The celebrated English Romantic poet John Keats lived at Wentworth Place, now Keats House museum, for less than two years before moving to Italy where he died in 1821, while the house remained a private residence used for over a century.
For the first time ever, the fascinating stories of some of those who lived in the house until the early 1920s have been drawn together for a new exhibition.
‘Hidden Histories of Keats House’ is a unique opportunity to tell these stories as it approaches next year’s 100th anniversary of Keats House serving as a museum and visitor attraction, which is owned by the Corporation.
As well as considering what the inhabitants’ lives revealed about the time in which they lived, the exhibition also looks at the lives of women, animal rights, and disease and accidents in the 19th century.
Alongside the exhibition will be rotating displays of objects, including personal items belonging to Keats’ fiancée, Fanny Brawne, and his sister, Fanny Keats.
Entry to the exhibition is included with admission to the house. Current prices and opening times can be found here: Visit Keats House – and further details about events are here: Keats House Events – 5 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
Among those featured in the exhibition are:
· Fanny Brawne – the fiancée of John Keats, who lived in the house for nine years after his death and enjoyed many of the activities available to women of the middling classes, including fashion, music, and singing. She kept cats, a dog, and pigeons while living there and wrote letters to friends on the difficulties of rearing pets. After leaving the house, she went to France with her sister and aunt, and later married and had three children.
· Eliza Chester – a famous actress and friend to George IV and other high-profile figures, she was responsible for turning Keats House (then known as ‘Wentworth Place’) into one house by knocking through the walls of the two semi-detached houses and adding a space for entertaining, now known as the Chester Room.
· Fanny Keats – the sister of John Keats, who came to live at the house with her husband in 1828. Very close to Fanny Brawne, whose letters to the poet’s sister provide valuable insights into how women of their class spent their time. After leaving Hampstead, she moved to Spain.
· Dr William Sharpey – a prominent figure in physiology and a friend of Charles Darwin, he was involved with the implementation of the Cruelty to Animals Act of 1876.
· Sarah Hynes – she lived at the house with her family and afterwards, emigrated to Australia where she became a prominent feminist and botanist.
· Henry Courtney Selous – a painter, probably best known for ‘The Opening of the Great Exhibition’ (1851), which is on display in the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Chair of the Corporation’s Culture, Heritage, and Libraries Committee, Munsur Ali, said:
“It is quite clear that there was plenty of life and happy memories made in this beautiful house in the decades following Keats’ untimely death at the age of 25.
“Wentworth Place, as it was known then, was home to individuals who made their mark – mostly, in the arts and science – and visitors to Keats House will certainly leave knowing far more about their various lives and loves.”
The Corporation is one of the largest funders of heritage and cultural activities in the UK and invests over £130m every year. The organisation manages a range of world-class cultural and heritage institutions, including the Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Guildhall Art Gallery, London Metropolitan Archives, and Keats House. It also supports the London Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of London.
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