The cottage was refurbished in 1800 and run as an inn. Further major work took place in the second half of the 19th century when rooms were added at the back of the building and the roof was raised. In 1893 a committee of Coleridge's admirers took a lease on the property for 15 years at £15 per annum, however by 1896 an appeal had been launched to try to raise more money for the lease or eventual purchase, with the threat that it could be removed to America. They installed the commemorative plaque on the wall which was unveiled on 9 June 1893. By 1908 the campaign, chaired by the Earl of Lytton, had gained public support including that of archbishops of Canterbury and York, and raised the funds needed to purchase the property.