A new memorial has been unveiled at the site of a long-lost cottage that was once home to the 17th-century poet Andrew Marvell. The plaque, which was unveiled by Mayor of Camden Trisha Leman in Waterlow Park, Highgate, on Thursday, October 8, marks the approximate site on Highgate Hill where Marvell is believed to have spent much of his adult life.
The plaque bears a colour image of the cottage based on an 1869 photograph, along with selected lines from Marvell’s poetry, including “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near” and a reference to a garden “with roses overgrown”. It also recognises Marvell's work as a political satirist who evaded the censors by penning anonymous writings which criticised religion and government.
A poet's hidden life in Highgate
Dr Matthew Augustine, of the Andrew Marvell Society, described how Marvell partly prepared his satire The Rehearsal Transpros’d at Highgate. He said the poet's attacks prompted rewards for anyone who could unmask the author. “Prudent and self-effacing, he was also attracted to danger and enjoyed thwarting his enemies and pursuers,” said Dr Augustine.
He added that Marvell’s housekeeper, Mary Palmer, claimed after his death in 1678 to have married him in secret: “If Marvell had married in secret, it’s possible their domestic life found sanctuary in the cottage at Highgate.” Dr Augustine described the plaque as a bridge connecting past and present, saying anyone stopping to read it would become “however briefly, one of Marvell’s constituents, an heir to the liberties Marvell championed”.
Commemorating a legacy
Professor Julianne Werlin of Duke University, president of the Andrew Marvell Society, sent a message to say the poet's verse “has the power to bring us back in spirit to the Highgate of the 17th century”. The plaque was funded by The Highgate Society, led by members Francis Wilkinson, Michael Hammerson, and Valerie Doulton. Francis said: "The Highgate Society funded and commissioned this plaque which we hope gives everyone who passes a reason to find out more."
Marvell’s original cottage was demolished in the late 19th century, with only the bottom step of the entrance remaining visible at the foot of the park wall. A London County Council plaque has marked the location for 130 years, but the society felt it was easily overlooked and hopes its plaque will help more people discover Highgate’s link with Marvell.
