A Walk Through the Water Meadows: First-hand Research

           Lee Gutkind wrote that “a writer could…gain international renown (and some have) without wandering so much as a mile from his or her home.” As I continued my research after the last blog post, delving into Keats friends and the significant events of Keats' life, I initially disagreed with Gutkind. Keats visited Winchester two-hundred years ago – how could I possibly obtain the same level of in-depth research available to nonfiction writers writing about the present?

Then, after researching online, I discovered that Keats’ walk – discussed in the previous blog – is a regular tourist attraction in Winchester, with a path mapped out for people to follow. The route spans from Winchester Cathedral to St Cross Hospital, passing by the Water Meadows alongside the river Itchen. Although the city of Winchester has been modernised since 1819, the tour emphasised that the path through the Water Meadows remained unchanged. 

Winchester Cathedral

St Cross Hospital

       I decided to take the walk for myself. I wanted to put myself in Keats’ shoes, aiming to understand what he might have felt.

        I was not disappointed.

A bridge over the river Itchen

The River Itchen

The path through the Water Meadows

By taking the walk, I was able to immerse myself into my piece, taking notes on the environment around me, as well as the influence this had on Keats in his letters. It also provided the opportunity for photographs. I can use these as visual references for my piece, gathering the smaller details needed to create compelling scenes in my narrative.

By throwing myself, as a writer, into the footsteps of my subject, I have also been able to think about how my narrative will be structured when I start writing it. When comparing the walk to other events in Keats’ life - debt, troubles with his lover and publishers, his writers block – there is a striking emotional contrast, which I now want to include in my piece. I could use the walk as a central narrative thread throughout, placing it beside the hectic parts of his life. This is a choice that I can consider as I continue to work on my piece.