John Keats was an English Romantic poet who is now often ranked alongside Byron. Keats's parents died when he was still a child. And in 1818 his brother died of tuberculosis. Such losses are hard to endure alone, so the poet's friend Charles Brown invited him to move into his two-story mansion. Keats lived here for 2 years, after which he left for Italy, where at the age of just 25 he died of the same illness as his brother.
Since then, the mansion where he lived has had several owners. Under the landlady Miss Chester, the house was combined with the adjacent building. In addition, it acquired a living room and a winter garden.
This mansion was opened to the general public as a museum in May 1925. The building's interior, in which the poet had lived, was restored, and his personal belongings were put on display: paintings, manuscripts of poems, letters, an engagement ring given by the poet to Fanny Brawne, and a locket with a lock of his beloved's hair. By the way, despite the fact that Fanny Brawne and John Keats were engaged, the young couple did not manage to get married. You can learn all the details of this love story from the guide.
Next to the museum there is a wonderful garden where, as is commonly believed, the poet drew his inspiration. By the way, a huge old mulberry tree grows here, which unlike us was fortunate enough to witness the life of John Keats.
