Keats House
Keats House is where the poet John Keats (1795-1821) lived from 1818 to 1820. Here he wrote some of his best known poetry, including "Ode to a Nightingale". The house is a Grade 1 listed building set in a peaceful garden in Hampstead. It has been open to the public since 1925.
Venue Type:
Historic house or home, Garden, parklands or rural site, Museum
Additional info
Study facilities are available at London Metropolitan Archives.
The Keats House Collection consists of books, manuscripts, letters, prints, paintings and artefacts relating to the life of the poet John Keats (1795-1821), his circle and the English Romantic movement. The Keats House Collection, including the Keats Memorial Library, is currently available for consultation by appointment only. Please contact us for further information.
Collection details
Archives, Literature, Personalities
Key artists and exhibits
- John Keats
- Joseph Severn
Keats and the Poems of 1817
- 30 June 2017 7-8:30pm
University College London’s Professor Gregory Dart, leading expert on the Romantics, will be transporting us back to Keats’s 1817 works, marking 200 years since the publication of Poems, On Seeing the Elgin Marbles and the inception of Endymion. Discover more about this year of growth, travel and literary highs and woes.
£5, booking recommended
Admission
£5
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/keats-and-the-poems-of-1817-tickets-32925839071
Afternoon Poems: La Bella Italia
- 9 July 2017 2-3pm
Join us for an afternoon inspired by Italy, including Roman and Italian poets (in translation) and the many British and American writers who have over the centuries been drawn to La Bella Italia.
Free, booking recommended
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/afternoon-poems-la-bella-italia-tickets-32926286409
Family Day: Plant Power
- 16 July 2017 1-4pm
From beautiful to medicinal, Keats knew the power of plants and we’ll be discovering more about the wonder of the herbs and flowers. We’ll be giving you the chance to sow your own health-giving herb seed to nurture at home.
Free, drop-in
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-day-plant-power-tickets-32955384442
On a Summer Evening: Late Night Opening
- 29 July 2017 6:30-8:30pm
To celebrate the longer evenings, we’re extending our opening hours on the last Saturday of June and July. Relax with a drink from our pop-up bar and enjoy the unique atmosphere of dusk falling over Keats House, with an exclusive late night tour.
£8.50, booking essential
Suitable for
- 18+
Admission
£8.50
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/on-a-summer-evening-late-night-opening-tickets-32958075491
A Joy Forever: ‘I Almost Wish We Were Butterflies’
- 29 July 2017 2-3:30pm
‘I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days - three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain’ wrote John Keats to Fanny Brawne. Join poets Julia Bird and Mike Sims for afternoon tea – with readings, games, gifts, tea and cake – as they explore Keats’ summer days.
£12 (includes light refreshments), booking essential
Admission
£12
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-joy-forever-i-almost-wish-we-were-butterflies-tickets-32955931077
Keats in Hampstead Walk
- 29 July 2017 11am-1:30pm
Follow the story of Keats’s life in this walk around Hampstead village, with readings from his poetry and letters. Explore locations that inspired Keats, including the Vale of Health, Well Walk and the Heath itself. We finish at Keats House, where entry is free to walkers. Please wear sturdy shoes.
Please note that this event begins at Hampstead tube station, where we shall meet outside.
£12, booking essential
Where
Hampstead Underground Station
Hampstead High Street
London
NW3 1QG
Getting there
Please meet us outside the tube station.
Admission
£12
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/keats-in-hampstead-walk-tickets-32955479727
Guided Tour: The Architectural History of Keats House
- 30 July 2017 11-11:45am
Explore the architectural history of Keats House, originally known as Wentworth Place. Hear the stories of its residents John Keats and his good friend Charles Brown, and discover how it was transformed into the building we know today.
The tour will include the basement and first floor. The route will include steep steps and please note, as we are a Grade 1 listed building, we do not have a lift.
Free with a valid admission ticket to the House.
Admission
Free with a valid admission ticket to the House.
