THE birthplace of one of the country's best-loved poets is to get a new lease of life.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, author of one of the most highly regarded love poems, How Shall I Love Thee, was born in 1806, in County Durham.

Coxhoe Hall, a Gothic-style manor built in 1725 at Coxhoe, a few miles from Durham City, was the poet's home for three years, before her merchant family moving to an estate in Herefordshire.

The hall is now a ruin but the grounds and woodland surrounding it is being revamped thanks to an environmental project.

Durham City Council has owned Coxhoe Hall Woods since 1985 and has cleared land to recreate the front lawn, main drive and woodland rides.

There are plans to create butterfly glades, resurface paths, carry out planting and install new gates in the woods, which were declared a local nature reserve last year.

The work is being carried out by the Five Villages Project, a partnership of various organisations, which aims to improve the countryside surrounding Coxhoe and neighbouring villages and make it more accessible for local people.

Project officials hope the scheme will make the woods easier to walk in and attract wildlife to the area.

Unwanted types of trees have been felled to open up a canopy and a programme of planting of native species is planned.

Durham City Council is one of the organisations involved in the project, which is partly-funded by the County Durham Environmental Trust.

Council leader Maurice Crathorne said: "Coxhoe Hall Wood is a real breath of fresh air for all of us living and working in Durham district.

"It brings together the best of our past with nature conservation techniques that will help to ensure future generation continue to enjoy its lovely landscape and will be able to see the woods continue to grow.

"The Five Villages Project is a partnership which brings practical results with long-term impact.

"I'm delighted to mark the start of a new phase in the life of Coxhoe Hall Woods with this latest project."