Chalcot Square: The Historic Flat of Poet William Butler Yeats

In December 1962, Sylvia Plath returned to London with her two young children, renting a flat at 23 Fitzroy Road on a five-year lease. This location was historically significant, as it was once home to the renowned Irish poet William Butler Yeats, a fact that Plath found encouraging, believing it to be a good omen for her creative endeavors. However, the winter of 1962-1963 proved to be one of the coldest on record in the UK, leading to frozen pipes and frequent illnesses for her children, who were just two years and nine months old at the time. The flat lacked a telephone, which added to her isolation. Despite her struggles with depression, Plath managed to complete her poetry collection, which would be published posthumously in 1965 in the UK and 1966 in the US. Additionally, her only novel, 'The Bell Jar,' was published in January 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, although it received a lukewarm reception from critics. This period marked a significant yet challenging chapter in Plath's life, as she navigated motherhood and her literary ambitions amidst personal turmoil. #mooflife #mof #MomentOfLife #SylviaPlath #WilliamButlerYeats #TheBellJar #1962London #Poetry