The grave of TE Brown, the Manx National Poet, has been restored.

The poet’s resting place in Bristol had been untended for decades.

It had become blackened and the text almost illegible. But this has now all changed after some photographs were sent to the Culture Vannin charity last year.

’We were shocked to see the pictures of the grave,’ said James Franklin, online and educational resources officer at Culture Vannin.

’It was not how anyone in the Isle of Man would want the site to look, so there was no question that we had to do something about it.’

The photographs had been taken by Gerry Nichols of Bristol, who had been inspired to investigate the state of the site by TE Brown expert Dollin Kelly.

Culture Vannin contacted the publicly-funded Manx National Heritage, which agreed to help to restore the grave.

Culture Vannin declined to say how much was spent on the restoration.

Edmund Southworth, director of Manx National Heritage, said: ’Manx National Heritage is pleased to support the restoration of TE Brown’s final resting place.

’This is a fitting tribute to a proud Manxman, who was born in Douglas and grew up in Braddan and Castletown, before studying at Oxford University.

’Many examples of TE Brown’s work survive in the Manx National Collections at the Manx Museum Library, where we hold an extensive permanent record of his work and lifetime achievements.’

The work, by Bristol-based monumental stonemason Simon Ashwell, has now been completed.

’We were amazed at the change,’ said Mr Franklin. ’The site is now one fitting to a person as important to the Isle of Man as TE Brown is, both as a historical figure and as a poet whose works continue to act a vital force for Manx imaginations today.’

Best known for the ’Fo’c’s’le Yarns’ series of Manx dialect poems, most notably ’Betsy Lee’, Brown died in October 1897 when visiting his workplace of nearly 30 years, Clifton College. Following his own wishes, he joined his wife and son in the Redlands Cemetery nearby.