Keats House – London

Keats House is where John Keats, the poet, lived from 1818 to 1820 and is the setting which inspired some of Keats’ most memorable poetry. Here Keats wrote Ode to a Nightingale’ and fell in love with Fanny Brawne, the girl next door.

We work with students from Key Stage 1 to A-Level.

Keats House provides a wonderful setting for schools groups of all ages to explore the written and spoken word, art, history and the natural surroundings. Displays in the house relate to the life and times of John Keats and Fanny Brawne including letters written by Keats, books in which Keats wrote some of his poetry, and the engagement ring given by Keats to Fanny.

The garden is planted with fruit trees, plants and shrubs, all in keeping with the Regency period. Each border of the garden reflects an aspect of Keats’s poetry: Melancholy, Autumn and Nightingale.

Keats House received a Sandford Award for Education in 2015.

Visits can include a tour of the house and the garden. Interpretation staff will help you plan your session in a way that meets your groups? needs.

Workshops with our Education Officer

English and creative writing

The Poetry of John Keats

Key Stage 2-4 + A-level

An accessible introduction to some of Keats’s most famous poems through drama, art and creative writing.

In-depth workshops on particular poems are also available for GCSE and AS / A2 students.

Live and Kicking!

Key Stage 2-4

Explore the work of leading poets from around the world who are writing today.

Writing Workshops

Key Stage 2-4

Read poems and stories, look at pictures and investigate some unusual objects as inspirations for your own writing. Sessions can be from 1 – 2.5 hours, and start at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.

Art

Drawing Portraits

Key Stage 1-3

Discover the portraits in Keats House and the stories of the people in them, and find out how a painter can show the personality of his or her subject. Complete the session by drawing a portrait of your own.

Picture Trail

Key Stage 1-3

A journey around the paintings and other artwork in Keats House. Hear the stories behind some of the best-known pictures, and use them as inspiration to produce your own works of art.

History

Victorian Christmas at Keats House

Key Stage 2

Take part in a Victorian Christmas in the setting of Keats House, with arts and crafts activities, music and role-play. Meet the housekeeper, and learn how Christmas was celebrated in the nineteenth century when Keats House was a family home.

Upstairs, Downstairs

Key Stage 1-3

Discover the workings of a Victorian household in the atmospheric setting of Keats House. The house was a family home throughout the nineteenth century, and its furnishings, historic objects and period garden still give a vivid sense of what life was like for both householders and servants. Learn about Victorian etiquette and discover what life was like for nineteenth century children?both wealthy and not-so-wealthy. Below stairs, find out how to do the wash and bake bread, and learn how to plant and gather herbs in the garden.

Local History

Key stage 2

Find out about what this area was like in Keats’s lifetime and in Victorian times. We?ll look at maps, prints and photos to discover a rapidly changing community and some of the people who lived here.

Citizenship

Rebels and Revolutionaries: How Protest changed the World

Key Stage 2-4

Two hundred years ago, the only people who could vote were men who owned their own land, and you could be thrown in prison for being rude to royalty. Discover some of the people and groups who challenged the rules in the days of Keats, and their links to today’s protest groups. Decide what you most want to change about the world today, and plan your own protest campaign.

Developing a Heritage Site for the Future

Key Stage 3-4

A workshop which introduces the different ways in which a heritage site can be developed to meet the needs of local people.

Science

Everything in the Garden

Key Stage 2

Investigate bugs, flowers and trees in the beautiful setting of Keats House garden. In this interactive session we will look at the local wildlife to find out about the food chain, how plants are made, and how heat, light and water can change the way things grow. Finish up by making your own plant drawing.

Supports National Curriculum requirements for: Science KS2: Life Processes and Living Things?Green Plants and Living Things in Their Environment

Keats’s Medicine

Key Stage 2-3

Keats trained as a doctor at a time when the practise of medicine was rapidly changing. Find out about strange ailments, discover herbal remedies and explore gruesome surgery.

We welcome up to one class of 30 children at a time.

We provide educational materials during the visit.

Children can take photos and videos of the exterior but not the interior. Audio is welcomed.

We provide a risk assessment for teachers. Teachers are welcome to come and carry out their own risk assessments, by arrangement.

keatshouse@cityoflondon.gov.uk

£3 per child; minimum charges apply

There are two qualified first aiders at Keats House, at least one of whom will be on site during a visit.

There is a small shop with a few pocket money items.

Children can eat lunch in the garden if the weather is good. There is space for children to eat lunch in The Nightingale Room in the Keats Community Library building.

There is wheelchair access to the ground floor of Keats House. The Chester Room is accessed down two steps, but a portable ramp is available on request. The toilets in the garden are also wheelchair accessible.

A sympathetic hearing scheme is in operation in the house and there is an Induction Loop at the Welcome desk.

School visits can be booked on Tuesday mornings, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Morning visits are usually 10 am – 12 noon, and afternoon visits 1 – 3 pm.