Website
Summer Jazz and Poetry
- 4 August 2017 7-8:30pm
Celebrate the lazy, hazy days of the season with the Keats House Poetry Ambassadors and musician Catherine Lima, who will be coming together to bring you a fusion of poetry and jazz. Enjoy a drink from our pop-up bar and take in some sumptuous verse and music - heady summer evenings were meant for this.
£8.50, booking essential
Suitable for
- 18+
Admission
£8.50
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/summer-jazz-and-poetry-tickets-32958681303
Afternoon Poems: Railway Rhapsody - A Love Affair with Locomotion
- 13 August 2017 2-3pm
Ever since its inception, the railway has cast a spell over our nation and beyond. Join the Keats House Poetry Ambassadors for the rhymes and reasons why – from the days of steam through to the travails of travel in modern times – the enchantment lingers still.
Free, booking recommended
Admission
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/afternoon-poems-railway-rhapsody-a-love-affair-with-locomotion-tickets-32959013296#tickets
Family Day: Bird Garlands in the Garden
- 20 August 2017 1-4pm
Swallows, larks and doves swoop through the poetry of Keats and we’re celebrating our feathered friends by making bird-feeder garlands in the garden. Using ingredients you’ll easily find in your kitchens and cupboards, we’ll be cooking up a treat for you to take home for the birds in your gardens, parks and outdoor spaces.
Free, drop in
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
Free, drop in
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-day-bird-garlands-in-the-garden-tickets-33000342914
Shelley: ‘The Trumpet of a Prophecy’ Guided Walk
- 26 August 2017 11am-1:30pm
Experience the stirring life and poetry of a great radical Romantic poet. We’ll visit fascinating landmarks in the lives of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley, from their first meeting to their notorious elopement and exile in Europe, where they created such ground-breaking masterpieces as Frankenstein and The Mask of Anarchy.
Please note that this event begins at King's Cross Station, where we shall meet outside by the Henry Moore statue, Euston Road entrance.
£12, booking essential
Where
Kings Cross Station
Euston Road
London
N1 9AL
Getting there
Please meet us outside Kings Cross Station by the Henry Moore statue, Euston Road entrance
Admission
£12
Website
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shelley-the-trumpet-of-a-prophecy-guided-walk-tickets-33000474307
Big Draw
Art activities using images and documents as inspiration. The visual work would be a way in to the story of slavery and abolition and would involve group work as well as individual activities
How to obtain
Available throughout October 2007. Contact Keats House for furhter details
Expressions of Identity – creative writing events
Exploring personal and community identity through the stories of people from the past and the present.
How to obtain
Available throughout October 2007 and on request
My Local Area - The Peopling of London
Linked to our local history walks identifying buildings and places with links to slavery and anti-slavery, this session explores the impact of the slave trade on local areas
How to obtain
Available June 2007 and on request. Contact Keats House for more information.
Romanticism, Politics and Protest
Understanding Romanticism as a means of political protest through the works of writers and thinkers of the day. Keats and Leigh Hunt provide a starting point and includes Equiano, Sterne, William Cuffay and William Davidson
How to obtain
Available throughout June 2007 and on request. Contact Keats House for further details.
The Road to Abolition – Gifted and Talented Summer College
An exploration of the anti slavery campaigns and the tradition / legacy of protest and reform
How to obtain
Available throughout July 2007. Contact Keats House for further details
Getting there
By Tube (Northern Line, Edgware branch):
Hampstead tube to Keats House – 750m or just under half a mile (mostly downhill)
Belsize Park tube to Keats House – 750m or just under half a mile (up and downhill)
By London Overground:
Hampstead Heath train station – approximately 100m
By Bus:
Buses 24, 46, 168 and C11 all go to South End Green, next to Hampstead Heath Station; Bus 268 goes to the Rosslyn Hill junction with Downshire Hill
Keats House
Keats Grove
Hampstead
London
Greater London
NW3 2RR
England
Website
keatshouse@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Telephone
020 7332 3868
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