The Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation has been established to take advantage of an important legacy gift of the property at No 8 Royal College Street in London, the house once occupied by the French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. The Foundation intends to create a fabulous European-style ‘poetry house’ in the property, which is situated 500 metres from the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras.
The R&V Foundation has also set itself the wider objective of promoting Anglo-French cultural exchange, including live events, artists’ residencies and educational programmes aimed at giving opportunities to young people in both France and the UK. The Foundation wants to use these activities to foster good relations and closer cultural ties between the UK and France. Six of the Foundation’s Trustees are French or French-speaking, and three are based in Paris, so that it is already a genuine joint venture between the two countries.