THE work of a forgotten poet is to be brought back to life.
Historian Mark Baker, from Prestatyn and musician Linda Lamb will attempt to bring the 19th century words of Margaret Sandbach of Hafodunos Hall into the 21st century, after a visit to the atmospheric hall.
Mark stumbled across the prolific poetess, who was an early survivor of a mastectomy, while researching the history of the Gothic hall, which suffered major damage in a fire several years ago.
He said: “I came across a manuscript in the British Library of a collaboration between Margaret and a musician, but there were only two surviving works because she died so suddenly.
“This will be the first publication of Margaret’s work for 160 years.
“It’s all very different. She was disabled due to the spread of breast cancer, so she was unable to leave Hafodunos for the majority of her life. So she was influenced by the landscape, the house, the gardens and most importantly, her imagination.”
The poems, which will provide the lyrics for modern musical tracks, have been selected, while Mark is working on a book to accompany the project.
Linda, a professional musician from America, said: “I’ve just seen the house, and it means quite a lot to me now. It’s strange to have a connection to someone from another century. The building is amazing. It’s really sad. You can see parts of the original carvings. It’s a beautiful spot.”
Despite the age of the source material, the collaboration will have a distinctly modern tone.
Linda said the tracks would be mixed with the cello, drums, guitar and synth.
The book and album are due out this year.