Welsh mansion that inspired Wordsworth and Coleridge on the verge of collapse

Piercefield House, now in ruins, inspired the poetry of William Wordsworth. Photograph: The Photolibrary Wales/Alamy

It was once home to Britain’s first black sheriff, and a destination on the 18^th-century tourist trail that held a place in the public imagination alongside the Lake District.

Piercefield House and its views of the Wye Valley inspired William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was also a monument to the riches of Britain’s slave traders and their investors.