I wanted to write about our trip to Prospect Cottage on here but couldnt think of a better way to phrase it than what I said on Instagram, so forgive me for copying and pasting it.
When Annie and I got to Dungeness recently I finally stood in front of Prospect Cottage, a place I’ve been curious about for years. Once home to artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman, it’s a place of wild creativity and quiet resistance. From this humble fisherman’s hut in Dungeness, Derek created a unique garden from driftwood and desert flowers into an artwork shaped by love, loss, and the harsh beauty of the shingle. And whilst he’s no longer with us the cottage, and the garden, is.
It’s smaller than I expected, but somehow feels like it holds the whole landscape together. The garden is full of flint and driftwood and fierce little plants that look like they’ve decided to survive out of pure stubbornness. It just on the side of the road, open to all, and the elements and whilst the cottage isn’t accessible you can wander in the garden whenever you like. It’s a refreshing approach.
The house itself sits there like it’s listening, all dark timber, bright yellow window frames, poetry carved into the glass and quotes on the gable end.
It’s not showy. In fact you’d be forgiven for driving past it. It doesn’t explain itself, or make any excuses for being what it is.
And it’s stayed with me