Discovering Literary History at Milton’s Cottage

On Wednesday 17 June, the English Department organised for a group of Lower Sixth pupils to visit Milton’s Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, where the poet took refuge during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in London in 1665. The group were treated to a comprehensive talk by the resident Miltonist on the poet’s political radicalism and service under Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s, before visiting the room where he likely finished his magnum opus, Paradise Lost.

The expansive collection of first editions of both his political and poetic works brought to life the scale of his achievements and the impact he has had in England and overseas. The trip concluded with a visit to the local Quaker meeting house, Jordan’s, one of the first of its kind and built by some of Milton’s friends and acquaintances with whom he would have socialised during his time in Chalfont St Giles. Prominent among those buried in the grounds is William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. Thanks to Dr Bromley and Miss Hookway for organising and running a trip that gave life and context to a piece of literary history.