Put the word out: Chiswick may be Britain’s most literary location

London suburb names former residents from Betjeman and Burgess to Thackeray and Yeats among its 250 writers

Bath, Edinburgh and the Lake District are each deeply steeped in literary history and are justly proud, while Stratford-upon-Avon could claim to being the single most important literary destination in Britain. But now there is an unlikely new contender. The largely well-heeled London suburb of Chiswick is claiming that a succession of literary residents makes it the top writerly neighbourhood in the country.

Among Chiswick’s line-up, now set out for inspection on a literary timeline, are two winners of the Nobel prize in literature, one Booker prize winner, two Oscar winners and a poet laureate. With the tally of local writers now reaching 250, what started as a Twitter boast is gaining ground. And this weekend, as Chiswick prepares for its literary festival, a challenge has gone out to other suburbs, towns and villages: can you beat Chiswick?

Continue reading...