His ode to nature's 'mists and mellow fruitfulness' came from daily walks to a local beauty spot. And for years fans of John Keats have flocked to the Hampshire meadows thought to have inspired his words. But new research suggests the real site, which seemed to sum up the joys of Autumn, is buried under a multi-storey car park. Eyesore: The car park is run by the local council and its position will disappoint poetry fans . How it was: A sketch of the city around the time Keats visited in 1819 . In a blow to tourists following in the footsteps of Britain's best-loved poet, the closest they may get to his scenic 'stubble fields' is a red-brick eyesore run by Winchester City Council. Academics at Aberystwyth University made the astonishing discovery after looking at a historic guidebook to the city from around the time Keats, a Londoner, spent a few months there in 1819. That is known to be when he composed his 'Ode to Autumn', read by generations of schoolchildren. It begins: 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun.' Not so idyllic: The car park in Winchester that researchers believe stands on the site of meadows that inspired John Keats to write Ode to Autumn . In an engraving showing a panorama of the city centre, they realised a dark area on the side of St Giles Hill was actually a cornfield - and believe this is actually Keat's famous 'reap'd furrow'. Months of research revealed that standing from this exact point would explain a number of other references in the poem which have never been accounted for. The discovery has been greeted with surprise by tourism officers in the town who currently advise visitors to follow a 'Keats Walk' taking in idyllic meadows by the river. More appealing: A nicer view of the city, with the River Itchen winding its way past Winchester College . Richard Marggraf Turley, a professor of English Literature said: 'We looked closely at this engraving and saw the ploughed cornfield on St Giles Hill, which no-one had noticed before. It is now a multi-storey car park. 'Keats fans come flocking every year to the meadows, to swoon at the maturing sun over the scenery, but we believe it is the wrong place. He may have written other things there, but not the poem everyone knows him for. Poet: John Keats who used Winchester for inspiration . 'We hope to talk to the tourist board . about our findings and I think it would be good if they could change the . Keats walk to take in the real site. Perhaps they could put up a plaque . there to let people know.' Prof Turley and his colleagues say the new location makes sense as this would explain Keats reference to a 'hilly gourds' in the poem. It would also explain the sheep he . mentions, which were known to be herded there, and the fact his . 'maturing sun' set in the west. If . he was walking in the meadows outside Winchester, where there are no . hills, he would have seen the sun setting in the east, the researchers . said. They say it puts a . dramatically different spin on the poem, as this land had been . publicly-owned but was sold – controversially - to a profiteer landowner . named Nicholas Waller. Land leases from Hampshire Register Office confirm the sale and that it was a cornfield. 'It . all makes sense now', Prof Turley said. 'And it makes the poem much . more political as the reapers Keats mentioned would have been working . hard but unable to afford the corn they were harvesting. 'These were turbulent times, rather like today, and this could be interesting comment on these social changes.' Rachel . Gander of the Winchester Tourist Information Office said: 'People do . self-guided Keats Walks from our leaflets and there are some guided ones . too, which were developed with advice from our historical experts. 'We've . always thought John Keats wrote 'Ode 'To Autumn' about the . water-meadows south of Winchester, which do exist. I'm not sure how much . visitors would want to see a car park but we will have a look into it.' Ellen Simpson, head of . tourism at Winchester City Council said: 'We know Keats did walk along . the meadows and that he wrote the poem after doing that walk so people . are not being duped. 'But it is quite possible that St Giles Hill was part of the walk, and that's where these stubble covered fields were. 'If . so, maybe our sunset walk needs re-modelling. Our historical knowledge . is being updated all the time, so this is fascinating and the debate . rages on.' Jayne Elizabeth . Archer, co-author of the paper to be published in the Review of English . Studies, said: 'Winchester had something so precious for so long under . its feet, but didn't know.'
Academics at Aberystwyth University used a guidebook from the time of poet's visit to Winchester to trace the area behind Ode to Autumn .
