Chichester celebrates the great 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, Charlotte Smith, who went to school in the city and later lived at Woolbeding House.

It all takes place on Saturday, March 11 at 6pm. St Pancras Church will host a talk by Fiona Price from Chichester University about the short, tragic but productive lives of Keats, Shelley and Smith, 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. South Downs Poetry Festival organiser Barry Smith explains: “We are in the middle of celebrating the bicentenaries of the great Romantic poets who all had a connection with Sussex. Last year was the bicentenary of Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was born at Field Place near Horsham. He tragically drowned in Italy at the age of 29. 2021 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. Even closer to home is our own poet and novelist and forerunner of the Romantic movement, Charlotte Smith. After many early struggles, including a forced teenage marriage and the imprisonment of her husband for debt, Smith achieved fame with her Elegaic Sonnets as a poet of the School of Sensibility. She later wrote ten novels, praised by Walter Scott, and four books for children.”