William Collins, Chichester's Forgotten Poet

A Cathedral Fellowship talk by Doug Nicolls on the Chichester-born poet William Collins, whose odes bridged the Neoclassical and Romantic eras.

Doug Nicolls, chair of the William Blake Cottage Trust, explores the life and work of Chichester-born poet William Collins, whose celebrated collection Odes on Several Descriptive and Allegoric Subjects includes "Ode to Evening" and "Ode to Fear". Collins is regarded as a transitional figure between the Neoclassical and Romantic eras, with emotionally charged, imaginative odes that anticipated Romanticism. He died in Chichester in 1759 and is commemorated by a plaque in the Cathedral. The talk forms part of the monthly Cathedral Fellowship gatherings, lasting about 75 minutes with questions, discussion and tea.