Robert Southey (1774 to 1843) was one of the Romantic poets, is remembered for his long narrative poems, the anti-war poem After Blenheim, and as the original author of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  One of the Lake Poets, Southey was somewhat overshadowed by Wordsworth and Coleridge.

A fairy tale home

From 1799 to 1805, Southey lived in Burton, Christchurch. His home, the charming thatched ‘Burton Cottage’ on Salisbury Road, still stands as a private residence.

Dreamer of an ideal world

However, Southey wasn’t always the picture of an establishment poet. Expelled from Westminster School for launching a satirical magazine, he began his life and career as a teenage rebel.

Alongside his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey planned an alternative community called a pantisocracy which focused on minimum work and maximum leisure and creative time.

Southey was prodigiously prolific, although his literary reputation waned and he is little read today, unlike his fellow Romantics.

He was Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death, though he came to dislike the role, feeling criticized by contemporaries like Hazlitt and Byron, who accused him of “selling out” to the establishment. This reputation for being middle-of-the-road has lingered.

Get creative: writing prompts

Southey’s life reminds us that creativity thrives when surrounded by nature, community, and ideas. Explore Burton and Christchurch to walk in the footsteps of this prolific Romantic poet.

Update a fairy tale

Take a fairy tale, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and modernize it.

What would it look like in today’s world? Could the bears be a family in the countryside, or perhaps city dwellers with a love for porridge?

The last romantic

Imagine being a modern version of a romantic poet like Southey, wandering lonely as a cloud around Burton or Christchurch.

Observe the natural beauty and describe the sights and sounds that inspire your creativity.

A poetic encounter: describe the meeting between two or three famous writers 

Southey was part of a literary circle with William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The literary connections he made provided intellectual stimulation, inspiration, and important connections that helped his career to develop. 

Imagine a meeting between famous writers what would they discuss? Who inspires you creatively in your life? Find ways to build your own “literary network” through local groups, events, or festivals.

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