Calne Blue Plaques #5

Although a Lake Poet, Coleridge began life in the South West, having been born in 1772 in Ottery St Mary, Devon. He was living in Nether Stowey, Somerset, when he first met William Wordsworth and there wrote both the Rime of The Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, famously interrupted by the alleged arrival of a "Person from Porlock." His connection with Calne is that he lived in Bentley House in Church Street for three years from 1818, a fact commemorated by a Blue Plaque.

I returned to Church Street at lunchtime to show Bentley House in the context of Church Street. The church itself lies on the other side of the road.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Church Street
Poet, philosopher and literary critic, Coleridge with his friend William Wordsworth were the founders of the Romantic Movement, when they published the collection of poems entitled The Lyrical Ballads.
He is best known for the poems The Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan and the critical work Biographia Literaria.
He suffered from anxiety and depression – possibly what is now called bi-polar disease. He began to take opium to counteract his depression and became addicted to it.
He was suffering from such a bout when he moved to Calne with his friends, the Morgans in 1815. His play Remorse was performed while he was in Calne and he was working on The Biographia Literaria.
There is a story that the Calne chemists either ran out of opium or refused to supply him any more because of his high demand and he had to send to Devizes for more. - Calne Heritage

L.
16.12.2014 (1921 hr)

Blip #1445
Consecutive Blip #007
Day #1728
LOTD #680 (#800 including archived blips)

Alternative:
North View Of Bentley House, Church Street

Lens: Pentax 12-24 mm

Calne series
Calne Blue Plaque series

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