Chichester… and Keats.

In January 1819, the young poet, John Keats, found himself staying with friends in Chichester at 11, Eastgate Square. He probably arrived on St Agnes’ Day (20th January) and stayed with the parents of his new friend, Charles Dilke.  A slate plaque marks the house on Eastgate Square where he stayed.

While staying here, Keats began to write ‘The Eve of St Agnes’, a poem which tells the story of young lovers driven apart by feuding families. This sculpture, by Vincent Grey, shows Keats sitting on a bench with his notebook, looking towards the city and the cathedral which was almost certainly the inspiration for ‘The Eve of St Agnes’.