His ode to nature's 'mists and mellow fruitfulness' came from daily walks to a local beauty spot. And for years fans of John Keats have flocked to the Hampshire meadows thought to have inspired his words. But new research suggests the real site, which seemed to sum up the joys of Autumn, is buried under a multi-storey car park. Eyesore: The car park is run by the local council and its position will disappoint poetry fans . How it was: A sketch of the city around the time Keats visited in 1819 . In a blow to tourists following in the footsteps of Britain's best-loved poet, the closest they may get to his scenic 'stubble fields' is a red-brick eyesore run by Winchester City Council. Academics at Aberystwyth University made the astonishing discovery after looking at a historic guidebook to the city from around the time Keats, a Londoner, spent a few months there in 1819. That is known to be when he composed his 'Ode to Autumn', read by generations of schoolchildren. It begins: 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun.' Not so idyllic: The car park in Winchester that researchers believe stands on the site of meadows that inspired John Keats to write Ode to Autumn . In an engraving showing a panorama of the city centre, they realised a dark area on the side of St Giles Hill was actually a cornfield - and believe this is actually Keat's famous 'reap'd furrow'. Months of research revealed that standing from this exact point would explain a number of other references in the poem which have never been accounted for. The discovery has been greeted with surprise by tourism officers in the town who currently advise visitors to follow a 'Keats Walk' taking in idyllic meadows by the river. More appealing: A nicer view of the city, with the River Itchen winding its way past Winchester College . Richard Marggraf Turley, a professor of English Literature said: 'We looked closely at this engraving and saw the ploughed cornfield on St Giles Hill, which no-one had noticed before. It is now a multi-storey car park. 'Keats fans come flocking every year to the meadows, to swoon at the maturing sun over the scenery, but we believe it is the wrong place. He may have written other things there, but not the poem everyone knows him for. Poet: John Keats who used Winchester for inspiration . 'We hope to talk to the tourist board . about our findings and I think it would be good if they could change the . Keats walk to take in the real site. Perhaps they could put up a plaque . there to let people know.' Prof Turley and his colleagues say the new location makes sense as this would explain Keats reference to a 'hilly gourds' in the poem. It would also explain the sheep he . mentions, which were known to be herded there, and the fact his . 'maturing sun' set in the west. If . he was walking in the meadows outside Winchester, where there are no . hills, he would have seen the sun setting in the east, the researchers . said. They say it puts a . dramatically different spin on the poem, as this land had been . publicly-owned but was sold – controversially - to a profiteer landowner . named Nicholas Waller. Land leases from Hampshire Register Office confirm the sale and that it was a cornfield. 'It . all makes sense now', Prof Turley said. 'And it makes the poem much . more political as the reapers Keats mentioned would have been working . hard but unable to afford the corn they were harvesting. 'These were turbulent times, rather like today, and this could be interesting comment on these social changes.' Rachel . Gander of the Winchester Tourist Information Office said: 'People do . self-guided Keats Walks from our leaflets and there are some guided ones . too, which were developed with advice from our historical experts. 'We've . always thought John Keats wrote 'Ode 'To Autumn' about the . water-meadows south of Winchester, which do exist. I'm not sure how much . visitors would want to see a car park but we will have a look into it.' Ellen Simpson, head of . tourism at Winchester City Council said: 'We know Keats did walk along . the meadows and that he wrote the poem after doing that walk so people . are not being duped. 'But it is quite possible that St Giles Hill was part of the walk, and that's where these stubble covered fields were. 'If . so, maybe our sunset walk needs re-modelling. Our historical knowledge . is being updated all the time, so this is fascinating and the debate . rages on.' Jayne Elizabeth . Archer, co-author of the paper to be published in the Review of English . Studies, said: 'Winchester had something so precious for so long under . its feet, but didn't know.'
the joys of Autumn, is buried under a Academics at Aberystwyth University made the guidebook to the city from around the time Keats,