A Thing of Beauty (Endymion)

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its lovliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness;

John Keats (1795 -1821)

Discovering Keats

I discovered Wentworth House ages ago whilst traipsing through Hampstead and decided to revisit it yesterday.

Hand on heart I have to admit I’m not a great fan of poetry, so I don’t know much about Keats’ work. I do know the quote above though.

I stumbled across Keats’ House on one of my walking adventures. I’m one of those people who will investigate side streets, take a bus journey just because the destination sound interesting. I’m still hoping to find my own secret garden or discover another world through an inauspicious door (I was an avid reader as a child).

Wentworth Place – a bit of history

Keats house – Wentworth Place was built in 1815-16 as a pair of semi-detached buildings designed to appear as one building.

Keats moved into Wentworth in 1818 with his friend Charles Brown. It was in this house he met and fell in love with Fanny Brawne and where he wrote most of his famous poems. Keats was nursed by the Browne family here after he contacted TB. He left for Italy September in 1820  and died in Rome aged only 25.

My visit to Keats house

Inside I felt as if I had stepped into a doll’s house (I love dolls houses ♥ )

Apart from the light bulbs and the computers in the welcome area and Brawne Room on the ground floor, I felt as if I had stepped into a time warp. I loved every minute there (& I was there for a good 2+ hours). The £5 ticket was worth it.

I took loads of photographs, so I’ve got a few photo posts about Keats’ house if you would like to see more.

[click on any of the small pics for full slide show]

Keats’ death mask

Nearby: Hampstead High Street (shopping ♥)