Chichester celebrates anniversaries of the Romantic poets

In the spotlight will be John Keats, whose statue resides in East Street, Percy Shelley, who was born in Sussex, and Chichester’s very own forerunner of the Romantic movement, William Collins, who was buried in St Andrew’s Church, now Oxmarket Contemporary.

Taking place on Saturday, March 12, St John’s Chapel will host a talk by Fiona Price from Chichester University about the short, tragic but productive lives of Keats, Shelley and Collins, together with readings by South Downs poets from the poetry of these illustrious writers along with music from the period. Entrance is free and everyone is welcome to come along and share the celebrations.

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South Downs Poetry Festival organiser Barry Smith said: “Last year was the bicentenary of the death in Rome at the age of 25 of John Keats, one of the country’s best-loved poets.

“After visiting Chichester Cathedral and the Vicars Hall, Keats was inspired by the medieval architecture and atmosphere to begin writing one of his most famous poems, The Eve of St Agnes, a romantic tale of love and conflict in the tradition of Romeo and Juliet.

“This year is also the bicentenary of another great poet with local connections, Shelley, who was born at Field Place near Horsham. He tragically drowned in Italy at the age of 29. Even closer to home is our own poet, William Collins. Born three hundred years ago in Chichester, the son of a hat maker and former mayor, he was educated at The Prebendal School and Magdalen College, Oxford.”

Barry added: “Last year, because of the pandemic, we weren’t able to do our usual Keats’ celebration live so instead we used modern technology to help us create a film for YouTube featuring actors, academics, poets and musicians, which has now been seen by three thousand people across the globe.

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“Our Keats’ events have always been very popular, often filling the church, but we won’t be able to beat that record this year! However, we are absolutely delighted to be able to present a live event again in front of an appreciative audience. To reassure people, we will continue taking sensible anti-Covid precautions.

“The highlights of the day will be a dramatic reading of the romantic poem by Keats, La Belle Dame sans Merci, and a group reading of two key poems of the time, the Ode to Evening by Collins and an inspirational poem by Shelley, The Cloud.”

Taking part will be South Downs poets Stephanie Norgate, James Simpson, Naomi Foyle, Chris Hardy, Timothy Ades, Camilla Lambert and from SDPF itself, Joan Secombe and Barry Smith. The music from the Romantic period will be played by Chichester classical guitarist, Linda Kelsall-Barnett.

The event is being jointly organised by the University of Chichester and the South Downs Poetry Festival in partnership with the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association. The University is contributing a talk by Professor Fiona Price to place the poets in their historical context.

Bright Stars – Celebrating the Anniversaries of the Romantics in Sussex, March 12, 6pm, St John’s Chapel, St John’s Street, Chichester, PO19 1UR. Admission free.

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