Keats House

Lonely Planet review

A stone's throw from the lower reaches of the heath, this elegant Regency house was home to the golden boy of the Romantic poets from 1818 to 1820. Keats wrote his most celebrated poem, Ode to a Nightingale , whilst sitting under a plum tree (now replaced) in the garden in 1819.

Undergoing redevelopment at the time of writing and due to reopen in late 2008.

Never short of generous mates, Keats was persuaded to take refuge here by Charles Armitage Brown, and it was here that he met his fiancée Fanny Brawne, who was literally the girl next door.

Original documents such as the poet's letters and the original Bright Star manuscript will be on display as part of the redevelopment. The house is dripping with atmosphere, thanks in part to the collection of Regency furniture amassed here in recent years. Rather than supplying pamphlets or audioguides, the staff here tell stories about Keats and the house as you wander around, perhaps examining the ring he gave Fanny (which she wore for the rest of her life) or the bust of Keats, which is set at the poet's exact height: barely 1.5m!

American visitors might like to know that the house was originally saved and opened to the public in 1925 largely due to the donations of Keats' devotees in the US.