Ten or eleven rooms. That’s how many were in Whitstead. Sylvia Plath had one. A small one. At the top of the house. It was rather pretty. Picturesque even. With a slanting roof. A dormer window. A window seat. From there she had a fine view. A view over the Whitstead garden. And the broad expanse of the college grounds.
Whitstead. A recently renovated detached house. It sits on the edge of Newnham College grounds. Accessible via the college grounds or Barton Road. Just a short walk from the Porters’ Lodge. It’s a place steeped in history. A place where Sylvia Plath herself once lived. She was a student at Newnham College. She stayed there from 1955 to 1957. She wrote poems there. Many poems.
Imagine her. Sitting in that small room. On the window seat. Sunlight streaming in. The aroma of fried potatoes and bacon drifting from the kitchen. The sounds of other students. Their laughter. Their hushed conversations. The clatter of dishes. Perhaps even the clatter of the toaster. A toaster three Indian girls couldn’t quite master. She wrote about it. She wrote about that breakfast. It was her favorite. A reward after a magazine rejection. She found comfort in that ordinary morning. A comfort that transcended her disappointment.
Whitstead. It’s more than just a building. It’s a place of memories. Of creativity. Of both joy and hardship. A place where a young Sylvia Plath lived. She was ambitious. Intelligent. A little too American perhaps. A little too enthusiastic. She struggled. She persevered. She thrived. She found solace in her room with its view. It allowed her to write. It allowed her to create.
The house itself is impressive. Fifteen bedrooms spread across three floors. A large kitchen and utility room. A large common living room. Plenty of shared bathroom facilities. And a large private garden. Whitstead has stood the test of time. It continues to provide accommodation for students. It continues to inspire. It continues to hold a unique place in the history of Newnham College. It continues to house memories of one of its most famous residents. Sylvia Plath. Her legacy lives on. In her writing. In her spirit. In the very walls of Whitstead.