A POET whose heart was found in a desk years after he died will be remembered with a bicycle ride to his favourite haunts.

Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in Warnham, near Horsham, in 1792, and is known the world over for his poems, none more so than the seminal Ozymandias.

He died at sea aged just 29 in 1822 after his boat capsized – but despite his young age, left behind a rich collection of literary works.

More than 170 years on, Shelley is to be remembered by the community in Horsham as it cycles around the area, visiting spots associated with his life.

Councillor Roger Noel, cabinet member for leisure and culture at Horsham District Council, said: “Percy Shelley was one of the most significant English romantic poets, and it is very appropriate that we honour his achievements in poetry here in Horsham District.

The Argus: Percy ShelleyPercy Shelley

“I cannot think of a lovelier tribute than to amble by bike in the summer months, taking in the famous landmarks frequented by Shelley in his lifetime.”

The ride will take place on Saturday, July 9, setting off from Horsham Park in Poet’s Corner and finishing at Warnham’s Parish Rooms.

Tickets for the bicentenary celebration event are limited, with just 20 spaces available, though are free of charge.

It will include stops at the Heritage Sundial, The Causeway, St Mary’s church, Arun cottage and the River Arun – all key landmarks in Shelley’s life.

Impressive literary works aside however, it is what happened after his short life that sticks in people’s minds.

Shelley’s wife, Mary, was given his heart after it failed to cremate – doctors think it might have calcified due to an earlier spell of tuberculosis.

Mary kept it wrapped in pages of her late-husbands poetry, and it was discovered in her desk a year after her death in 1851.

The heart was later buried in the family tomb with the couple’s son, Percy Florence Shelley, when he died in 1889.