London,
30
June
2016
|
14:17
Europe/London

Keats House and Jacksons Lane win Heritage Lottery Fund support

Keats House and Jacksons Lane have received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £41,300 for an exciting new joint project, OMG Keats!

Led by youth groups from North London, the project will interpret the historic home of the Romantic poet John Keats (pictured) for young people through a series of creative activities running from June 2016 until March 2017.

Young writers, dancers, musicians, film enthusiasts and actors will learn about Keats’s life as a struggling poet in Hampstead 200 years ago, and will produce new creative work in response to the poems he wrote there, including the famous ‘Ode to a Nightingale’. Outputs will include a celebratory performance in summer 2016, a film researched and produced by young people, and a theatrical installation developed with artist Kazuko Hohki.

Now a museum and literary centre managed by the City of London Corporation, Keats House in Hampstead was John Keats’s home from 1818 to 1821. It was here that he wrote his best-loved poems, and fell in love with Fanny Brawne, the girl next door. Jacksons Lane is a multi-arts venue in Highgate North London. The venue has a rich history of innovative work with experimental visual theatre companies, as well as a strong history in contemporary dance and circus and outreach. This new partnership aims to engage young people with heritage through diverse forms of research and creative expression, building skills and confidence.

Vicky Carroll, the City of London Corporation’s Principal Curator of Keats House, said:

“Keats House is a hidden gem with so much to offer visitors of all ages. We are thrilled that this Heritage Lottery Fund grant will enable us to work with Jacksons Lane to make our collection and Keats’s story even more relevant and engaging to young people.”

Stuart Cox, Head of Participation at Jacksons Lane, said:

“Jacksons Lane is honoured to be working with Keats House on such a fun heritage project as OMG Keats! We have had previous experience of delivering heritage projects and we see this as the most exciting project yet. Keats’s poetry has already grabbed the attention of the young people we work with but they were also really inspired by his life in London. There are so many aspects of his heritage that we are looking forward to help bring alive for young people and can’t wait to get started.”

Stuart Hobley, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, said:

“HLF is pleased to support Keats House and partner organisation Jacksons Lane with this exciting new project, OMG Keats! Thanks to National Lottery players, young people in London will be able to get involved with the history of a much-loved poet and take part in a range of creative events to learn more about Keats’s life in London.”

The City of London Corporation, which owns and manages Keats House, invests £80m every year in heritage and cultural activities of all kinds. It is the country’s largest funder of culture, after the Government, the BBC, and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It supports a wide range of arts and cultural institutions, including the Barbican Centre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and London Symphony Orchestra.

ENDS 

 

Notes for Editors:

About Keats House

Keats House is where the Romantic Poet John Keats lived from 1818 to 1820. Today it is a museum and literary centre.

Admission: Adults £6.50, seniors over 65 £5.50, students and jobseekers £4.50, children aged 17 and under free. Keats House is situated at 10 Keats Grove, Hampstead, London, NW3 2RR. Website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/keats. Telephone 020 7332 3868. Email keatshouse@cityoflondon.gov.uk

About Jacksons Lane

Jacksons Lane is a multi-arts venue in North London with a far-reaching, inclusive and accessible programme of performance and participation. Since 1975, they have helped launch the careers of artists like Complicité, The Mighty Boosh and Eddie Izzard. Today, they are the foremost supporter of contemporary circus in the UK, working with hundreds of artists each year to create new work. Further information on Jacksons Lane is available at http://www.jacksonslane.org.uk/

About the Heritage Lottery Fund

Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk @heritagelottery

Further information

For further information, images and interviews please contact Vicky Carroll at Keats House on 020 7332 1832 or vicky.carroll@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Heritage Lottery Fund: Felix Gott, Communications Manager, 020 7591 6138 or felixg@hlf.org.uk