a haiku poet and novelist.

Spence was awarded the honour for

The awarded ceremony took place this summer.

The poet has published four collections of haiku and other poems, his first collection “Glasgow Zen” was published in 1981 and republished in 2002. He is now considering the idea of publishing an anthology of collected haiku in commemoration of his award. His love of haiku and his interest in Japan and the Japanese culture began when he read “The Way of Zen” by Allan Watts and also some of the novels of Jack Kerouac which contained haiku.