Keats House in Hampstead, London, where Keats composed "Ode to a Nightingale," has been restored and will reopen to the public.
Keats House in Hampstead has been restored to reflect its appearance during the poet's life and will display items such as the gold engagement ring he gave to his neighbour Fanny Brawne in 1820.
Keats lived in the semi-detached house for two years before his tuberculosis drove him to the warmer climate of Rome, where he died aged 25 in 1821.
He composed the famous poem Ode to a Nightingale under a plum tree in the front garden.
The Grade I listed property was deemed too "fusty" to serve as the set for a new film about Keats's romance with Miss Brawne, Bright Star, which was instead filmed at Hyde House in Luton. But producers visited Keats House to gain inspiration for props and took a copy of Miss Brawne's gold and almandine engagement ring.
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Analysis of traces of paint and scraps of wallpaper allowed staff to recreate the original appearance of each room in the house, with Keats's bedroom painted in pale pink.
Staff have also reproduced the unappealing pattern of the curtains around the poet's four-poster bed which tormented him as he lay suffering from tuberculosis before leaving for Rome. His death mask is displayed in the corner of the bedroom.
Two portraits of Keats painted by his friend Joseph Severn and a gilt bust produced after his death by sculptor Patrick MacDowell are among an expanded collection of dozens of prints, drawings and objects that have never been seen by the public before.
The renovation took two years and was funded by a 424,000 pound grant from the
Heritage Lottery Fund, plus other monies from the City of London Corporation which manages the property. Keats House in Hampstead will be open to visitors on July 24. You can find visitor information here.
