Jeremy Deller, Tilda Swinton and Tacita Dean rally to save Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage

Derek Jarman

Artists have rallied to save the home of filmmaker Derek Jarman in Dungeness, Kent.

The arthouse director purchased Prospect Cottage – set in the shadow of Dungeness’ inconic nuclear power station – back in 1986. The house and garden served as a backdrop for 1990 film The Garden, starring Tilda Swinton. Jarman, who passed away in 1994, left the home to his partner Keith Collins who died in 2018.

The house now stands to be sold privately – along with Jarman’s personal archives – unless £3.5 million can be raised by the end of March.

The Art Fund, National Heritage and Memorial Fund, along with private backers have already secured half the amount, while artists including Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller and Tacita Dean have pledged to sell limited edition pieces to help contribute more money.

Swinton expressed the importance of saving Prospect Cottage: “My excitement about this vision for Prospect Cottage lies in its projected future as an open, inclusive and encouraging machine for the inspiration and practical working lives of those who might come and share in its special qualities, qualities that as a young artist I was lucky enough to benefit from alongside Derek and so many of our friends and fellow travellers.”

Tate director Maria Balshaw said: “Prospect Cottage is a treasure trove of objects charting Jarman’s life and work and there will undoubtedly be a huge appetite for new research into this material.

“Bringing it into Tate Archive will help make that research possible not only by opening up access to these fascinating documents but also by preserving them for future generations.”

Art Fund director Stephen Deuchar urged people to support the cause, saying: “Prospect Cottage is a living, breathing work of art, filled with the creative impulses of Derek Jarman at every turn.”

For more information, visit the Art Fund website.