Keats House

Keats House
Keats House, Keats Grove (formerly John Street), pictured prior to reopening in 2009 after restoration. Adjoining on the right is the Heath Branch Public Library
General information
Architectural style	Regency
Town or city	Hampstead London, NW3
Country	United Kingdom
Construction started	c. 1814–15
Completed	c. 1815–16
Cost	Restoration: c. £500,000 (£424,000 from Heritage Lottery Fund)
Designations	Grade I listed

Keats House is a writer's house museum in a house once occupied by the Romantic poet John Keats. It is in Keats Grove, Hampstead, north London. Maps prior to ca.1915 show the road with one of its earlier names, John Street; the road has also been known as Albion Grove. The building was originally a pair of semi-detached houses known as "Wentworth Place". John Keats lodged in one of them with his friend Charles Brown from December 1818 to September 1820. These were perhaps Keats's most productive years. According to Brown, "Ode to a Nightingale" was written under a plum tree in the garden.

While living in the house, Keats fell in love with and became engaged to Fanny Brawne, who lived with her family in the adjacent house. Keats became increasingly ill with tuberculosis and was advised to move to a warmer climate. He left London in 1820 and died, unmarried, in Italy the following year.

The house is a Grade I listed building.

The house was built during 1814–15 and was probably completed between November 1815 and February 1816. The house was one of the first to be built in the area known as the Lower Heath Quarter.

By October 1816, Charles Wentworth Dilke and his friend Charles Brown had moved in. Other members of the Dilke family occupied two other adjacent houses. John Keats began visiting the house in 1817 after he had been introduced to Dilke by John Hamilton Reynolds, who was part of Leigh Hunt's circle of friends. In December 1818, after Keats's brother Tom died of tuberculosis, Brown invited Keats to "keep house" with him. Keats paid £5 per month, equivalent to about £250 in 2008 prices, and half the liquor bill.

Dilke and his family left on 3 April 1819 and let the house, probably furnished, to Mrs Brawne, a widow, and her family, who had briefly occupied Brown's half of the house when Keats and Brown were on their walking tour of Scotland.