The Calne Blue Plaque Trail is a fascinating walk around the centre of the town in the Heritage Quarter visiting ten points of interest, which act as a reminder of the town’s past, including the site of the Harris bacon factory, the wool trade workshop, the wharf (end of the canal) and Castle House.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a remarkable man, a brilliant polymath- poet, philosopher, lecturer, playwright, translator, letter writer, journalist, travel writer, naturalist; a man who could hold a room spellbound with his flow of conversation. William Wordsworth described him as the most wonderful man he had ever known.
Born in 1772 in Ottery St Mary, Devon, Coleridge lived in many places during his life, including Ashley, near Box, where he lived while recovering from treatment by Dr. Daniel in Bristol. While he was there he visited Rev. William Bowles at Bremhill Rectory and received an invitation to Bowood House, where he was given the freedom of the library. Through Dr Daniel's connections he was offered the house in Church Street to Coleridge in 1814.
Coleridge’s time in Calne was an active and creative one.
He sympathised with the local unemployed and made a speech in Calne Market Place against the proposed Corn Law Bill, which would have raised the price of bread.
His play Remorse, set in 16th century Spain was performed twice in Calne by a troupe of travelling actors. He collected some of his poems under the title “Sibylline Leaves” and intended to write a short preface to it, but this soon expanded into a two volume work mixing autobiography, philosophy, religion and literary theory and criticism entitled “The Biographia Literaria.” He also added a commentary to his poem “The Ancient Mariner.”
The prospect of these works being published made him eager to go back to London to promote them and he left Calne in March 1816.
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