Poet Niall McDevitt follows the central London sites where William Blake lived, studied, worked and died.

Britain’s most cosmic and millenarian poet-painter was born in an underwear shop in Soho and never went to school. His Moravian mother dirtied his childhood enthusiasm and encouraged his wiring and drawing until at the age of ten he went to Henry Par’s drawing school.

At fourteen Blake apprenticed himself as engraver to James Basire and at twenty-one began attending the Royal Academy. His subsequent career as writer and artist was blighted by bad luck, misunderstanding, snobbery and sabotage, none of which prevented him from creating one of the most mysterious and profound oeuvres in world poetry.

McDevitt’s definitive walk was listed as number one in the Telegraphs ‘Great British Walks’ survey and reveals Blake as a psychogeographer 200 years ahead of his time.

Meeting at the junction of Oxford Street and South Molton Street, close to Bond Street tube. Sun 24 Jun at 2pm. £10. Please click here for tickets.

I write in South Molton Street what I both See and hear

In regions of Humanity, in London’s opening Streets…”