Christopher Smart: The Visionary Poet of Shipbourne
The poet Christopher Smart (1722-1771) lived a life of immense suffering and inner turmoil. He experienced being committed to what was termed at the time a lunatic asylum, and also a debtor’s prison....
View ArticleRussell Thorndike: Actor and Creator of Romney Marshe’s Doctor Syn
The acting career of Russell Thorndike (1885-1972) was always somewhat overshadowed by that of his much more famous sister, Sybil. It was as the creator of the Doctor Syn series of novels, which...
View ArticleEdward Hasted: Kent’s Scandalous Historian
The epic `History and Topographical Survey of Kent’ published in 12 volumes between 1778 and 1799 by the antiquarian Edward Hasted (1732-1812) remains one of the most thorough, and impressive, ever...
View ArticlePatrick Leigh Fermor: Expulsion from Canterbury
The time that the great travel writer, soldier and scholar Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915-2011) spent in his long life at the King’s School, Canterbury only constituted 2 years, from 1929 to 1931. His...
View ArticleWalter Pater: Harbledown Aesthete
The Victorian writer Walter Pater (1839-1894) is largely remembered today as a prose stylist. His main works, `Marius the Epicurian’ (1885) and `The Renaissance’ (1873), however, still have readers...
View ArticleDavid Jones: Brockley’s Artistics and Poetic Genius
The poet and artist David Jones (1895-1974) was born in Brockley, and lived there on and off with his parents for a large part of his life. While not currently within the borders of Kent, Brockley...
View ArticleThe Fletchers: Cranbrook’s Renaissance Family
Giles Fletcher the Elder (1548-1611), and his two sons, Phineas (1582-1650) and Giles the Younger (c1586-1623) were from a highly cultured and literary family. They were related to John Fletcher, born...
View ArticleDavid Mitchell: Canterbury Beginning
The contemporary British novelist David Mitchell was born in 1969, in Lancashire. He attended the University of Kent, where he completed a degree in English and American literature, and then a...
View ArticleJohn Keats: Margate Respite
The great Romantic poet John Keats (1795-1821) stayed in Margate twice, in his early twenties. Both times were at crucial periods in his life. The first was in 1816, after successfully passing his...
View ArticleLord Byron: Farewell in Dover
The great poet, Lord Byron (1788-1824) spent his final two days in Britain before his exile on April 25th 1816. Taking a Dover packet, he made it across to Ostend. He was never to return to Britain,...
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