HISTORIC Alfoxton Park is marking the fifth anniversary this summer of being taken over and revived by a group of Buddhists.

The property, in Holford, on the edge of the Quantock Hills, is famed for being home to poets William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy during their famous ‘Year of Marvels’ in 1797-98.

The once grand, but now crumbling West Somerset estate is set in 52 acres of protected woodland pasture and is steeped in literary and ecological history.

It was here that Samuel Taylor Coleridge first shared his poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, and it remains home to diverse wildlife and the ancient Alfoxton Oak, which is believed to be more than 900 years old.

Through decades of neglect the house fell into disrepair and by 2020 had become derelict, with leaking roofs and extensive internal damage.

But then, against the odds, and during the challenges of the Covid pandemic, new custodians formed a registered charity which bought Alfoxton Park, moved onto the land, and set about transforming parts of the property with a vision of creating a land-based Triratna Buddhist retreat centre.

They were helped by hundreds of volunteers, many joining through the WorkAway website, which promotes ‘gap year’ experiences for students worldwide.

The Buddhists have also been holding retreats, workshops, and arts events during the summer seasons, with overnight guests camping on the land, and have welcomed about 1,000 visitors annually.

Guests describe their retreats as ‘life-changing’ and ‘inspiring’, with the project combining meditation, creative arts, and ecological stewardship.

Volunteers have restored Alfoxton’s walled garden, renovated out-buildings, and revived community life on the land.

Alfoxton Park has also become a valued hub for the local community with the team running weekly meditation classes in the village, and hosting groups such as the Disabled Ramblers, local refugees and asylum seekers, and mental health programmes in partnership with Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Plans are underway for a forest school and Duke of Edinburgh work placements.

Alfoxton also welcomes regular visits from poetry and conservation groups, and hikers on the Coleridge Way which runs past the estate.

To mark the anniversary, Alfoxton’s Buddhist community has launched a ‘Time to Grow’ campaign aiming to expand visitor capacity, improve accessibility, and take the next step toward restoring the iconic site.

They continue to face significant challenges, including the main house roof which is still unrepaired, many rooms standing empty, and most visitors having to camp outside, making retreats seasonal and inaccessible to some.

Kitchen and dining spaces are overstretched, and there are too few toilets and showers for the growing demand.

An online fund-raising appeal has raised more than £65,000 toward a £120,000 target for planned improvements, which include a new, fully-accessible dining area and kitchen, more showers and toilets, and a new outdoor retreat dome to increase event capacity.

Alfoxton trustees chairman and leader of the community Jayaraja said the ultimate goal was to generate enough momentum to one day fund the major roof repairs needed to bring Alfoxton Park ‘fully back to life’.