Benefactor’s change of heart put arts centre plans in doubt

Plans for the former home of French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine to be turned into an arts and education centre have ground to a halt after Michael Corby, the benefactor who promised to bequeath the historic building to the charity a decade ago, changed his will and decided to sell the house on the open market.

The CEO of the Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation only found out about the sale after an estate agent’s sign went up, and the charity is now seeking legal advice.