20/08/2026
Best wishes to everyone receiving exam results today and deciding on the next steps in your life 🍀
When Keats left school at the age of 15, he had already gained a love of poetry and had learnt to read and translate poetry written in Latin.
His next step, however, was to begin an apprenticeship to become an apothecary, similar to a present-day pharmacist. He trained for five-years under Dr. Hammond in Edmonton before moving to Guy’s Hospital to continue his studies. He passed his medical exams at Apothecaries Hall in the City of London and began work as a dresser-surgeon.
At about the same time, his first published poem appeared in ‘The Examiner’, a journal edited by Leigh Hunt. Keats met Hunt through is schoolfriend Charles Cowden Clarke, who was the son of the headteacher at his school in Enfield.
Not long after, and very much against the advice and wishes of his guardian, Keats decided to give up a medical career to pursue the life of a poet – a decision that brought him to live in Hampstead and, eventually, in Keats House, where he wrote the work for which he is now loved and famous.
There is no moral or advice in this story, but whether you decide to follow your head or your heart, begin an apprenticeship or go on to study for A-levels, we wish you enjoyment and every success.
To find out more about Keats’s fascinating, creative life, visit Keats House – it’s open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Sundays and free for everyone aged 18 and under!
