Keats Shelley Memorial
Association /
Poetry Landmark /
Volunteers
The house was originally built as a pair of semi-detached houses
known as Wentworth Place. The two houses shared a garden, which
retains much of the same layout as it did originally. Keats lodged
in one house with his friend, Charles Armitage Brown.
The two years Keats spent at the house were arguably his most
productive as a poet, and perhaps this reflects the fact that while
here, he met and fell in love with Fanny Brawne, the daughter of
the family in the second house. They became engaged to marry, but
the romance was cut tragically short. Keats, seriously weakened by
tuberculosis, was advised to seek warmer climes, and left England
for Italy in 1820. He was never to return, and died in Rome in 1821
at the age of just 25.
The two houses were converted into one in 1838-9 by the new
owner Eliza Chester. The exterior remains very much as it was in
Keats' time, except for an added drawing room. The house remained
as a private dwelling until, threatened with demolition to make way
for a new development, it was saved by public subscription from
Europe and America.
In 1925 it opened for the first time as a museum, and since then
it has remained open to the public apart from a brief spell during
the war and several repair programmes.
In May 2005 Keats House celebrated its 80th anniversary as a
museum, and has recently had a complete
internal refurbishment supported by
the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Keats Shelley Memorial Association (KSMA)
Mick Scott, the manager of Keats House, has been elected to the
committee of the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association in order to
help foster co-operation and exchange of information between our
two organisations. The Association was formed in 1903, with the
support of King Edward VII, King Vittorio Emmanuele III and
President 'Teddy' Roosevelt. The Association runs the
Keats-Shelley Memorial House (the building
where John Keats died in 1821), a museum which opened in Rome in
1909.
Apart from maintaining the Keats-Shelley Memorial House, the
KSMA is responsible for the upkeep of the graves of Keats and Percy
Shelley in the non-Catholic Cemetery at Testaccio. In Italy the
association runs a continuous programme of outreach to schools and
other interested groups as well as individual tourists. In England
they also work to promote the awareness of Romantic poetry. They
publish an annual Review of scholarship and new writing on the
Romantics (most of which are available in the Keats House library).
They also organize and sponsor various literary awards, readings
and other events, which are supported by the Friends of the
Association.
Poetry Landmark
Keats House is a poetry landmark on the poetry society’s
website. The museum was voted the top landmark in the UK in 2003!
You can find out more about Keats House, the poetry society, and
other poetry landmarks by visiting the
Poetry Society’s website.
You can make a
difference at Keats House
Keats House intends to increase the number of people who are
volunteers at the house this year. We need lots of volunteers to
support our many activities, and we are asking if you have a little
time to be a room guide, conduct a guided tour, assist in the care
of our collection or help with one of our evening talks? For a
rewarding and enjoyable experience, join the team at Keats House -
contact us to find out more!