Bishopsgate & Lechlade
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| Two
other sites
of interest
to Shelley
scholars
are Bishopsgate
and Lechlade.
Bishopsgate
was (and
is) the two-story
Windsor Park
cottage Mary
and Shelley
rented in
August 1815
and
settled into
during one
of the few
calm chapters
of their
life together.
Warm weather,
daily walks,
and a well-regulated
course of
study contributed
greatly to
Shelley's
health; and
the absence
of Claire
Clairmont
(no one is
certain exactly
where she
spent the
summer of
1815) probably
had a great
deal to do
with Mary's
peace of
mind. |
Bishopsgate
Today, Bishopsgate is a beautifully kept, lovingly restored
private home. The building looks much as it would have
to the Shelleys, except that the original small wing on
the south wall of the house has been cut back and turned
into a charming glassed-in sitting area.
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Lechlade
During their stay at Bishopsgate, Percy, Mary, Thomas
Love Peacock, and Charles Clairmont (Claire's brother)
set off on a boating expedition from Old Windsor, seeking
the origin of the Thames. The party managed to journey
above Lechlade in Gloucestershire, where they were stopped
by enormously thick weeds. They stayed in Lechlade for
two nights, at what is now the New Inn Hotel.
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| There, they visited the adjacent church, where Shelley
drew the inspiration for "A Summer Evening Churchyard, Lechlade,
Gloucestershire." |
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| Today, the church exterior looks much as it would have
in Shelley’s time, retaining many early details such as
gargoyles—although, like the interior, they have undergone
a bit of remodeling. There is a plaque placed in Shelley’s
memory, designating the single lane that meanders through
the churchyard as "Shelley’s Walk." |
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